Sport | Cricket
In many ways, India lost the 2003 Cup final in the mind
The Australian team had one aim in the World Cup - to go through the tournament undefeated.
- By Glenn McGrath, Gameplan
- Published: 23:37 May 3, 2009
-
Prime Minister wishes Indian team good luck
Prime Minister wishes Indian team good luck
-
Food for fans is no problem
Food for fans is no problem
-
Imran picks Australia to win World Cup
Imran picks Australia to win World Cup
-
Musharraf inspires team with a pep-talk
President Musharraf inspires team with a pep-talk
-
Special facilities for UAE cricket fans to watch final
Special arrangements are being made for UAE cricket fans to watch final
-
Being the underdogs took the pressure off us
Being the underdogs took the pressure off us
-
The 1999 semis produced a truly mind-numbing climax
The 1999 semis produced a truly mind-numbing climax
-
Roy believes current India squad is best since 1983
Roy believes current India squad is best since 1983
-
Kumble may retire from one-day game
Kumble may retire from one-day game
The Australian team had one aim in the World Cup - to go through the tournament undefeated. We had won the World Cup already, but the aim of doing it without dropping a match was a big challenge.
We had team meetings during the run-up to the World Cup, and two words that often cropped up were intent and intimidation. They were our catchwords right through the tournament, and we showed tremendous intent right through, and we kept the aggression up - no matter who the opposition was.
Our title defence began in the most dramatic way possible - Shane Warne was ruled out of the tournament because he tested positive for a banned substance. I vividly remember gathering in a room at the Sandton Sun, barely a day before our opening game, to be told by Shane himself that his World Cup campaign was over and that he was heading home aboard the first possible flight.
It was a huge, huge blow for us. After all, Shane was in prime form, and his performance in South Africa had always been outstanding. However, that crisis made us more united, more focused and even more determined.
The first game was against Pakistan, and we started pretty badly, batting first. That was when Andrew Symonds came in and played a career-defining knock. It was a convincing win, and one that gave us tremendous self-belief. We knew that we were formidable even without our strike bowler, and we thought there would be no more setbacks.
Great rhythm
Unfortunately, Jason Gillespie was the next casualty after a match-winning bowling performance against India. He was also in great rhythm and we were really disappointed when he was ruled out for the rest of the tournament.
The two Nathans, Hauritz and Bracken, came in for Shane and Jason and the bowlers in the side realised that they had the responsibility of ensuring that neither Shane nor Jason would be missed. After that, we went from strength to strength. I would rate my bowling in that tournament as one of the highlights of my career, and it was also the coming-of-age tournament for Brett Lee.
Andy Bichel was also in superb form, and he bailed us out of a precarious situation against England, when he supported Michael Bevan. Later in that game, he took seven wickets to bowl us to victory.
One of the main factors for our all-win record in 2003 was the fact that each of the players contributed whenever they were asked to. We were superbly led by Ricky Ponting. If Steve Waugh left his stamp in 1999, Ponting did the same in 2003, particularly in the finals.
We were lucky to have Steve and Ricky leading us in these two campaigns because they are guys who commanded respect through the sheer weight of their own performance.
The toughest test for us was the semifinals at Port Elizabeth, against Sri Lanka, in conditions that suited the opposition.
They really tested us, but when the game was called off, we were in a strong position. We knew that the semifinals, because of the slow wicket, would be tougher than the final against India (we expected to meet them because they clashed with Kenya in the semis). Perhaps that is why we were so relaxed and happy on the eve of the final.
In fact, I remember going to the rifle range in Johannesburg to take a helicopter ride around Pretoria. We were really relaxed and that was the key to our performance the next day.
Three things remain with me about that final game. The first was that while we were happy and joking during our training, the Indians were strangely silent and tense.
Just seeing them train was enough for me to realise that we would win the final.
The other highlight was the endless 15-run over that Zaheer Khan bowled. It was the worst possible way to start the game for the Indians.
Tendulkar goes
However, the most memorable image is the third one, of Sachin Tendulkar getting out. A target of 360 in a final was always daunting, and Sachin pulled the fourth ball to the boundary. I really bent my back and hit the deck with the next ball, and it bounced more. Sachin hit it in the air and I kept my nerve and caught it.
Of course, the final will always be remembered for the awesome batting of Ricky Ponting. Both Ricky and Damien Martyn were really devastating on that day, and I have never seen the cricket ball being hit so hard in my life.
The Indians were just too tense before that game. In many ways, they lost the game before it started in the mind. We played a perfect game in our second successive World Cup final, and it was wonderful because we did well in 1999 bowling first, while in 2003, we were able to bat the opposition out of the game.
I would not like to compare 1999 to 2003 because they were remarkable in their own ways. We made a comeback of sorts to win in 1999, and there were anxious moments right till the semis.
In 2003 we were dominant right through, and achieved our initial aim of remaining undefeated.
Share this article
Related Articles
Popular in Sport
-
Football
Goal rush expected at Beach Soccer World Cup
A total of 970 scored in four editions
Sport Editor's choice
-
No Dubai bout for Pacquiao
Revenue source for blockbuster fights is prime time US pay-per-view TV
-
Core combat: Work out with a punch
Xpress reports on an innovative work-out session that's become a huge hit in Dubai
-
Indoor golf in the UAE
Virtual golf: Beat the heat and play your regular round at home
