Date: September 30th, 2012.
Location: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Event: ICC World Twenty20, Super Eights - India vs Pakistan.
Certain fixtures in global sports transcend the boundaries of a mere game. The Ashes has history. El Clásico has politics. But India versus Pakistan on a World Cup stage has a gravitational pull that distorts reality itself.
The streets of Mumbai, Lahore, Delhi, and Karachi were deserted. Over a billion people were tethered to their television screens, their collective heartbeats syncing to the rhythm of a spinning coin in Colombo.
The R. Premadasa Stadium was a swirling cauldron of saffron, white, green, and the crescent moon. The humidity of the Sri Lankan evening was oppressive, the air thick and heavy, but the fans in the stands were oblivious to the physical discomfort. They were fueled by pure, unadulterated adrenaline.
Inside the glass-paneled commentary box high above the sightscreen, the atmosphere was crackling with professional tension.
Pre-Match Commentary (Star Sports Network):
Ravi Shastri: "Hello and welcome to the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo! You can feel the electricity in the air. The hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. It is the mother of all battles. India taking on Pakistan in the Super Eights of the World T20. Both teams need this win to secure a pathway to the semi-finals. I am joined by Ramiz Raja and Sunil Gavaskar. Ramiz, the pressure today... it is not just about cricket, is it?"
Ramiz Raja: "Absolutely not, Ravi. It is about holding your nerve when the entire world is screaming at you. Pakistan comes into this game knowing they have a bowling attack that can defend any total. Saeed Ajmal is the premier spinner in the world right now. Umar Gul is a master of reverse swing. But the ghosts of the past... the World Cup history against India... they linger in the dressing room. Pakistan must play the ball today, not the occasion."
Sunil Gavaskar: "The key for India, Ramiz, is composure. We have seen them dominate the group stages. The opening combination of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is highly explosive. And then you have Siddanth Deva coming in at 1-down. Deva's record against Pakistan is nothing short of terrifying for the opposition. If I am the Pakistan captain, my entire team meeting revolves around two things: getting Rohit and Kohli in the powerplay, and not letting Deva settle."
Ravi Shastri: "Let's go down to the middle. The noise is deafening! MS Dhoni and Mohammad Hafeez are standing with match referee Ranjan Madugalle. The coin is ready."
---
In the center of the pitch, the two captains shook hands. MS Dhoni, as always, looked like he was about to order a cup of tea. Mohammad Hafeez looked intense, his eyes darting around the packed stands.
"Heads is the call from Dhoni," Madugalle announced through his microphone as the coin spun high into the humid air.
It landed and rolled onto the dry, baked surface of the pitch.
"Tails it is," Madugalle confirmed. "Mohammad Hafeez, you have won the toss."
Ravi Shastri: "Hafeez, a crucial toss to win. What are you going to do?"
Mohammad Hafeez: "We are going to bat first, Ravi. It looks like a very good pitch. Hard and dry. We want to put a big total on the board and let our spinners do the magic in the second half. In these pressure games, scoreboard pressure is the best bowler."
Ravi Shastri: "Any changes to your playing XI?"
Hafeez: "No, we are going in with the same team. We are confident in our combination."
Ravi Shastri: "MS, you've lost the toss. Would you have batted first as well?"
MS Dhoni: "Actually, we were looking to bowl. The dew factor has been significant here in Colombo over the last few nights. As the evening progresses, the ball gets wet, and it becomes difficult for the spinners to grip it. We are happy to chase."
Ravi Shastri: "There you have it. Pakistan has won the toss and elected to bat. The stage is set. Grab your popcorn, lock your doors, the biggest game of the year is about to begin!"
---
The Indian team huddled near the boundary rope. Dhoni didn't give a long, impassioned speech. He just looked at his bowlers.
"Keep it tight. No freebies on the pads. Let them take the risks."
Openers: Imran Nazir and Mohammad Hafeez.
Bowler: Zaheer Khan.
Over 1: Zaheer Khan to Imran Nazir
Zaheer ran in, his action smooth and rhythmic. He pitched the first ball on a good length, angling it across the right-handed Nazir.
Ball 0.1: Nazir pushed at it tentatively. The ball zipped past the outside edge.
[Commentary - Gavaskar]: "Beautiful start from Zak! Just feeling the pitch, looking for that away movement. He finds it immediately."
Ball 0.2: Zaheer corrected his line, bringing it closer to off stump. Nazir defended back to the bowler.
Ball 0.3: A hint of inswing this time. Nazir was cramped for room and tucked it to square leg for a quick single. Pakistan was off the mark.
The rest of the over yielded two more singles. A quiet, probing start.
Score: 3/0.
Over 2: Irfan Pathan to Mohammad Hafeez
Irfan, operating from the other end, relied on swing rather than raw pace.
Hafeez, looking to assert dominance, stepped down the track on the third ball and lofted Irfan gracefully over extra cover.
[Commentary - Ramiz Raja]: "Shot! That is the Hafeez we know! Clean extension of the arms, right out of the middle of the bat. Pakistan gets their first boundary!" (FOUR)
Hafeez looked proactive, rotating the strike and finding gaps. Pakistan reached 22/0 by the end of the fourth over. They were setting a foundation, avoiding early risks against the moving ball.
Over 5: Zaheer Khan to Imran Nazir
Zaheer, in his third over of the spell, decided to change the angle. He went round the wicket to the aggressive Nazir.
Ball 4.3: Zaheer bowled a heavy, cross-seam delivery. It pitched on middle and leg and stopped slightly on the surface.
Nazir, attempting to whip it over mid-wicket, was through his shot a fraction too early.
The ball took the leading edge. It flew high into the night sky.
The stadium held its breath.
MS Dhoni ran backward, keeping his eyes locked on the swirling white ball. He settled under it, making a difficult catch look ridiculously easy.
[Commentary - Shastri]: "IN THE AIR... AND TAKEN! The captain makes no mistake! Zaheer Khan provides the early breakthrough! Imran Nazir was looking dangerous, but he completely misjudged the pace of the pitch. India draws first blood!"
WICKET (Imran Nazir 8).
Score: 22/1.
Nasir Jamshed walked out to join his captain. The fall of the wicket had precisely the effect Dhoni desired. The Pakistani batters went into a shell, trying to consolidate rather than counter-attack.
The Powerplay ended with Pakistan at a modest 32/1.
Dhoni immediately turned to his spinners to tighten the noose. Ravichandran Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh operated in tandem. The dry Colombo pitch offered grip, and the Indian spin duo exploited it masterfully.
Over 8: R. Ashwin to Nasir Jamshed
Ashwin bowled flat and fast, denying Jamshed any room to free his arms.
Ball 7.4: Ashwin tossed one up slightly. Jamshed, feeling the pressure of consecutive dot balls, went for a slog sweep.
He missed the line completely. The ball skidded on, thudding into his front pad directly in front of the middle stump.
[Commentary - Gavaskar]: "Given! Plumb in front! Ashwin strikes! Jamshed tried to hit his way out of trouble, but the spin choke had worked perfectly! Pakistan is two down, and the run rate is plummeting!"
WICKET (Nasir Jamshed 4).
Score: 40/2.
Kamran Akmal joined Hafeez. The pair tried to rotate the strike, but the boundary drought was extending. By the end of the 10th over, Pakistan was crawling at 55/2. The projected score was barely touching 130.
During the strategic timeout, the Pakistani dressing room looked tense. The coach was sending frantic signals to accelerate.
On the field, MS Dhoni walked up to Siddanth Deva, who was stretching near the extra-cover boundary.
"They are going to attack now," Dhoni said simply, tossing the ball to him. "Pace. Real pace. Don't give them a chance to swing."
Deva nodded. He took his cap off, handing it to the umpire. He cracked his knuckles.
---
Harbhajan bowled a tight 11th over. Kamran Akmal attempted a suicidal single off the fifth ball and was brilliantly run out by a direct hit from Rohit Sharma. The pressure had truly boiled over. Pakistan was 60/3 at the end of the 11th over.
Siddanth Deva marked his run-up from the Pavilion End for the 12th over. The crowd, sensing the introduction of India's premier weapon, began a slow, rhythmic clap. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Striker: Shoaib Malik (who had just come in after the run out).
Non-Striker: Mohammad Hafeez.
Score: 60/3.
Ball 11.1: Deva to Shoaib Malik
Deva steamed in. His run-up was explosive, generating immense kinetic energy. He leapt and snapped his wrist.
The speed gun flashed: 152.4 kmph.
It was a searing yorker, angled in at the base of middle and leg.
Malik's bat came down late. He barely managed to jam it out, the ball squirting to short mid-wicket.
Dot.
Ball 11.2: Deva to Shoaib Malik
Deva altered his length. He banged it in short and fast. 154.1 kmph.
The ball hurried onto Malik, rearing up towards his ribcage. Malik fended awkwardly, taking his bottom hand off the bat. The ball hit the splice and dropped harmlessly onto the pitch.
Dot.
[Commentary - Ramiz Raja]: "This is serious pace! Malik is jumping around the crease. He has no time to react. Deva is bowling with absolute fire!"
Ball 11.3: Deva to Shoaib Malik
Deva ran in harder. He saw Malik backing away slightly, anticipating another short ball.
Deva went full. Outswinger. 151.8 kmph.
It pitched on middle stump and moved away incredibly late.
Malik, his feet stuck on the crease, pushed at it with hard hands.
A thick, undeniable nick.
MS Dhoni took it comfortably at chest height.
[Commentary - Shastri]: "EDGED AND TAKEN! Deva strikes! He set him up with the short ball and then removes him with a beautiful outswinger! Shoaib Malik is gone for a duck! The Premadasa is erupting! Pakistan are 60 for 4!"
WICKET (Shoaib Malik 0).
Umar Akmal walked out to the middle. Known for his aggressive stroke play, he was expected to counter-attack.
At the non-striker's end, Mohammad Hafeez watched with growing horror. He had been on the pitch for an hour, accumulating 22 runs with careful precision, observing the pitch and the Indian bowlers. But this... this was entirely different. The pitch hadn't magically changed, but the bowler had shifted into 'God Mode.' The ball that dismissed Malik had swung impossibly late at a terrifying speed. As Umar Akmal took guard, Hafeez watched Deva mark his run-up. It was a blur of kinetic violence.
Ball 11.4: Deva to Umar Akmal (The Second Strike)
Umar Akmal took guard. He twirled his bat, trying to look confident.
Deva didn't give him a sighter. He didn't bowl an outswinger.
He bowled the fastest delivery of the tournament.
156.9 kmph.
It was a devastating inswinging yorker. It started on the fifth stump line and tailed in like a heat-seeking missile towards the base of the middle stump.
Umar Akmal tried to flick it. His bat was still in the air when the ball bypassed his defense.
CRASH.
The middle stump was uprooted, somersaulting spectacularly out of the ground.
Hafeez didn't even see the seam. He just heard the crack. A cold dread settled in his stomach; they were completely helpless against this velocity.
[Commentary - Gavaskar]: "BOWLED HIM! ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED THE TIMBER! What a delivery! 156.9 kilometers per hour! Umar Akmal didn't even see it! The stump is lying three yards back! Deva is on a hat-trick! This is express pace! This is unplayable!"
WICKET (Umar Akmal 0).
The stadium was in pandemonium. The roar was deafening. Deva didn't celebrate wildly. He just stared down the pitch, waiting for the next batsman.
Shahid Afridi walked out. Boom Boom Afridi. The man who lived by the sword. If anyone could break the tension, it was him.
The field converged. Slips moved in. The crowd chanted, "HAT-TRICK! HAT-TRICK!"
---
Meanwhile, 2,000 kilometers away in Secunderabad, Krithika's living room was under strict martial law.
"Nobody move!" Krithika hissed, standing perfectly still in the center of the room, a half-eaten samosa suspended inches from her mouth.
Her father, frozen mid-reach for the television remote, raised an eyebrow. "Krithi, my arm is cramping."
"Don't breathe, Dad! It's the Jinx Protocol!" she ordered, her eyes wide, glued unblinking to the screen. "Anjali, if you blink, I will throw you out of the house. He's on a hat-trick!"
Even the family dog, Bruno, seemed to sense the immense tension, sitting dead still by the edge of the sofa. They watched Deva leap at the crease...
Ball 11.5: Deva to Shahid Afridi
Afridi took guard. He looked at the shattered middle stump being replaced by the umpire. He looked at Deva. He decided he wasn't going to defend.
Deva started his run-up. The crowd noise peaked.
Deva leaped.
He didn't bowl a yorker. He didn't bowl a bouncer.
He bowled a heavy length ball, pitching on middle and off, nipping back in sharply off the seam. 153.2 kmph.
Afridi, true to his nature, cleared his front leg and attempted a colossal heave over mid-wicket across the line.
He missed it completely.
The ball smashed into his front pad, halfway below the knee roll, directly in front of all three stumps.
The appeal from the entire Indian team was instantaneous and deafening.
The umpire, Simon Taufel, didn't even blink. His finger shot up to the heavens.
[Commentary - Ravi Shastri]: "HE'S GIVEN HIM! HE'S GIVEN HIM! HAT-TRICK FOR SIDDANTH DEVA! THE PREMADASA GOES ABSOLUTELY BERSERK! HE HAS TORN THE HEART OUT OF THE PAKISTAN BATTING LINEUP! MALIK, AKMAL, AND NOW AFRIDI! THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST OVERS IN T20 WORLD CUP HISTORY!"
Deva let out a primal roar, dropping to his knees and punching the turf. Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina sprinted from the covers and piled on top of him. Dhoni ran all the way from the stumps to join the huddle.
WICKET (Shahid Afridi 0).
Score: 60/6.
Ball 11.6: Deva to Yasir Arafat
Yasir Arafat, terrified, managed to get an inside edge onto his pads on a fiery 150 kmph yorker to survive the final ball of the over.
A triple-wicket maiden.
The hat-trick broke Pakistan's spirit completely. From 60/6, it was merely a matter of survival, a desperate attempt to drag the innings to the 20th over.
Deva bowled his second and third overs tightly (Overs 14 and 16), giving away 12 runs while maintaining hostile speeds, continuing to build the suffocating pressure.
Mohammad Hafeez, who had watched the carnage from the non-striker's end, tried to counter-attack Ashwin but was brilliantly stumped by Dhoni for 25.
Score: 75/7.
Zaheer Khan returned to bowl Umar Gul with a slower delivery.
Score: 82/8.
Dhoni tossed the ball back to Siddanth Deva in the 19th over to finish the job. Deva was ruthless. He didn't rely on variations; he stuck to fast, swinging yorkers.
Ball 18.1: Deva to Yasir Arafat
A pinpoint 148 kmph yorker on off-stump. Arafat tried to dig it out, but the ball squeezed under the toe of his bat and dismantled the stumps.
[Commentary - Ramiz Raja]: "He cannot miss today! That is his fourth wicket! Pinpoint accuracy. Arafat had no chance."
WICKET (Yasir Arafat 12).
Ball 18.2: Deva to Saeed Ajmal
The final pair was at the crease.
Deva ran in for the final time in the innings. He aimed straight for the boots.
151 kmph.
The ball smashed flush onto Ajmal's front boot before he could even register the release.
A roaring appeal. The umpire raised his finger immediately.
[Commentary - Shastri]: "PLUMB IN FRONT! AND THAT IS FIVE WICKETS FOR SIDDANTH DEVA! HE HAS BUNDLED PAKISTAN OUT FOR JUST 94 RUNS! What a catastrophic collapse! A five-wicket haul, including a hat-trick! This is a legendary bowling performance!"
WICKET (Saeed Ajmal 0).
Pakistan All Out for 94 in 18.2 Overs.
Deva's Final Figures: 3.2-1-12-5.
The roar in Mirpur was deafening, a cacophony of blue joy, but it was matched by an equally heavy silence across the border. In a packed, open-air cafe on MM Alam Road in Lahore, hundreds of fans sat paralyzed. The giant screen projected the image of Deva holding the match ball aloft, his teammates clapping him off the pitch. No one spoke.
The only sound was the clatter of a tea saucer being set down with trembling hands, and a collective, faint sigh of utter disbelief. The hope hadn't just been defeated; it had been surgically removed. It was a pin-drop silence of a nation realizing they had just witnessed a once-in-a-generation massacre.
The Indian team walked off the field to a standing ovation. Deva raised the match ball to the crowd, his face glistening with sweat, a look of absolute satisfaction in his eyes. He had promised destruction, and he had delivered a masterpiece.
---
Target: 95.
Required Run Rate: 4.75.
In the dressing room, the mood was joyous but intensely focused.
"We don't drag this out," MS Dhoni said, sipping an energy drink. "We don't give them a sniff of a comeback. Virat, Rohit. Finish it early."
Deva sat in the dugout, padded up for the Number 3 spot just in case, but looking completely relaxed.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma walked out to the middle.
Pakistan's only hope was early wickets. Umar Gul and Raza Hasan opened the bowling, trying desperately to find swing. But defending 94 requires miracles, and Kohli and Rohit were in no mood to grant any.
Over 1: Umar Gul to Kohli
Gul pitched it up, hoping for early movement. Kohli leaned into a trademark cover drive. Four.
Next ball, Gul dropped it short. Kohli stood tall and pulled it imperiously over mid-wicket. Four.
[Commentary - Gavaskar]: "Kohli is treating this like a net session! No pressure of the scoreboard. He is just seeing the ball and dispatching it."
Over 3: Raza Hasan to Rohit Sharma
Rohit, unfazed by the spin, stepped out and lofted Hasan effortlessly over long-off for a massive six.
[Commentary - Ramiz Raja]: "That is so lazy, yet so powerful! Rohit Sharma just extended his arms and it sailed into the stands. They are making a mockery of this chase."
The Indian openers were clinical. They didn't take unnecessary risks; they simply punished the bad balls with absolute authority. Saeed Ajmal was brought into the attack in the 6th over, but Kohli swept him for a boundary, completely neutralizing the threat of the doosra.
By the end of the Powerplay (6 Overs), India was 45/0. The match was effectively over.
The field spread out, but Rohit and Kohli rotated the strike easily, picking up boundaries whenever the bowlers erred in length.
End of Over 10: India 80/0.
Kohli was on 32*. Rohit was on 46*. (Extras: 2).
Over 11: Umar Gul
Gul returned to find a breakthrough but was met with pristine timing.
Ball 10.1: Gul to Rohit. Rohit flicked a half-volley beautifully behind square for four, bringing up his half-century in rapid time.
[Commentary - Shastri]: "Fifty for Rohit Sharma! He has looked utterly classy today. Not a single false shot. He has paced this chase to perfection!"
Rohit and Kohli milked 4 more runs from the remaining deliveries, pushing the score to 88/0. Rohit moved to 52* and Kohli to 34*.
Over 12: Saeed Ajmal
India needed just 7 runs to win.
Ball 11.1: Ajmal tossed it up to Rohit. Rohit pushed it gently to long-off for a single, rotating the strike. (Score: 89/0. Rohit 53*).
Ball 11.2: Ajmal bowled it flatter to Kohli. Kohli opened the face and guided it past point for four. (Score: 93/0. Kohli 38*).
Ball 11.3: Ajmal bowled the doosra. Kohli read it and defended it solidly back to the bowler.
Ball 11.4: India needed 2 runs to win. Ajmal tossed it up outside off stump, hoping for a mistake.
Kohli went down on one knee and slog-swept it powerfully.
The ball soared high into the night sky, deep into the mid-wicket stands.
SIX.
[Commentary - Ravi Shastri]: "INTO THE CROWD! AND THAT WILL DO IT! India wins by 10 wickets! A comprehensive, brutal, and humiliating defeat for Pakistan! They have chased down 95 in just 11.4 overs! Absolute domination by the Men in Blue!"
Final Score: India 99/0 (11.4 Overs).
Rohit Sharma: 53* (38 balls).
Virat Kohli: 44* (33 balls).
Extras: 2.
The two openers bumped gloves, smiling easily, and walked off the pitch. They hadn't broken a sweat. It was the most dominant victory India had ever recorded against Pakistan in a World Cup format.
The presentation ceremony was a mere formality. The Man of the Match award was never in doubt.
Ravi Shastri: "Ladies and gentlemen, we have seen history tonight. For his devastating spell of 5 for 12, which included a brilliant hat-trick that broke the back of the opposition... The Man of the Match is Siddanth Deva!"
Deva jogged up to the podium, looking fresh despite the fiery spell he had bowled. The crowd roared his name.
Ravi Shastri: "Sid, what a performance. You seem to save your absolute best for this particular opposition. 156 kmph to get Hafeez, and then the hat-trick. Take us through that 12th over."
Siddanth Deva: "Thank you, Ravi bhai. Yes, the plan was always to hit the deck hard. The spinners had built up incredible pressure, and my job was to capitalize on it. I knew if I pitched it full and fast, they would struggle to get their bats down in time. The hat-trick ball to Afridi... I just backed my yorker. It came out perfectly."
Ravi Shastri: "And the chase? Kohli and Rohit made it look like a walk in the park."
Siddanth Deva: "They were brilliant. When the target is under 100, the only danger is losing early wickets. They batted with great maturity and killed the game in the Powerplay. It was a perfect team performance."
As the team celebrated with the trophy for the camera, Deva jogged over to join his teammates, throwing his arm around Virat Kohli's shoulder. The T20 World Cup was firmly in their sights, and the Devil was leading the charge.
---
A/N : Give me suggestions on what his reward should for winning his next trophy. You can suggest templates but not of cricketers like real life personalities in other sports or other fields like tech, cooking, fighting etc. Or a different reward.