The tour of New Zealand was a cold, blustery awakening.
Siddanth Deva stood on the balcony of the team hotel in Wellington, the wind biting through his team-issued fleece. The Test series had been a disaster. The seaming, swinging conditions and the relentless Kiwi pace attack had undone the famed Indian batting lineup.
India had lost the series 0-2. Siddanth had watched from the dugout, wearing a bib, carrying drinks for legends who looked mortal for the first time in years.
He knew patience was key, but his body was screaming for release.
The ODI series began with a similar frustration.
Match 1 (Napier): India won. Siddanth sat out.
Match 2 (Wellington): India lost. Siddanth sat out.
The series was tied 1-1. The management was sticking to the "experienced" bowling attack of Zaheer, Ishant, and Munaf. But the loss in Wellington, where the bowling lacked teeth in the middle overs, forced Dhoni's hand.
"Sid," Dhoni said at breakfast before the third ODI. "Pack your kit. You're in at Number 7. I want that pace."
Match 3: Venue: AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Toss: India won and elected to bat.
The AMI Stadium was a small, intimate ground, the boundaries temptingly short. Dhoni's decision to bat was a statement: We will outscore you.
Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag started the carnage. Sehwag bludgeoned a quick 40, and Sachin played a masterclass of 123 (retired hurt). The middle order—Yuvraj and Dhoni—kept the momentum going.
But wickets fell in a clump in the 46th over.
Score: 290 for 5.
Overs: 46.2.
Dhoni was at the non-striker's end. Siddanth Deva walked out to join him.
The cold wind whipped his jersey. He tapped the pitch.
"Short boundaries," Dhoni said, punching gloves. "Don't try to over-hit. Just time it."
Siddanth took guard. Kyle Mills, the Kiwi pacer, was bowling.
Ball 1: Mills bowled a wide yorker.
Siddanth didn't swing hard. He opened the face of the bat, using the pace, and steered it past backward point.
The outfield was lightning fast.
FOUR.
"He's off the mark in style!" Simon Doull's voice rang out on commentary. "Deva, the young sensation, is just using the pace. That's a smart shot first up."
Siddanth faced 14 balls in the death overs. It was a clinic in modern finishing.
He didn't just slog. He moved around the crease.
Ball 5: He shuffled across and scooped Jacob Oram over fine leg for Six.
Ball 9: He stepped out to Daniel Vettori and punched him straight back over his head for Four.
He finished with 25 not out off 14 balls.
India posted a massive 320 for 5.
The Second Innings
Defending 320 on a small ground required discipline.
Dhoni tossed the new ball to Siddanth.
"The wind is coming from the Pavilion End," Dhoni said. "It will help your pace. Let it rip."
Siddanth marked his run-up. Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder were the openers. Two of the most destructive hitters in the world.
"This is a big test," Sunil Gavaskar noted. "McCullum will come hard. Deva needs to find his line immediately."
Over 1:
Siddanth turned into the wind.
The wind didn't slow him down; it streamlined him.
Ball 1: 150kph. Outswinger. McCullum left it.
Ball 2: 151kph. Length ball. McCullum defended.
Ball 3: 149kph. Back of a length. "Heavy Ball." McCullum was cramped.
Siddanth bowled six perfect deliveries. Fast, accurate, hostile.
Maiden Over.
"A maiden!" Ian Smith exclaimed, sounding shocked. "To Brendon McCullum? In Christchurch? That is serious bowling from the youngster. He's got some wheels!"
New Zealand fought back. Ryder and McCullum started to hit. They were 60 for 0.
Siddanth was patrolling mid-on.
Ryder tapped a ball to the right of mid-on and called for a quick single. It was 'his' call.
Siddanth saw it.
He didn't just run; he glided. He swooped on the ball one-handed.
Ryder was scrambling. He was a big man, but he was quick.
Siddanth didn't have time to set himself. He threw off-balance, his body parallel to the ground.
The ball was a laser beam.
SMASH.
Direct hit at the non-striker's end.
Ryder was short by six inches.
"GONE! HE'S GONE!" Shastri roared. "What an arm! Siddanth Deva with a rocket from mid-on! Ryder took the chance, and he paid the price! That is electric fielding!"
WICKET 1 (Run Out).
The breakthrough was crucial.
Siddanth came back for his second spell in the middle overs. Ross Taylor was looking dangerous.
Over 25:
Siddanth bowled the Wobble Seam. It pitched on off and nipped back.
Taylor, trying to force it through covers, got an inside edge.
The ball crashed into the stumps.
WICKET 2 (Bowled).
And in the death overs, he removed Grant Elliott with a perfectly disguised slower ball, caught at deep square leg.
WICKET 3.
He finished his spell: 10 overs, 1 maiden, 44 runs, 2 wickets.
His economy of 4.4 in a high-scoring game was gold.
New Zealand fought hard, with a lower-order blitz, but they ran out of overs.
New Zealand: 296 for 5.
India Won by 24 runs.
India Lead 2-1.
In the dressing room, Dhoni patted Siddanth on the back. "That run-out changed the momentum. Good arm."
Siddanth rubbed his shoulder. "Thanks, Mahi-bhai."
Match 4: Venue: Seddon Park, Hamilton
Toss: India lost the toss. New Zealand elected to bat.
This was the chance to seal the series. Hamilton was another small ground, a batting paradise.
Dhoni gathered the team. "We lost the toss. Doesn't matter. We chase well."
The First Innings
Siddanth took the new ball again.
Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum opened.
Siddanth knew the Hamilton pitch. It had good bounce.
He wasn't going to swing it; he was going to hit the deck.
Over 1:
Siddanth to Guptill.
148kph. Short of a length. Rising.
Guptill fended it off awkwardly.
"He is hurrying them," Gavaskar said. "That extra yard of pace is making a difference."
Over 5:
McCullum tried to step out. Siddanth saw it.
He banged it in short. 152kph. Aimed at the nose.
McCullum hooked. It was a reflex shot.
Top edge.
The ball flew high into the swirling Hamilton wind.
Ishant Sharma at fine leg settled under it.
Catch taken.
WICKET 1.
New Zealand rebuilt. Ross Taylor and Jacob Oram built a partnership. The score moved to 180 for 3.
Dhoni brought Siddanth back for the crucial 35th over.
Siddanth vs. Ross Taylor.
Taylor was on 60. He was pulling everything.
Siddanth went round the wicket. He changed the angle.
He bowled the 105kph Slower Ball Yorker.
It was a masterpiece of deception.
Taylor wound up for a massive slog-sweep. The ball hadn't even arrived.
He tried to adjust, to dab it. Too late.
The ball dipped under the bat and hit the base of the off-stump.
WICKET 2.
"Bamboozled!" Danny Morrison cried. "The change of pace! From 150 to 105! Taylor had no clue! That is brilliant bowling!"
In the death overs, Siddanth was surgical. He bowled wide yorkers to the big-hitting Oram.
In the 48th over, he got his third.
He bowled a perfect, reverse-swinging yorker to Nathan McCullum.
Plumb LBW.
WICKET 3.
He finished his spell: 10 overs, 49 runs, 3 wickets.
New Zealand managed 268 all out.
A sub-par score on this ground.
The Second Innings
The chase was a masterclass from Virender Sehwag.
Siddanth sat in the pavilion, pads on, watching the destruction.
Sehwag smashed a brutal, violent century. It was carnage.
He hit the New Zealand bowlers out of the attack, out of the ground, and arguably out of the country.
Gambhir played the perfect foil.
India reached 200 without losing a wicket.
Siddanth relaxed. He wasn't needed.
Sehwag eventually fell for 125. Dhoni promoted himself to finish it quickly.
India chased 270 in just 41 overs.
India Won by 8 wickets.
Series Won 3-1.
The Indian team stormed the field. They had conquered New Zealand. After the Test series disappointment, the ODI series win was a sweet balm.
Match 5: Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
With the series in the bag, Dhoni decided to rotate.
"Sid," Dhoni said. "I'm resting you today. Let's give the others a run."
Siddanth nodded. "Yes, skipper."
He sat on the bench, wearing the blue team jacket, watching the game.
It was a strange feeling. His analytical mind was breaking down field placements and bowling changes, while the rest of him just enjoyed the view.
India lost the dead rubber, a high-scoring thriller, but it didn't matter. The trophy was theirs.
The Presentation:
MS Dhoni lifted the trophy. The team celebrated. Siddanth stood in the back, a quiet satisfaction in his chest.
He had played 2 matches.
He had scored 25 not out.
He had taken 5 wickets at an economy of roughly 4.6.
He had proven he could perform in alien, windy, seaming conditions.
As they walked a victory lap around Eden Park, Siddanth looked at the crowd. A group of Indian fans were holding a banner: "SIDDANTH DEVA: THE FUTURE OF INDIAN CRICKET."
He smiled.
Next stop T20.