Lustrous London
We landed in London on the evening of the 8 th of June and with the Ind-Aus clash scheduled on the 9th , we were already upbeat and into the zone for the game.
Team India had already begun their campaign with a confident win over the Proteas and you could sense the makings of a tight contest come Australia.
On the morning of the game, as we made our way in the Underground from Canary Wharf to the Oval, the fervour around the big game was just beginning to set in. The walk from the Underground station to the entry points of the Oval was visibly marked with massive groups of only Indian supporters. It almost felt like this was a home-game for India.
The arrangements for ensuring a smooth match-experience were spot ON. F&B counters were provided in ample numbers in each section of the stadium. Nothing can match the feeling of having a cold beer and a hot pie on a sunny yet crisp morning in London. That and our Puneri Pagdi attire set us up neatly for the game.
Winning the toss and batting first was a given on such a super day; the fact that the coin turned in favour of India spurred on an already ecstatic crowd. And the Indian batters did not disappoint! After being treated to a 100-run opening stand and a super ton by Dhawan;
the Indian middle order blitzkrieg, led by captain Kohli and Pandya meant that India galloped to a total of 352 at the end of their 50 overs. The Aussie bowling looked hapless at times but a placid track and a sunny afternoon, coupled with the Warner-Smith threat
meant we were in for a tough game.
And close it was till the 40 th over when Smith was dismissed by Bhuvi. An unusually sedate start by the Warner-Finch pair was broken by some super fielding in the deep but a strady partnership between Smith and Khawaja looked like taking the game deep into Maxwell territory. Smith’s dismissal followed by Maxwell and the ever-increasing run-rate meant India’s death bowling were able to close out the game comfortably despite a spirited 50 by Carey.
A high-scoring game meant we were treated to some phenomenal batting displays but the most poignant memory from this game remains the massive flick over square-leg by Mahi to a raging Starc. Silenced a lot of critics and how!
When in Rome, be like the Romans; it is often said! So while the Lord’s had no match scheduled in our travel plan, we surely could not give the Lord’s tour a miss, could we?!
