India’s historic Gabba win and the many demons it exorcised

At the start of the final 20 mandatory overs, India sailed comfortably with less than a run for a ball and
seven wickets in hand. It looks like the first order came with the decision to win as requested by Indian
captain Kapil Dev. With a solid 90 shot from Gavaskar, a steady 51 from Amarnath and an elegant 42
from Azharuddin, everything went according to plan for India. And then suddenly two quick wickets at
the wily Greg Matthews got India in trouble. Ravi Shastri walked in, who was in a foolproof zone at the
time. With a mature head on his young shoulders, he has been touted as the next big thing in Indian
cricket. He assessed the situation and even when the doors fell on the other side, he remained calm and
knocked reasonably depending on the situation.
“I Looked Good Because Everyone Contributed,” Says Ajinkya Rahane After Gabba
Victory
It only took 4 points for India to win. And Australians just a wicket. Shastri meanwhile fought with
Maninder Singh, the last man in India. Matthews, who had previously won the gold in the heats, was put
into action for the final. With Shastri on strike, India was only one stroke away from an epic victory.
Shastri defended the first ball and fought for two points from the second ball, we were now 2 races
away and the Australians at a wicket without giving a race to win.
Well, what Shastri did with the upcoming prom would be the subject of intense debate for days,
months, and years together. He played a cricket shot and started for a single, which made Tailender
Maninder the hit. This brought the scores to a level. A run in the next three balls would have given India
a historic victory. A wicket of the next 3 balls would equalize the match. And that's exactly what
happened. Maninder managed to defend the fourth ball but was coiled on his pads on the next ball and
referee Vikram Raju raised his dreaded finger to hand it over. Even when Maninder stood up and tried
to indicate that it was a bat and a pillow, it was over. History was made when the match ended in a
draw, only for the second time in the annals of cricket testing.
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After the game, I remember the heated discussions in homes, offices, colleges, local trains, the media,
etc. The whole point is, “Did Ravi Shastri do the right thing by taking this single? Shouldn't he have held
the strike instead and earned the two winning points? “Shastri himself vigorously defended his decision
and said that with this single he made sure that India 'doesn't lose'.
For Australians, the result has been a
huge relief. If they had lost the game,
they would have been roasted at
home after saying they wanted to
win. A tie was acceptable middle
ground. For the Indians, the draw was
not a defeat in a technical sense, but a
chance to win that was lost. This
friendly match, which we could have
won, remained a demon that was not
exorcised. Well, see you last week.