In the morning of the match, people ambled along Bells Road. Few hours later, they might have needed helmets. Watching Saeed Anwar's 194 off 146 unfold, was akin to watching a cricketing video manual. There was no shot that was beyond him, no gap that he did not pierce and no part of the ground that he left untouched. When a left-hander lets loose, it's buffet for the eyes.
And a buffet it was. Piercing the field 22 times and clearing it five times just shows how it was not a mere slog show, but a solid technical exhibition — be it his characteristic offside lashes or shots down midwicket. The large crowds, characteristic of India-Pakistan encounters were initially stunned into silence. But in true Chennai style, once they got a whiff of the records that were about to tumble, they were no applause misers.
It was also a match where leg-work grabbed as much attention as bat-work. Shahid Afridi did the running for Anwar, while Sachin Tendulkar briefly did the same for Rahul Dravid, who cracked a valiant century while chasing Pakistan's 327.
But his effort melted in Anwar's runs rain. True that it was India's Independence Cup, true that the crowds would have preferred a man-in-blue, or even a man in yellow, maroon, black or red, than a man in green, from across the border to create fireworks. But they still applauded, cheered, some grudgingly, and gave him a standing ovation. Because on that day, Saeed Anwar did what no India-Pakistan encounter ever does. He took cricket above country.
And a buffet it was. Piercing the field 22 times and clearing it five times just shows how it was not a mere slog show, but a solid technical exhibition — be it his characteristic offside lashes or shots down midwicket. The large crowds, characteristic of India-Pakistan encounters were initially stunned into silence. But in true Chennai style, once they got a whiff of the records that were about to tumble, they were no applause misers.
It was also a match where leg-work grabbed as much attention as bat-work. Shahid Afridi did the running for Anwar, while Sachin Tendulkar briefly did the same for Rahul Dravid, who cracked a valiant century while chasing Pakistan's 327.
But his effort melted in Anwar's runs rain. True that it was India's Independence Cup, true that the crowds would have preferred a man-in-blue, or even a man in yellow, maroon, black or red, than a man in green, from across the border to create fireworks. But they still applauded, cheered, some grudgingly, and gave him a standing ovation. Because on that day, Saeed Anwar did what no India-Pakistan encounter ever does. He took cricket above country.
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