India starts for the Asia cup as favourites with their first match against a Minnow, Hong Kong. As expected, the match ended in a boringly one sided finish. But things have not always gone as per expectations in the past. India has faced some humiliating moments at the hands of so called minnows – though they have been on the higher end of the lower strata of cricketing society. Here are a few I can recall –

Hero Cup – 1994: The tournament will always be remembered for Tendulkar’s magical last over against South Africa in the semi final. But Zimbabwe will also remember the tournament for ending their loosing streak against India. With the tournament reduced to a 5 nation clash after Pakistan did not participate, matches against Zimbabwe were seen more as practice matches for the rest of the sides. So when India started their practice match against them in Indore, they could manage 248 which was a decent total in those days. Zimbabwe, who had just obtained their test status a couple of years ago, had some good players in their ranks in David Houghton, Flower brothers, Guy Whittal and a young Heath Streak. Zimbabwe kept getting runs but they were regularly loosing wickets. They always looked marginally less than a threat to run away with a win till the last few overs. With 26 needed of last 3 overs, which was a tough task fifteen years back, Indians decided to provide some thrill to the match with their spectacularly pathetic fielding. At least on three occasions, the ball crossed the ropes between fielder’s legs. With a single digit required in the last over, Zimbabwe were the favourites. They needed 2 of last ball and managed to loose the last wicket in form of a run out. The match ended in a tie and for the first time, India failed to win an ODI against them.

Standard Bank International ODI series – 1997: It was again Zimbabwe. With once easily beatable Sri Lanka becoming the world champions, Zimbabwe occupied the top spot in bottom-most part of ODI playing teams (Kenya, Bangladesh, UAE etc being the rest). Zimbabwe scored 236 with a brilliant 61 from Alistair Campbell and a blasting 40 from Creig Evans. The way Indian batsmen had struggled on the tour, bowling line up which had decent pacers like Brandes and Streak and Zimbabwe’s top class fielding were the few factors which made 236 look like a good total. India was never really in for the chase and kept surrendering to swing bowling. Once Ajay Jadeja got out, the score was 176 for 7 and most of us would have switched off the television sets thinking – “Our form was so bad on this tour, why not let it make someone happy?” Robin Singh had other ideas. He singlehandedly kept Indian hopes, which was miniscule in quantity, alive by chasing a required run rate which had climbed to 11. With two needed of the last ball, Brandes who had taken 5 wickets so far in the innings bowled a wide. Batsmen tried to run the bye and keeper threw it to the bowler, Brandes, who ran out Robin Singh at the non striker’s end. It was a fitting end where one hero of the match ran out the other hero and the match ended in a tie. Not surprisingly, Singh and Brandes were both declared man of the match.

Zimbabwe defeated India in the same tournament which virtually converted the last league match between these two sides as semi final in a triangular tournament. India needed Sachin Tendulkar to produce one of his magical hundreds to get them out of trouble and play South Africa in the final.  

Coca-Cola Triangular Series – 1998: Very few people know the rationale for India to play in this tournament in the scorching heat of Indian summer and with two teams in Kenya & Bangladesh. With league matches were just there to decide who India would beat in the finals, India took on Kenya in the 6^th league match in Gwalior. The temperature at 11:30 PM, during the match, was noted to be 38 degree centigrade. Kenya scored a healthy total of 265. Indian batsmen, it looked like, did not want to bat – either it was heat which made them reluctant or the overconfidence. With half the side gone in 26^th over and required run rate over 6, the match was over and Kenyans knew it. They won by 69 runs and it was second time in two years when they had foxed a test playing nations in ODIs. They were making good progress. The athleticism and fitness of Kenyans in the killing heat, whereas Asian players were collapsing like dead pins due to fitness or lack of it, impressed everyone.

Bangladesh – 2004: India played Bangladesh with a depleted side missing Tendulkar, Dravid, Pathan and Harbhajan – a chance for some new faces. They had already won the first of this 3 ODI series. Chasing a modest total of 230 on a not so happening track, India choked. Once they needed 116 of 127 balls with 2 set batsmen at the crease and it should have been a cake walk. Instead their batsmen started walking one after the other. Late flourish by Joginder Sharma did not work and Bangladesh registered its first ODI win against India.    

The world cup – 2007: Perhaps I need not write about this. The debacle still is and will be fresh in the memories of over a billion Indians. This match goes down as the biggest upset in Indian cricket which forced them out of 2007 world cup even before the tournament had warmed up. Bangladesh might have a decent bowling attack but it was not even close to the best. Indian batsmen made them look like the best. Things were looking to improve at 157 for four in 43^rd over but soon worsened to 159/9 in 46^th over. Last two batsmen took them to score of 191. Somehow, batsmen just could not put bat to ball. But it was the ease at which Bangladesh chased the target and their batsmen thrashed Indian bowling with fearlessness, everyone started realizing that it was the end of the road for India in the tournament. They were not going to beat Sri Lanka and go through. This was probably the worst day for Indian cricket in many years and aftermath was extremely turbulent. Anyhow, Indians consoled themselves with another upset in another pool with Pakistan loosing to Scotland and getting thrown out of WC. Combined these two matches together, this was the biggest upset in the history of world cups, even bigger than India’s 1983 win.

There would be a few more you can recall. My weak memory could recall above ones only. There will be a few more you will witness. Let’s hope none is bigger than the last one.   

- Vibhash