My Five

Hi everyone!(If anyone at all is reading my blog).It has been one long semester for me and a lot has changed since my last blog.And so,here I am ,back in Blogosphere nearly 6 months since my last bout of bullshit.

Having watched everything that ESPN and Star Sports have got to offer in their platter for several years now,I guess I am qualified enough to compile my own list of the five greatest sporting events I have seen.So here we go.

5.India vs Pakistan,Karachi,2004:

This is perhaps the dark horse in this list.Not a match that many remember now, but the match was already famous even before the coin had been tossed.For it was the first time that India toured Pak in nearly 2 decades.It was perhaps fitting that such a match would be held at the historic Karachi ground.The sight of a fiery Shoiab Akhtar searing all the way down the ground to bowl to a blistering Sehwag was in itself a treat to the cricket connoisseur.The tour opener would only go on to epitomise the history of the occasion.India ,batting first was off to a stunning start.50 was up on the board with only 5 overs bowled.Sachin got out quickly after that , but Sehwag was in awesome form in a tour where he would go on to score his first Triple Century and help India win both series.
Ganguly put up a blitzkrieg fifty partnership with Sehwag(but wait...Ganguly had not faced a single by the time the partnership reached 50!).By 15 overs,projected scores predicted a definite 400.Then inexplicably , Rana Naved who had been hit all over the park struck back and wickets fell in a hurry.Then Rahul Dravid and Kaif forged a brilliant partnership that helped India reach a massive 349.

India were off to a great start with the ball as well,thanks to ...err... Balaji!!But that indomitable man called Inzamam ul Haq fished Pakistan out of the waters and left with Pak needing about 25 from 4 overs.A brilliant last over from Nehra and India drew first blood in a series etched in history.

4.AC Milan vs Liverpool , UEFA Champions League Final,2005:

Maybe the most biased choice here ,but one I couldn't resist.By half time Paolo Maldini and Kaka put Milan 3-0 ahead and it seemed Liverpool had no respite in a miserable season that saw them finish fifth in the EPL.But the game had barely ended, in fact it had only just begun.One season ago, Steven Gerrard was made captain as a stopgap arrangement only because Sami Hyypia(!) was briefly injured but he had made captaincy his own by the time Hyypia returned and that day in Istanbul he would show why.3 goals in 7 minutes ,all due to Gerrard and Liverpool almost snatched the cup away from AC Milan which had one hand in the cup by half-time.Dudek kept a cool head and saved Shevchenko's penalty and the cup was truly theirs."You will never walk alone" and Gerrard ensured Benitez didn't after being three goals down.
Perhaps something for that aging manager of this year's losing finalists to learn from.He actually said "We could never really recover after that one early goal was scored"! Turn back the pages to the May 2005 final, oh honourable knight!

3.Lewis Hamilton vs Rest of the cars , Brazil Grand Prix 2008:

"Made famous overnight" could be a phrase tailor made for Lewis Hamilton.Ten consecutive podium finishes on his debut season and 2007's most consistent performer would throw away the title when all he needed was to finish 7th or higher and he would finish exactly 8th! An on that eventful day in Interlagos when even the rain gods had decided to watch the race ,Massa would need to win the race and hope Hamilton finished at least 6th to take the title.To place the record straight, I am of course a Ferrari fan but who doesn't like a daring newcomer!
When the last lap started, it seemed history repeated itself.Massa was already celebrating as he won the race with Hamilton exactly 6th.Then in a dramatic anti climax in the final turn Hamilton made perhaps the most famous 5th place finish ever.The title is yours for the taking,Mr.Hamilton.

2.South Africa vs Australia , 5th ODI ,2006:

"Chokers", said the Australians of the South Africans for many years.And classically, the South Africans proved it in this series as well throwing away a comprehensive 2-0 lead meaning that they had to win this one.And when Australia scored the biggest ODI total ,who would have believed that the record would stand for only three more hours! An astonishing innings from Gibbs with able support from AB and Captain Smith and great finishing by Boucher and Van der Wath meant that the next day's headline in The Hindu "SA win the greatest ODI ever" was no exaggeration.This was one match that the Proteas did not choke.
I can't say the same about the entry that tops this list though!

1.Australia vs South Africa, World Cup Semifinal 1999

Probably one of the earliest matches I have seen.Who would have known that the South Africans threw away the World Cup when they had lost a supposedly inconsequential match against Zimbabwe.If they had won that final league match,with two points more in hand,it would have been SA that scraped through to the finals.Lance Klusener was having the series of his life and seemed to finish off another famous victory when he struck the ball for a 4 in the final over by Damien Fleming.Instead, for anyone who watched that fateful match, Gilchrist whipping down the bails of a stranded Allan Donald is permanently etched in the mind.SA's best chance to win the World Cup was tarnished even more when 4 years later a mathematical miscalculation led Klusener to think he had won the match and so refuse a single when the match had actually been tied!Looks that the Proteas can always find new ways to "tie" themselves in knots.

My list is more a product of boredom than expertise.I don't claim to be nor am I a sporting expert. The only selection criterion here is that I should have actually watched the match ,so a few glaring omissions are only natural.