Date: October 7th, 2012.
Location: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Event: Final, ICC World Twenty20 - India vs Sri Lanka.
The air in Colombo was thick with humidity and the crushing weight of expectation. Over 35,000 Sri Lankan fans had packed into the R. Premadasa Stadium, transforming it into a roaring ocean of blue and yellow. Lions on flags fluttered in the muggy evening breeze. The Papare bands beat their drums with a frenetic, tribal intensity.
This wasn't just a World Cup Final. This was the ultimate grudge match. Fourteen months ago, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, MS Dhoni had launched Nuwan Kulasekara into the stands to rip the 50-over World Cup from Sri Lankan hands. Tonight, on their own turf, Mahela Jayawardene's men were demanding blood and redemption.
In the glass-walled broadcast center, the magnitude of the occasion was palpable.
Pre-Match Commentary (Harsha Bhogle, Ravi Shastri, & Russell Arnold):
Harsha Bhogle: "Good evening to the millions watching around the globe! This is the pinnacle. The Grand Finale of the ICC World Twenty20. India, the unstoppable force, taking on Sri Lanka, the immovable object on their home soil. The noise in this stadium is absolutely deafening."
Russell Arnold: "It is a cauldron, Harsha! The Sri Lankan people have waited for this moment. They have suffered heartbreak in the 2007 and 2011 World Cup finals. Tonight, they have their home conditions, their spin wizards, and a batting lineup that knows every blade of grass on this pitch. They want revenge."
Ravi Shastri: "Revenge is a strong word, Russell, but MS Dhoni's men do not deal in emotion. They deal in execution. They have been the most ruthless team in this tournament. The team is hunting for its third T20 World Cup title. The key tonight will be the toss. With the dew expected to fall heavily later in the evening, the captain winning the toss will undoubtedly want to chase."
Down in the middle of the pitch, the noise was a physical wall of sound. Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle struggled to hear himself think as MS Dhoni and Mahela Jayawardene stepped forward.
The Toss:
Jayawardene flipped the commemorative coin high into the night sky.
"Heads," Dhoni called.
The coin landed, kissed the dry pitch, and settled. Heads it was.
MS Dhoni: "We will bowl first, Ravi. The pitch looks a bit dry, but history tells us that a lot of dew falls here in the second innings. It makes gripping the ball tough for the spinners. We have backed our batters to chase throughout this tournament, and our record is good. We are playing the same XI. No changes."
Mahela Jayawardene: "We would have batted first anyway. We want to put runs on the board in a big final and let our spinners like Mendis and Herath build the pressure. We are confident."
India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Siddanth Deva (vc), Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Irfan Pathan, R. Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Pragyan Ojha.
The roar that greeted the Sri Lankan openers, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan, was enough to shake the foundations of the stadium.
Zaheer Khan took the new ball. The Indian strategy was clear: pitch it up and look for early swing before the pitch flattened out.
Over 0.4: Zaheer Khan to T. Dilshan
Zaheer bowled a gentle inswinger. Dilshan, always a pioneer, went down on one knee instantly and scooped the fast bowler over the wicketkeeper's head.
[Commentary - Russell Arnold]:"The Dilscoop! He brings it out in the very first over! What a statement of intent from Dilshan! The crowd goes absolutely wild!"(FOUR)
The Sri Lankan openers batted with the grace of artists and the precision of surgeons. They didn't hit massive sixes; they pierced the gaps. They understood the geometry of the Premadasa better than anyone else.
Over 5: Irfan Pathan to M. Jayawardene
4.2: Irfan bowled a length ball. Jayawardene opened the face of his bat at the very last microsecond, guiding it past short third man.
Commentary - Harsha Bhogle: "Ah, pure silk! You don't hit Mahela Jayawardene's shots; you just admire them. He finds the boundary with zero effort."(FOUR)
By the end of the Powerplay, Sri Lanka had cruised to 48/0. The Indian bowlers looked slightly rattled by the sheer volume of the crowd and the flawless technique of the batsmen.
Dhoni turned to his premier spinner, R. Ashwin.
Over 8: R. Ashwin to T. Dilshan
7.3: Ashwin bowled the carrom ball, sliding it into the pads. Dilshan, attempting a sweep, missed and was struck plumb in front.
Commentary - Ravi Shastri: "GIVEN! Plumb in front! Ashwin provides the much-needed breakthrough! The dangerous Dilshan has to go, but Sri Lanka has a solid platform!"
WICKET (T. Dilshan 24). SL 55/1.
Kumar Sangakkara joined Jayawardene. The two greatest legends of Sri Lankan cricket were now at the crease. They rotated the strike effortlessly, playing the Indian spinners with absolute mastery. By the 10th over, Sri Lanka was comfortably placed at 75/1.
At the drinks break, Dhoni tossed the ball to Siddanth Deva. The Vice-Captain had been brilliant in the death overs all tournament, but tonight, Dhoni needed him to break the middle-overs momentum.
Over 12: Siddanth Deva to M. Jayawardene
11.3: Deva steamed in. He knew Jayawardene loved pace on the ball. He bowled a 118 kmph off-cutter that gripped the dry surface.
Jayawardene, through his shot early, got a leading edge. The ball lobbed softly to Rohit Sharma at point.
Commentary - Harsha Bhogle: "Caught! The change of pace does the trick! Deva strikes in his very first over! The captain has to walk back! A massive wicket for India!"
WICKET (M. Jayawardene 38). SL 80/2.
Angelo Mathews walked in, tasked with accelerating the scoring.
Deva bowled a brilliant spell, mixing 150 kmph yorkers with devastatingly slow back-of-the-hand slower balls. His 4-over spell yielded figures of 1/14, effectively putting the brakes on the Sri Lankan scoring rate during the crucial middle phase.
However, Kumar Sangakkara remained unbothered. He unleashed a flurry of boundaries in the final four overs, taking a particular liking to Lakshmipathy Balaji and Zaheer Khan.
Over 19: Zaheer Khan to K. Sangakkara
18.4: Zaheer bowled a low full toss. Sangakkara flicked it beautifully over deep square leg.
Commentary - Russell Arnold: "Magnificent! Sangakkara brings up his half-century in the World Cup Final! A player for the biggest occasions!"(SIX)
Sangakkara finally fell early in the 20th over to Irfan Pathan, caught behind. But the dangerous Thisara Perera walked in, intent on finishing with a flourish.
Over 20: Irfan Pathan to Thisara Perera
19.2: Perera cleared his front leg and launched a full delivery high into the Colombo night. It was soaring towards the deep mid-wicket boundary, looking like a certain six.
Suddenly, a blur of blue intercepted the trajectory. Siddanth Deva sprinted twenty yards along the boundary rope, launching himself into a full-length, horizontal dive. While completely suspended in mid-air and falling backward over the rope, he extended his right hand, plucked the ball out of the sky, and miraculously flicked it back into the field of play just a millisecond before he crashed violently into the LED advertising hoardings.
CRASH.
The stadium gasped. The Indian physio instantly started to jog onto the field. But Deva emerged from the tangled mess of cables and foam boards, tossing the ball to a nearby fielder and brushing the dirt off his bruised shoulder with a grimace. He had turned a guaranteed six into just two runs, putting his body squarely on the line for the World Cup.
[Commentary - Ravi Shastri]:"WHAT AN EFFORT! Superman is fielding at deep mid-wicket! Siddanth Deva flies through the air and crashes into the boards to save four runs! That is the commitment you need in a final! The youngster is putting his body on the line!"
A quickfire cameo from Perera (18 off 9 balls) pushed the Sri Lankan total to a highly competitive score, but Deva's fielding effort had undeniably saved vital runs.
Final Score: Sri Lanka 168/6 (20 Overs).
Kumar Sangakkara: 55 (40 balls).
Mahela Jayawardene: 38 (32 balls).
Siddanth Deva: 4-0-14-1.
Irfan Pathan: 4-0-28-2.
Innings Break Analysis:
Ravi Shastri: "168 on this pitch, in a World Cup Final, feels like 190. Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis are going to be a nightmare to face. India's chase is going to require nerves of absolute steel."
---
Target: 169.
Required Run Rate: 8.45.
The Indian openers, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, walked out. The stadium was a cauldron of hostility. The Sri Lankan fans were screaming for blood.
Lasith Malinga took the new ball. His bleached curls bounced as he kissed the ball. He was the greatest T20 bowler on the planet, and he was bowling on his home turf.
Over 1: Lasith Malinga to Rohit Sharma
0.2: Malinga kissed the turf in his run-up. His arm slung low, almost parallel to the ground.
The ball was a 146 kmph inswinging yorker. It curved through the humid air like a scythe.
Rohit brought his bat down, but he was a fraction of a second too late. The ball crushed into the base of the middle stump.
Commentary - Russell Arnold: "BOWLED HIM! ABSOLUTELY UNPLAYABLE! Lasith Malinga produces pure magic in the very first over! The yorker crashes through Rohit Sharma's defenses! The Premadasa is shaking!"
WICKET (Rohit Sharma 4). India 6/1.
A deafening roar engulfed the stadium.
Siddanth Deva walked out to the middle. He didn't look at the crowd. He locked his eyes on Malinga.
"He's swinging it late," Kohli warned from the non-striker's end. "Watch the release point. Don't commit to the front foot too early."
Deva nodded.
Malinga, fired up by the early wicket, wanted to break the young Vice-Captain immediately. In the 4th over, he decided to turn up the heat, unleashing a sequence designed to destroy.
Over 4: Lasith Malinga to Siddanth Deva
3.1: Malinga steamed in, slinging a 148 kmph yorker aimed directly at Deva's boots. Deva's bat snapped down with lightning speed, jamming the ball out into the pitch.
Dot.
3.2: Malinga grunted, running in even harder. 150 kmph. Another brutal, swinging yorker, this time tailing in late toward the middle stump. Deva squeezed it out again, the violent impact sending a shudder up his forearms.
Dot.
Malinga glared down the pitch, offering a silent, intimidating challenge. I can do this all day. Can you?
3.3: Malinga kissed the ball. He bounded to the crease and fired a third consecutive yorker. 152 kmph, a heat-seeking missile aimed at the base of the stumps.
But Deva was waiting for it. He activated his [Chronos Perception], the ball slowing down perfectly in his vision. Instead of jamming it out defensively, he stepped incredibly deep into his crease, opened his wrists at the point of impact, used Malinga's extreme pace, and miraculously flicked the 152 kmph yorker clean over the deep square-leg boundary. It was a shot of pure, physics-defying arrogance.
[Commentary - Ravi Shastri]:"UNBELIEVABLE! Three searing yorkers in a row, and he flicks the third one into the stands! Who on earth does that to Lasith Malinga? A mere flick of the titanium wrists, and the ball goes rows back! Siddanth Deva is telling Malinga that this is his house now!"(SIX)
Deva, realizing the threat Malinga posed, had successfully fought fire with fire. He and Kohli then decided to counter-attack Kulasekara and Angelo Mathews to keep the run rate in check.
Over 6: Angelo Mathews to Siddanth Deva
5.4: Mathews bowled a back-of-a-length delivery. Deva waited and flat-batted it fiercely back past the bowler.
Commentary - Harsha Bhogle:"Brutal power! Siddanth Deva hits that like a tennis forehand! India is fighting back in the Powerplay!"(FOUR)
Powerplay Score: India 48/1.
Kohli: 18* (12). Deva: 24* (18).
---
The field spread out. Jayawardene brought on his ultimate weapon: the mystery spinner, Ajantha Mendis.
Mendis was notoriously difficult to read. He flicked the ball with his middle finger, delivering off-breaks, leg-breaks, and straight balls with the exact same action.
Over 8: Ajantha Mendis to Virat Kohli
7.2: Mendis darted a carrom ball in on the middle stump. Kohli, trying to work it through the leg side, closed the face of his bat a millisecond too early.
The ball gripped, took the leading edge, and popped up softly to the bowler. Mendis completed an easy return catch.
Commentary - Russell Arnold: "CAUGHT AND BOWLED! The mystery spinner strikes! Virat Kohli is completely deceived by the carrom ball! A massive, massive wicket for Sri Lanka! The Indian run-machine is silenced!"
WICKET (Virat Kohli 22). India 55/2.
Yuvraj Singh walked in, looking tense. He struggled to read Mendis, surviving two close LBW shouts.
Deva, batting on 30, knew he had to break Mendis's rhythm.
Over 10: Ajantha Mendis to Siddanth Deva
9.5: Deva stepped down the track, converting a good length ball into a half-volley, and lofted it straight over the sightscreen.
Commentary - Ravi Shastri: "DOWNTOWN! Deva takes on Mendis and launches him into the crowd! Brilliant counter-attack!"(SIX)
But Mendis was a cunning operator. In his next over, he set a trap.
Over 12: Ajantha Mendis to Siddanth Deva
11.3: Mendis tossed the ball up wide outside off stump, enticing the drive. Deva, looking to keep the required rate under control, went for an inside-out lofted drive over extra cover.
The ball dipped at the last moment. It took the lower half of the bat.
It didn't have the elevation. It sailed flat toward deep cover, where Thisara Perera sprinted forward and took a spectacular diving catch.
Commentary - Harsha Bhogle:: "Taken in the deep! Oh, what a catch by Perera! Ajantha Mendis gets the Vice-Captain! Deva falls trying to accelerate! The silence in the Indian dressing room is deafening. Sri Lanka is right on top in this World Cup Final!"
WICKET (Siddanth Deva 38). India 75/3.
Two balls later, the situation turned from bad to catastrophic.
11.5: Mendis to Yuvraj Singh.
Yuvraj tried to sweep a straight delivery. He missed completely. Plumb LBW.
Commentary - Russell Arnold: "GIVEN! Mendis is destroying the Indian middle order! Yuvraj Singh departs! India is four down, and the World Cup is slipping away from their grasp!"
WICKET (Yuvraj Singh 8). India 79/4.
The R. Premadasa Stadium was a vibrating epicenter of joy. The Sri Lankan fans could smell the trophy. India was 79/4 in 11.5 overs.
Equation: 90 runs needed off 49 balls.
Siddanth Deva walked back into the dressing room, throwing his helmet against the wall in frustration. He sat on the bench, his head in his hands, staring at the television monitor. He had failed to finish the job.
Out in the middle, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni were the last recognized batting pair. If either of them fell, the Sri Lankan pacers would tear through the tail.
Raina took guard. He had a reputation for struggling against the short ball and high-pressure situations. Today, the weight of a billion hopes rested on his shoulders.
Over 14: Angelo Mathews to Suresh Raina
13.2: Mathews bowled a short ball, immediately testing Raina's weakness. Raina didn't flinch. He swiveled on his back foot and pulled it savagely over deep square leg.
Commentary - Ravi Shastri:"Hooked away! What a response from Suresh Raina! They test him with the short ball, and he deposits it into the stands! He is not going down without a fight!"(SIX)
Dhoni played the perfect anchor. He knew his job wasn't to hit boundaries; it was to feed the strike to Raina, who was suddenly looking like a man possessed.
Over 15: Ajantha Mendis's Final Over
Jayawardene brought Mendis back to deliver the knockout blow.
14.1: Raina stepped out and hit Mendis inside-out over extra cover. (FOUR)
14.4: Raina got down on one knee and slog-swept the mystery spinner into the second tier. (SIX)
[Commentary - Harsha Bhogle]:"Raina is taking Mendis apart! This is an innings of absolute bravery! He has decided to fight fire with fire!"
Raina brought up his half-century off just 26 balls. He raised his bat, his face locked in intense concentration. In the dugout, Deva was on his feet, screaming words of encouragement.
But Malinga still had two overs left.
Over 17: Lasith Malinga
16.1: Malinga bowled a searing yorker. Dhoni dug it out for a single.
16.4: Malinga bowled a lethal, dipping slower ball. Raina picked it perfectly, waited an eternity, and lofted it over mid-off for a boundary.
16.6: Malinga tried another yorker. Raina shuffled across his stumps and flicked it miraculously behind square for four.
[Commentary - Russell Arnold]:"He is making a mockery of the greatest death bowler in the world! Suresh Raina is playing the innings of his life! Malinga is missing his mark under pressure!"
End of Over 18: India 154/4.
Equation: 15 runs needed off 12 balls.
The stadium, once a deafening roar, was now filled with a nervous, biting tension. The Sri Lankan fans were biting their nails. The Indian dressing room was completely silent, adhering strictly to the unwritten laws of cricket superstition. Nobody moved from their seats.
Over 19: Lasith Malinga to MS Dhoni
Jayawardene threw the ball to his ultimate weapon for his final over. Malinga had to take wickets.
18.1: Malinga nailed the perfect yorker. Dhoni jammed it out straight back to the bowler. Dot.
18.2: Malinga bowled full and wide. Dhoni sliced it to deep point for a single. (1 Run).
18.3: Raina on strike. Malinga ran in, kissing the ball. He aimed for the toes. 145 kmph.
Raina stepped deep into his crease, converting the yorker into a half-volley, and brutally whipped it over deep mid-wicket.
The ball soared high into the Colombo night.
[Commentary - Ravi Shastri]:"INTO THE NIGHT SKY! AND INTO THE CROWD! SURESH RAINA YOU ABSOLUTE BEAUTY! He has hit Lasith Malinga into the stands in the 19th over of a World Cup Final!"(SIX)
18.4: Malinga, rattled, bowled a slower bouncer. Raina pulled it to deep square leg for a single. (1 Run).
18.5: Dhoni took a quick single to mid-off. (1 Run).
18.6: Raina blocked a wide yorker and scrambled for a single to retain the strike for the final over. (1 Run).
Equation: 5 runs needed off 6 balls.
Striker: Suresh Raina (65*).
Over 20: Nuwan Kulasekara to Suresh Raina
Kulasekara, the man who had bowled the final over in the 2011 ODI World Cup Final to MS Dhoni, was tasked with defending 5 runs. The ghosts of Wankhede loomed over him.
The crowd was completely silent.
19.1: Kulasekara bowled a back-of-a-length slower ball. Raina swung hard but missed it completely.
Commentary - Harsha Bhogle:"Play and a miss! A brilliant slower ball from Kulasekara! The pressure is unbearable! Five needed off five!"(Dot)
19.2: Kulasekara attempted a yorker. It was a low full toss on the pads.
Raina flicked it perfectly. It raced past short fine leg for a boundary.
Commentary - Russell Arnold:"Flicked away for four! It's a boundary! Scores are level! India needs just one run to win the World Cup!"(FOUR)
The Indian dugout erupted. Deva was standing on a chair, screaming.
19.3: Kulasekara bowled an outswinger outside off stump. Raina pushed at it, missed. (Dot)
19.4: Kulasekara ran in. He bowled a length ball, angling into the middle stump.
Suresh Raina didn't look for a single. He didn't look to push it into a gap.
He cleared his front leg, swung his bat with a beautiful, high arc, and lofted the ball magnificently straight back over the bowler's head.
The ball hung in the humid air for what felt like an eternity before crashing into the sightscreen.
Commentary - Ravi Shastri:"HE HITS IT OVER LONG-ON! AND INDIA WINS THE WORLD TWENTY20! SURESH RAINA FINISHES IT IN GRAND STYLE! They were dead and buried at 79 for 4, but Suresh Raina has played the innings of a lifetime! Team India has conquered Colombo! MS Dhoni leads his team to another historic World title!"(SIX)
Final Score: India 174/4 (19.4 Overs).
Suresh Raina: 75 (38 balls).*
MS Dhoni: 21 (14 balls).*
Extras: 6.
The R. Premadasa Stadium exploded. The Sri Lankan players collapsed onto the turf in despair.
Suresh Raina ripped his helmet off, screaming into the night sky, his arms raised in absolute triumph. MS Dhoni jogged down the pitch, his face breaking into a wide, emotional smile, and wrapped the southpaw in a massive embrace.
Within seconds, the entire Indian dugout emptied onto the field. Siddanth Deva, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma sprinted like Olympic sprinters, tackling Raina and Dhoni to the ground in a massive pile of ecstatic blue jerseys.
"You beautiful man!" Deva roared, slapping Raina's helmet. "You actually did it!"
"We never back down, Sid! We never back down!" Raina screamed back, tears of joy mixing with the sweat on his face.
The Indian flag was draped over the shoulders of the players as they took a victory lap around the stadium. Despite the heartbreak, sections of the Sri Lankan crowd stood up and applauded the sheer brilliance of the run chase.
While the players celebrated, the internet was a warzone of joy.
@Sachin_RT: "What a final! When the top order falters, champions step up. Suresh Raina, that is one of the greatest T20 knocks under pressure I have ever seen. Congratulations Team India! World Champions again! 🇮🇳🏆"
@CricketKing18: "79/4 to 171/4. The greatest comeback in a World Cup final! This Indian team is immortal. Deva, Kohli, Dhoni, Raina... they are all match-winners! 🔥🐺"
---
The stage was set on the outfield. Confetti cannons were loaded.
Ravi Shastri: "Ladies and gentlemen, we have witnessed a final for the ages. Sri Lanka fought like tigers, but India proved why they are the undefeated kings of this tournament. Let me invite the Man of the Match. When his team was 79/4, he played a fearless, unbeaten knock of 67 off 34 balls... Suresh Raina!"
Raina walked up to the podium, the crowd applauding warmly.
Shastri: "Suresh, what an unbelievable innings. Malinga, Mendis... you took them all on. What was the mindset when you walked in?"
Raina: "Thank you, Ravi bhai. Honestly, when Sid and Yuvi paaji got out, the dressing room was very quiet. But Mahi bhai was at the crease. He just told me, 'Watch the ball, don't look at the required rate.' I knew Malinga would bowl yorkers and short balls. I just trusted my instincts and backed my strengths. I dedicate this to my family and the billion fans back home."
Shastri: "And now, the moment we have all been waiting for. I invite the captain of the Indian Cricket Team, MS Dhoni, to come up and collect the ICC World Twenty20 Trophy!"
Dhoni walked up to the podium, his face radiating calm satisfaction. He received the heavy silver trophy from the ICC President.
He didn't lift it immediately. True to his legendary style, Dhoni walked back to his team. He handed the World Cup trophy to the youngest member of the squad, Siddanth Deva, and then stepped back to the edge of the frame.
Deva looked at the gleaming silver metal in his hands. He looked at Kohli, Rohit, Raina, and Yuvraj surrounding him.
"On three!" Deva yelled, his voice cracking with emotion. "One! Two! THREE!"
Deva hoisted the trophy high into the Colombo night. The confetti cannons exploded, raining gold and silver over the champions. The fireworks lit up the sky, the booming sounds echoing across the island.