A series leveller, a thriller, an absolute ripper.

WHAT.A.MATCH.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was absolutely the most nail-biting finish ever, and definitely the most nail-biting VICTORY TeamIndia has ever had.

India started the match like stars, like victors, like professionals, making England look like they were playing schoolboy cricket. Zaks bowled brilliantly, leading the bowling attack from the front. Piyush Chawla too bowled with a calm head and a lot of maturity, cleaning up Ian Bell. :) Agarkar of course, came in to reverse all the good work that Zaheer did, and Yuvraj did the same to Chawla's bowling at the end. These two were wayward, bowling extras, gifting boundaries, allowing sixes to be hit. Yuvraj gifted Mascarenhas FIVE sixes off the last FIVE balls of the innings. It was miserable. And England, who at one stage looked like they wouldn't hit 250, managed 316. All credit to their batsmen, Agarkar, Yuvi and of course, Peter Hartley, the new umpire who smartly gave Owais Shah not out (even before he had got to FIFTY) when he had so cleanly nicked it to the keeper. Naturally, Shah capitalised and went on to be unbeaten on 107. All in all, a dejected Indian team left the field, and dejected Indian supporters left their hopes locked in a safe and settled in front of their TVs expecting the worst.

Lunchtime came and went, filled with criticisms and mixed opinions. I didn't bother watching. It would only depress me, I knew that. Hence, I tore myself away from Harsha Bhogle's (always-fun-to-listen-to) commentary, to preserve my sanity and keep my frustration in check.

The second innings started and Sachin and Dada got off to a flyer. They were blazing boundaries with ease. I returned to my TV set with that TeamIndia-worshipping-creature in my heart poking its nose out just that slight bit to sniff hopefully at the air. (I borrow and paraphrase from JKR. Thanks JKR.) They continued in this crazy, boundary hitting vein for ages and ages. Both got wonderful half centuries. 150-0 was the score. Indian fans were ecstatic. England was looking beaten, downtrodden. AND THEN. Suddenly. Broad takes Ganguly's wicket. The partnership had been broken. But we still had our (over)hyped and (unnecessarily) famous batting line up! Out came Gambhir. And Tendulkar started cramping.

The momentum was broken by Sachin's inability to run. Finally, he called for a runner, but before the runner could enter the field, he got out- caught. The creature in my heart dived back into its cavern. Yuvraj and Gambhir. Both were struggling to get the boundaries. But they were running well between wickets, so there was SOME tiny ray of hope somewhere. On and on they continued, nudging the singles, running well, hitting the ocassional boundary. AND THEN YUVI GETS OUT. Vidhu and I are messaging furiously at this point, pouring our frustrations and pain into each sms.

Jammy comes in, both of us hold our breaths. Can our hero accomplish what India needs? He bats, nudges a few singles and GETS CAUGHT OUT. Both of us are in great pain, the last glimmer of hope dies away. We trudge mundanely through the darkness with our useless, pathetic (or so we thought) team, the patriot in us somehow still managing to support them, despite their GREAT failings. Dhoni and Gambhir now. Both are apprehensive, neither willing to take the risk. Then they start getting into some sort of shaky rhythm, when Gambhir, like an IDIOT, decides to spoon one to Panesar at the boundary down the ground. Disappointment hits, the smses start getting hopeless. We know now, it is a completely uphill task and we're also almost sure that the two natural slog batsmen at the crease (Dhoni and Uthappa) are not cut out for this chasing-down-totals task. Dhoni is a slogger, who needs his sixers to keep him happy, and Uthappa is normally an opening batsman. They needed to play sensibly and neither of these batsmen had the temperament for that.
...
Or did they?

A partnership started building. Vidhu said she believes in the impossible. I told her that when you support TeamIndia, you need to consistently believe in the impossible and the extraordinary. Did we dare to hope? Could these two take the game for India? Rachu starts messaging me as well. I'm alternating furiously between match and handphone screen.

After 60 solid runs in the partnership and much struggle, Dhoni gets out bowled. The score is 294 for 6. Vidhu, Rachu and I are ready to commit many murders. Including those SMUG INDIANS PLAYING FOR ENGLAND/SUPPORTING ENGLAND ARGH JUST LOOK AT THEIR ANNOYING FACES.

Agarkar in... AND HE GETS RUN OUT! Agarkar out, but Uthappa still facing. Score now 307. Zaheer in. Few runs. Final over, Uthappa facing. Vidhu and I have stomach aches from the excitement. Rachu is still rambling about the Indian blood traitors. India needs 10 to win. TWO runs off the first ball! Yes, just 8 more now!
THEN. THEN Zaks gets caught backing up too far. Run out at the non-striker's end! ARGHHHH. But not all hope is lost! Uthappa STILL FACING. Powar comes out, at the non-striker's end.

Broad bowls the next ball, and Uthappa executes in one smooth motion a wonderful, cheeky step-out-of-the-crease-and-spoon-the-ball-over-fine-leg move. The ball hits the boundary rope and the Indian cheers are deafening. Just ONE BOUNDARY away now. I'm too afraid to look at anything except the TV screen. I'm almost chewing my fingers now, having finished with my finger nails. Broad starts running in for the next delivery. Time seems to drag out forever. He lands, he releases the ball, the ball archs through the air, Uthappa makes contact and time seems to still for that instant.

Suddenly, the ball is flying off the bat... the fielder DIVES... AND MISSES! THE BALL RACES TO THE BOUNDARY. The commentators are shouting that India has clinched the thriller, Uthappa is riding the air, I jump off the couch, almost as high as Uthappa, screaming, Mum awakes in alarm and yells at me to shut up or I-might-wake-the-neighbours (but I know she's frantically reaching for the remote in her room to switch her TV on and watch the replays of the winning runs), Broad covers his mouth, Collingwood closes his eyes and turns towards the heavens, Powar and Uthappa are hugging, Yuvi sprints onto the field along with all the other TeamIndia youngsters, Yuvi is now jumping on Uthappa, the two cant seem to let go, they are jumping like conjoined bunnies, Dravid is wildly hugging (read as: suffocating the hell out of) every Indian player he can reach before composing himself enough to shake hands with the dejected English team, and even then, he cant suppress a small grin of pure joy. Vidhu and Rachu are smsing me simultaneously, Vidhu saying that she was crying, Rachu saying that her Dad was yelling Chak De India, and I'm replying madly, laughing, crying, jumping, saying that this was the most awesome match EVER, tons of commotion, replays being REPLAYED over and over, everything a happy, ecstatic blur.
A historic ground, where India had found heroes who clinched thrillers for them before, and an absolute gem of a match to complement it. And of course, a new hero to top it all off.

It felt like we'd won the World Cup. :P
Now all we need to do is keep our heads for the next match, and win it and show England that we are not to be trifled with.
From 3-1 down, India have won the last two matches WONDERFULLY to level the series. 6 ODIs down, 3 to each side, the final promises to be a solid competition.

Knowing India, they'll probably get overconfident and let England trample all over them in the next match, but never mind. We're used to expecting the worst from our team aren't we? :P

In the meantime, this victory is one for the history books.
"Drinks all around!"- Capt. Jack Sparrow

P.S.: (This is gonna sound like Vidhu but...) I think I used all four tenses. Sorry, I'm too happy to care right now.