As the countdown to the cricket World Cup draws closer, we look at some nail-biting encounters in the event over the years. In this part, we look at the 1992 World Cup encounter between India and Australia at Brisbane on March 1, in which the latter again got the better of India by one run.
In a repeat of sorts of the 1987 encounter between the teams, Australia batted first and put up a decent score in the board. India found themselves in a position to win at one point of time, but eventually collapsed under pressure, and allowed the hosts to get home by one run. Chasing 237, India were comfortably placed at 216 for 6, but three run-outs including that off Sanjay Manjrekar allowed Australia to escape from jail. The last delivery featured the famous Steve Waugh drop, which the latter converted into a run out.
Batting first, Australia were off to a poor start, losing both their openers cheaply. Mark Taylor was out for 13, and Geoff Marsh managed only 8. Dean Jones and David Boon then featured in a resurrecting partnership. The duo took the score to 102 before Boon for dismissed for 43 by Venkatapathy Raju. Jones continued the resurrection work in the company of Steve Waugh and Tom Moody, who made 29 and 25 respectively. Jones himself went on to compile a brilliant 90 before being caught and bowled by Manoj Prabhakar. Jones' knock featured six fours and two sixes.
In spite of Jones' wonderful knock, the Indian bowlers did well to restrict the Aussies to 237 for nine. Both Prabhakar and Kapil Dev chipped in with three wickets each. Prabhakar dismissed Jones, Moody and McDermott while Kapil sent back openers Taylor, Marsh and Aussie skipper Allan Border. Raju and Javagal Srinath claimed a wicket each while the Indians did well in the extras department, conceding only 16.
India were chasing were a revised target of 236 from 47 overs. They lost Kris Srikkanth for a duck, but Ravi Shastri and Mohammed Azharuddin did well to take the team past the 50 mark. Shastri's dismissal for 25 from 67 balls however triggered a mini-collapse in the Indian batting. Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed for 11 and Kapil made a run-a-ball 21 before being sent back. India were 128 for 4 at the fall of Kapil's wicket, and all hopes rested on Azhar, who was playing fantastically well from one end.
Azhar eventually found a reliable partner in Manjrekar, and the two went about putting the Indian innings back on track. The Indian captain was looking set for a hundred, when he was brilliantly run out by his opposite number. Azhar's 93 came off 102 balls with 10 fours. It was up to Manjrekar now to see the team through to the end. He was doing a fantastic job, and seemed set to take India home when he was run-out going for a non-existent run. His 42-ball 47 featured three fours and one sixes.
Kiran More hit a couple of fours, but he too perished soon after, and the tail couldn't see India home. Moody claimed three wickets for Australia, and McDermott, Waugh and Merv Hughes chipped in with a scalp each. It was yet another close encounter which ended up being so near yet so far for India.
--By A Cricket Analyst