The Indian team arrived in Birmingham two days before the semi-final. The weather was cool, and the sky was clear. They had a practice session scheduled at Edgbaston in the morning.
Siddanth walked out onto the practice field in his blue training gear. He watched his players warm up. The team was in excellent form. They had finished at the top of their group, and the confidence in the camp was very high.
Over in the fast-bowling net, Mohammed Shami was running in to bowl to Rohit Sharma.
Shami hit the crease and released the ball. As he followed through, he suddenly stopped. He hopped on his right leg and reached down, grabbing the back of his left thigh.
Siddanth noticed it immediately. He walked over to the net. The team physiotherapist, Patrick Farhart, was already jogging onto the turf.
"What happened, Shami?" Siddanth asked.
Shami grimaced, stretching his leg carefully. "It felt tight, Sid. A sharp pull in the hamstring right as I planted my foot."
Farhart examined the leg, pressing his fingers into the muscle. "It is a minor strain," the physio reported. "If he bowls ten overs on it tomorrow, it could tear completely. He needs rest."
Siddanth nodded. He did not take risks with his fast bowlers. "Pack your kit, Shami. Go back to the hotel and rest. You are sitting out the semi-final."
---
The next morning, the roads around Edgbaston were packed with fans. The atmosphere was incredibly loud. Indian and Bangladeshi supporters waved flags and blew horns. The rivalry between the two teams had grown very tense over the last few years, especially after the close matches in previous World Cups and Asia Cups.
Up in the broadcast box, the television feed went live.
"Welcome to Edgbaston for the second semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy," Harsha Bhogle announced. "It is India taking on Bangladesh. The winner of this match goes to the grand final to face Pakistan on Sunday. The stakes could not be higher."
"The crowd is buzzing today, Harsha," Sourav Ganguly added, looking out the window. "Bangladesh has played some very good cricket to reach this stage. But India looks like an unstoppable machine right now. Their top order is firing, and their bowling attack is relentless."
"Let's look at the pitch," Nasser Hussain chimed in. "It looks like a very good batting surface. It is hard and flat. But it is slightly overcast right now. The ball might swing for the first ten overs. The team winning the toss will have a tough decision to make."
Down on the pitch, Ravi Shastri held the microphone.
"I have the two captains with me," Ravi announced. "Mashrafe Mortaza for Bangladesh, and Siddanth Deva for India. Siddanth has the coin."
Siddanth flipped the coin high into the air. Mashrafe called heads.
The coin landed on the pitch. It was tails.
"India wins the toss," Ravi said. "Siddanth, what are you doing?"
"We are going to bowl first, Ravi bhai," Siddanth said calmly. "It is a bit overcast this morning. We want to use the early conditions to get some swing. The pitch will remain good for batting in the second half."
"Any changes to your team today?" Ravi asked.
"Just one forced change," Siddanth explained. "Mohammed Shami picked up a slight niggle in training yesterday. So Jasprit Bumrah comes back into the playing eleven."
"Mashrafe, you have to bat first. Are you ready for the challenge?" Ravi asked the Bangladesh captain.
"We wanted to bat first anyway," Mashrafe smiled. "We want to put a good total on the board and apply pressure. We are playing the same team."
The captains shook hands.
The Indian team walked out to the middle. The crowd cheered loudly. Siddanth set his field. He placed two slips for Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar walked out to open the batting for Bangladesh.
The first semi-final began.
0.1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar ran in and bowled a beautiful out-swinger. Soumya Sarkar left it alone. No run.
0.2 Bhuvneshwar bowled fuller. Sarkar pushed it to point. No run.
Bhuvneshwar kept a very tight line. He did not give the batsmen any room to swing their arms. In his first over, he gave away zero runs. A maiden over to start the semi-final.
Jasprit Bumrah took the ball from the other end. He was equally restrictive. He bowled fast, hitting the pitch hard. Tamim Iqbal managed to score just two runs off the over.
In the third over, Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck.
2.4 Bhuvneshwar bowled a length delivery that swung back in sharply. Soumya Sarkar tried to drive the ball on the up. He missed the line completely. The ball crashed into his off-stump, knocking the bail off.
"Bowled him!" Sourav Ganguly shouted on the commentary. "What a delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar! The ball jagged back in off the seam. Perfect fast bowling. India gets their first wicket early."
Soumya Sarkar walked off for zero. Bangladesh was 2 for 1.
Sabbir Rahman walked in at number three. He tried to attack Bhuvneshwar, stepping out of his crease.
In the seventh over, Bhuvneshwar bowled a slower cutter. Sabbir swung his bat early. He hit the ball straight to Ravindra Jadeja at point. Jadeja caught it easily.
"Another wicket for Bhuvneshwar!" Harsha Bhogle called out. "Sabbir Rahman is gone. Bangladesh is losing wickets in the powerplay. The Indian bowlers are giving them absolutely nothing."
Bangladesh was 31 for 2.
Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim tried to build a partnership. They batted carefully against the fast bowlers. Tamim looked in good form, hitting a few boundaries through the off-side.
Siddanth brought Ravindra Jadeja into the attack to speed up the over rate. Jadeja bowled flat and fast.
In the 15th over, Jasprit Bumrah came back for his second spell.
14.5 Bumrah bowled a fast, full delivery. Tamim Iqbal tried to play an aggressive flick shot over mid-wicket. The ball hit the inside edge of the bat and crashed into the leg stump.
"Bumrah strikes!" Nasser Hussain yelled. "Tamim Iqbal was looking dangerous, but Bumrah removes him with pace. A massive blow for Bangladesh."
Tamim was out for 70 runs. Bangladesh was 105 for 3.
Shakib Al Hasan joined Mushfiqur Rahim. They were the two most experienced players in the Bangladesh team. They needed a big partnership to post a defending total.
They batted steadily for the next few overs. They rotated the strike well against Jadeja.
Siddanth decided it was time to break the stand. He took his cap off and handed it to the umpire.
"The Indian captain brings himself into the attack," Sourav Ganguly noted. "He knows this is the crucial partnership. If these two stay until the 40th over, they can easily reach 280."
Siddanth marked his run-up. He bowled fast, aiming directly at the stumps. He did not give Shakib any room to free his arms.
In his second over, Siddanth set the trap. He pushed the fielders back on the leg side.
23.3 Siddanth ran in and bowled a sharp, rising bouncer.
Shakib tried to pull the ball over the square leg boundary. The ball hurried onto him. He hit it off the top edge. The ball went high into the air.
MS Dhoni ran back from his wicket-keeping position, kept his eyes on the ball, and caught it cleanly in his gloves.
"Caught behind!" Harsha Bhogle announced. "Siddanth Deva provides the breakthrough! He bowled a heavy bouncer and forced the error. Shakib Al Hasan has to go."
Bangladesh was 140 for 4.
With Shakib gone, the Bangladesh innings began to collapse.
Siddanth brought Kuldeep Yadav into the attack. The young left-arm wrist spinner had a completely different bowling action from anyone else in the tournament. The Bangladesh lower order could not read him at all.
27.1 Kuldeep bowled a tossed-up delivery to Mahmudullah. Mahmudullah tried to drive it, but the ball spun back in through the gap and hit the stumps.
"Bowled!" Nasser Hussain shouted. "Kuldeep Yadav with an absolute beauty! Mahmudullah is gone for just a single run."
In his next over, Kuldeep bowled Mosaddek Hossain. The batsman tried to cut a googly and edged it straight to the wicketkeeper.
Kuldeep took his third wicket in the 35th over, trapping Taskin Ahmed LBW with a flipper.
"Kuldeep Yadav is running through the middle order," Sourav Ganguly said. "Three quick wickets for the young spinner. He is turning the game completely in India's favor."
While Kuldeep took wickets at one end, Ravindra Jadeja struck from the other.
Jadeja bowled a flat dart to Mushfiqur Rahim, who was batting on 61. Mushfiqur tried to hit it over mid-wicket but picked out Virat Kohli standing directly on the boundary line. Kohli caught the ball safely.
"Mushfiqur is out!" Harsha Bhogle yelled. "Jadeja gets the big wicket. The last recognized batsman is gone."
Bangladesh was 229 for 8. The innings was falling apart rapidly.
Siddanth took the ball for the 42nd over to finish the tail.
41.4 Siddanth bowled a fast yorker to the Bangladesh captain, Mashrafe Mortaza. Mashrafe swung his bat blindly. The ball hit the base of the off-stump, sending it flying out of the ground.
"Another wicket for the captain!" Nasser Hussain noted. "Siddanth Deva cleans up his opposite number. Nine down."
Jasprit Bumrah bowled the 44th over.
43.2 Bumrah bowled a slow off-cutter. Rubel Hossain tried to defend it. The ball hit his pad. A loud appeal, and the umpire raised his finger for LBW.
The match referee checked the review, but it was three red lights. Out.
"All out!" Ravi Shastri announced as the Indian players high-fived each other on the field. "Bangladesh collapses completely in the middle overs. They are bowled out for just 264. An excellent bowling performance by India."
The players walked off the field.
During the innings break, the commentators reviewed the bowling figures.
"Bhuvneshwar started well. Bumrah took two. Siddanth Deva took two crucial wickets. But the real star in the middle was Kuldeep Yadav. Three wickets for the wrist spinner today. He broke their back."
The ten-minute break ended.
The target was 265 runs from 50 overs. For the strong Indian batting lineup, it was an incredibly easy chase.
Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan walked out to the center of the pitch.
They did not waste any time. The pitch was flat, and the sun was shining. They hit boundaries right from the first over. Rohit pulled the short balls into the stands. Dhawan drove the full balls through the covers.
They built a fast, aggressive opening partnership.
In the 16th over, Mortaza bowled a slower ball to Dhawan. Dhawan stepped out and tried to hit it over the extra cover boundary. He misjudged the pace slightly. The ball went high into the air. Mahmudullah took a safe catch.
"Caught!" Harsha Bhogle called out. "Shikhar Dhawan gave India a fantastic start, but he misses out on a big fifty today."
India was 87 for 1.
Virat Kohli walked out to bat at number three. He received a massive cheer from the crowd.
Kohli did not take time to settle in. He pushed his first ball for a single. He ran hard between the wickets, turning singles into twos.
Rohit Sharma reached his fifty in the 18th over. He celebrated by hitting a massive six over mid-wicket on the very next ball.
The partnership between Rohit and Kohli was beautiful to watch. They played proper, classical cricket shots. They did not take any unnecessary risks. They just pushed the ball into the gaps and hit boundaries when the bowlers offered wide deliveries.
Rohit reached the 90s. He looked in control.
In the 32nd over, Mustafizur Rahman bowled a full delivery on the pads. Rohit flicked it effortlessly over the square leg boundary for a six.
The crowd stood up and clapped. Rohit took off his helmet and raised his bat.
"A brilliant century for Rohit Sharma!" Sourav Ganguly announced proudly. "He loves batting in ICC tournaments. He has made this run chase look incredibly easy today."
Kohli reached his half-century a few overs later. He smiled and bumped gloves with Rohit in the middle of the pitch.
The required run rate dropped to under three runs an over. The Bangladesh fielders looked completely defeated. Their shoulders dropped, and they stopped chasing the ball hard to the boundary.
In the 40th over, Kohli hit a boundary through the covers to tie the scores.
On the next ball, he pushed it to mid-on and ran a single.
The match was over.
"India wins by 9 wickets!" Harsha Bhogle announced loudly. "A completely clinical, dominant performance by the defending champions. They chase down 265 runs with ten overs to spare. They march into the final of the Champions Trophy!"
The Indian players walked off the field. Siddanth met Kohli and Rohit at the boundary rope, patting them on the back for finishing the game smoothly.
The post-match presentation took place quickly.
Rohit Sharma was given the Man of the Match award for his unbeaten century.
"A very easy win for India today," Ravi Shastri said into the microphone, standing with Siddanth Deva. "Siddanth, your bowlers restricted them perfectly, and the top order finished the job. You didn't even need to bat."
"That is exactly how we want to play, Ravi bhai," Siddanth said calmly. "We want clinical finishes. Bhuvi and Bumrah set the tone early. Kuldeep was fantastic in the middle overs. When Rohit and Virat bat like that, chasing any total becomes simple."
"You are going to the final on Sunday," Ravi noted, his voice rising in excitement. "And you will be playing against Pakistan."
"We are ready," Siddanth said simply. "We will stick to our processes and play our best cricket."
The Indian team returned to the dressing room, confident and focused. They were one match away from defending their Champions Trophy title.
Siddanth Deva Match Statistics:
Batting: DNB (Did Not Bat)
Bowling: 8 Overs, 1 Maiden, 39 Runs, 2 Wickets. Economy: 4.87.