Amir relishes his role in rewriting history
In the middle of the third over, Mohammad Amir was steaming in, and then kept steaming. He was working up pace and movement, using angles, and had just induced an edge from Virat Kohli, the wicket Pakistan wanted above all others. Only for Azhar Ali to shell the catch at first slip.
It felt like a ‘you just dropped the cup’ moment in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final on Sunday. But from nightmare, the scenario turned to fairytale for Pakistan as Amir got Kohli off the very next ball. The left-arm pacer called it the game’s most crucial moment as Pakistan scripted a historic 180-run win to lift the title.
“Initially I did get upset at Kohli being dropped,” a smiling Amir told ICC in the aftermath of the victory celebrations. “If you drop that kind of batsman, he generally won’t let you come back into the match. But luckily I got him out next ball. The way he had been performing, the Indian team is especially dependent on him. So that was the turning point of the game.”
While walking back to his mark, Amir let out steam, gathered himself, and prepared to do the exact same thing. “I just told myself that I should not get frustrated, and stick to my basics,” he said. “If one catch has gone to the slip, it can go again too, so I need to hit that area again.”
He didn’t hit that exact area, but he did have Kohli trying to clip him to mid-wicket – a shot that has fetched the Indian captain plenty of runs in the past – but getting into the stroke early to get a leading edge that was snapped up at point. Cue unrestrained celebrations from Pakistan, which had now reduced India to 6 for 2.
Before Kohli was out, Amir had already struck a significant blow by getting Rohit Sharma lbw for a duck in the very first over. It was a dismissal that was set up and planned, with Amir giving a glimpse of the thinking bowler’s mind that is behind his already considerable skill.
“My plan was to slant the ball away from him for two or three deliveries, and have him think that the ball is not swinging,” he said. “And then I would bring one back in, and that plan was successful.”
Later on, Amir would get Shikhar Dhawan too, taking out India’s top three scorers inside nine overs to break the back of the chase. With Pakistan having put up a massive 338 for 4, the bowlers could afford to go on all-out attack. “The plan was to go for wickets and not worry about runs, not take the pressure even if we went for runs initially,” said Amir. “As you know, their top three of Rohit, Dhawan and Kohli have been performing really well. We thought we would be in the game if we get two of these three early.”
Amir’s eventual figures were 3 for 16 in six overs, with India bowled out for 158 in 30.3 overs. It marked a personal, as well as collective, redemption for him and Pakistan. It was in England seven years ago that Amir had been caught in the spot-fixing net that led to a five-year ban. With this victory, the dream comeback was complete.
“After my comeback, I was hoping and looking for just this kind of victory,” said Amir. “I prayed to God to make me part of this big a win, and he did it too. I hope that it can happen again.”
For Pakistan too, it was a victory significant beyond just a title win. India had always had the wood on it in ICC events, and till Sunday evening, Pakistan had never beaten India in a knockout match at an ICC tournament. The team still hasn’t got a win against its arch-rival in a World Cup or a World T20, but with this victory, the hurt of those earlier defeats is a thing of the past.
“History has changed today,” declared Amir. “Everyone kept talking of how we never win against India in ICC tournaments, but we did it today. We have made history and it will be remembered, and it’s personally very memorable for me too.”
History had indeed been made. And one of the authors was Amir himself, scripting his own destiny and that of his team.