The air in New Delhi was thick. Early October smog layered the Arun Jaitley Stadium, and forty thousand people in blue filled the old Feroz Shah Kotla hours before the first ball.
The screens illuminated. Match 9 of the 2023 ICC Men's ODI World Cup.
INDIA vs AFGHANISTAN
The crowd went up as the home XI flashed one by one.
INDIA — PLAYING XI
Rohit Sharma
Sanju Samson (wk)
Virat Kohli
Siddanth Deva (c)
KL Rahul
Hardik Pandya
Ravindra Jadeja
Ravichandran Ashwin
Kuldeep Yadav
Mohammed Siraj
Jasprit Bumrah
The pitch was baked and dry, showing very little grass. The Kotla boundaries are short, offering hard work for the bowlers and plenty of room for the batsmen.
Deva walked to the square in the dark blue jersey. Opposite him stood Hashmatullah Shahidi.
Match referee Jeff Crowe supervised the toss, checking the team sheets before stepping back. Ravi Shastri had the microphone.
"A very warm welcome to the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi," Shastri said. "The heat is on, the crowd is in, and we are ready. Siddanth, the coin is yours."
Deva flipped the coin.
"Tails," Shahidi called.
It hit the dusty pitch and settled.
"Tails it is," Crowe confirmed.
Shastri turned to the Afghan captain. "Hashmatullah, you have won the toss against the hosts. What do you want to do?"
"We are going to bat, Ravi," Shahidi said. "It looks a good batting track. Dry. It might slow down and turn in the second innings. We want a big total, then let our spinners bowl under lights."
Shastri turned to Deva. "Siddanth, losing the toss on a flat Delhi deck. Did you want to bat?"
"We don't mind bowling first, Ravi Bhai," Deva said, drawing a cheer from the stands. "It's a good surface, but dew later is a factor. The ball will skid under lights, so chasing can be easier. We are ready either way."
"And the eleven? After Chennai, any changes?"
"No changes. The boys did their jobs at Chepauk. Three spinners for this pitch."
The captains shook hands.
"An interesting call from Shahidi," Ian Bishop said on the broadcast. "He has chosen to bat, backing Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran to use the short boundaries. But Sunil, setting a target against this Indian batting on a flat pitch is a hard job."
"It is, Ian," Sunil Gavaskar said. "Shahidi is right about the pitch, though. If Afghanistan get to 280 or 300, and the dew stays away, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman can be a handful. India need early wickets."
Umpires Michael Gough and Paul Reiffel walked out to the middle. Marais Erasmus was stationed in the third-umpire's room.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz took strike. Ibrahim Zadran stood at the non-striker's end. Jasprit Bumrah marked his run-up at the pavilion end.
"Here we go," Shastri said. "Bumrah with the new white ball. Two slips in place. Deva wants the edge."
0.1: Bumrah, 142 kmph, back of a length, nipping into Gurbaz. Gurbaz got in line and defended off the back foot. Dot.
0.2: Fuller, fourth stump. Gurbaz pushed at it. The ball held its line and beat the edge. Dot.
0.3: Same length, into the pads. Gurbaz clipped it off the hip. Square leg was in. Single.
0.4: Bumrah went across the right-hander, hard length. Zadran left it. Dot.
0.5: Fuller. Zadran met it with a straight bat and pushed to mid-off. No run.
0.6: Short of a length, into the body. Zadran fended it down to the off side. Dot. Afghanistan 1 for 0 after one over.
Mohammed Siraj took the second new ball from the far end, with Reiffel officiating.
1.1: Siraj, 141 kmph, on off stump. Gurbaz defended. Dot.
1.2: A touch wider. Gurbaz went after it, but Jadeja at point cut it off. Dot.
1.3: Siraj went short. Gurbaz pulled it along the ground to deep square for two.
1.4: Full, swinging in. Gurbaz's pad. Siraj appealed. Umpire Reiffel shook his head. Missing leg.
1.5: Back of a length. Gurbaz stood tall and punched through cover. The outfield was quick. Four.
1.6: Siraj pulled the length back. Gurbaz dropped it at his feet. Afghanistan 7 for 0 after two overs.
Bumrah's second over was a tight maiden to Zadran, keeping him pinned to the crease. 7 for 0 after three overs.
In Siraj's second over, Gurbaz decided to move. He hit a straight boundary, and then ramped a short ball over Samson for another four. By the end of the fourth over, Afghanistan had pushed to 15 for 0.
"He is not going to die wondering," Bishop said. "Gurbaz in a World Cup powerplay, short boundaries. He is playing his game."
The scoring continued efficiently as Gurbaz found the gaps and Zadran rotated the strike. After ten overs, the first powerplay concluded with Afghanistan at 48 for 0.
"They have done the first job," Shastri said. "Gurbaz is stepping down to the quicks. Now we see if the spin can break it."
Kuldeep Yadav came on for the eleventh over from Gough's end.
10.1: Kuldeep tossed it up, middle and off. Zadran pushed to cover. Dot.
10.2: Drift, into the pads. Zadran swept, picking up a single.
10.3: Kuldeep went wide of off. Gurbaz left it.
10.4: Googly. Gurbaz punched to long-off for a single.
10.5: Up in the air, dip. Zadran was not to the pitch. The ball turned past the inside edge and hit the pad. Loud shout. Umpire Gough said no. Going down leg.
10.6: Flatter, on the stumps. Zadran defended. Afghanistan 50 for 0.
Jadeja kept it quick and stump-to-stump from the other end, conceding four runs. 54 for 0 after twelve overs. Zadran kept the strike with a single off the final delivery.
Kuldeep's second over brought the breakthrough.
12.1: Tossed up outside off. Zadran drove, thick inside half to midwicket. Dot.
12.2: Kuldeep held it back. Zadran dropped it into the off side. Dot.
12.3: Drift again, starting outside leg, turning toward off. Zadran played for the straight one. The ball dipped, turned, and took the outside edge.
It carried perfectly to Rohit Sharma at slip, who took it low to his right.
Afghanistan 54 for 1. Ibrahim Zadran 16.
"Caught at slip," Shastri said. "Kuldeep Yadav, you beauty. Drift, dip, turn. Zadran playing for the straight one, and Rohit does the rest."
Rahmat Shah walked in at three. Kuldeep bowled two dots to the new man before a single to deep point kept the strike. 55 for 1.
Deva brought Hardik Pandya on to ensure Rahmat didn't get comfortable against spin.
13.1: Hardik, 132 kmph, length, off stump. Rahmat defended.
13.2: Short of a length. Rahmat tucked it for a single.
13.3: Gurbaz took a two into the deep.
13.4: Gurbaz pushed a single.
13.5: Hardik went fuller. Rahmat drove to mid-off.
13.6: Back of a length. Rahmat defended. Afghanistan 59 for 1 after fourteen overs.
Jadeja's next over went for seven runs, taking the score to 66 for 1. In the sixteenth over, Rahmat reverse-swept Kuldeep for three runs, taking his personal score to 5. A single from Gurbaz finished the over at 70 for 1.
Hardik returned for his second over. Rahmat was on strike.
16.1: Hardik from over the wicket, 134 kmph, hard length, fourth stump. Rahmat went back to punch through cover.
The ball hit the dry surface and got up more than Rahmat anticipated, catching the splice of the bat. It looped softly to point, where Jadeja took it securely at chest height.
Rahmat Shah 5. Afghanistan 70 for 2.
"Spliced," Gavaskar noted. "Hardik's job in this side is that length, that extra yard of bounce. Rahmat will not like that shot when he sees it again."
Hashmatullah Shahidi walked in. The captain took guard and settled in with Gurbaz.
Over the next hour, Afghanistan built a solid platform. Gurbaz reached his fifty. Shahidi swept the spinners effectively, using the short square boundaries. The Indian fielding was tested; Kohli put down a tough running chance in the deep when Gurbaz mistimed a lofted shot off Jadeja.
They rotated the strike relentlessly. By the end of the 27th over, Afghanistan were 168 for 2. Gurbaz was on 81, Shahidi on 62. The Kotla had grown quiet.
Deva stood at mid-off, considering his options. He took his cap off and handed it to Reiffel.
"Here comes the captain," Bishop said. "Siddanth Deva brings himself on. And we should look at the ODI list."
The broadcast graphic appeared.
MOST WICKETS IN ODI HISTORY
Muttiah Muralitharan — 534
Siddanth Deva — 533
"He broke the all-format record in Chennai," Gavaskar said. "Today he is after the fifty-over record. One wicket from tying Murali. India need a breakthrough."
Deva marked his run-up. Reiffel stood at the bowler's end.
27.1: Deva ran in, 141 kmph, hard length outside off. Shahidi played it late back down the pitch.
27.2: Skidding into the pads. Shahidi flicked to deep square for a single. He moved to 63.
27.3: Fuller, into the right-hander. Gurbaz drove hard to extra cover. Dot.
27.4: A bouncer. Gurbaz swayed and dropped his wrists.
27.5: Deva ran in again. Fingers rolled over the seam. Off-cutter, 128 kmph, dipping sharply.
Gurbaz, expecting pace, stepped out and swung early for long-on. The ball dipped under the bat, gripped the dry clay, and crashed into middle and off.
"Bowled him!" Bishop said. "Rahmanullah Gurbaz goes for 81. A brilliant slower ball from Deva. And with that, history is tied. Siddanth Deva joins Muttiah Muralitharan on 534 ODI wickets."
Gurbaz walked off, shaking his head. Afghanistan 169 for 3.
Mohammad Nabi walked in.
27.6: Deva finished the over with a ball Nabi defended down the pitch.
Jadeja bowled the 29th over, yielding three runs to Shahidi and a single for Nabi. Afghanistan 173 for 3.
In the 30th over, Deva returned. Reiffel was at the bowler's end.
Kohli, standing at first slip, walked a few steps in.
"He's playing with hard hands, Sid," Kohli said, loud enough for the stump mic. "He wants to push it into the covers. The pitch is stopping. Give him the outswinger. Let him fish."
Nabi heard it and adjusted his grip.
Deva waved point deeper and brought mid-off into the circle, setting a field for the drive.
29.1: 142 kmph, into the pads. Nabi defended.
29.2: Pitched up, a hint of shape away. Nabi left it alone.
29.3: Back of a length. Nabi tried to punch off the back foot but the pitch held it up. Dot.
Deva walked back to his mark.
29.4: He ran in. Not the outswinger Kohli had called for. Seam up, fourth stump, 144.5 kmph.
The ball hit the surface and nipped back sharply into the right-hander. Nabi, playing for the away movement, pushed forward with a gap between bat and pad. He jammed the bat down late, but the inside edge missed. The ball thudded into the front pad, dead in front of middle.
India went up. Umpire Reiffel's finger went up immediately.
"He's done it!" Shastri said, his voice carrying over the roar of the stadium. "Siddanth Deva stands alone. Five hundred and thirty-five ODI wickets. He has gone past Muttiah Muralitharan. He is the leading wicket-taker in the history of ODI cricket."
Deva raised both arms and smiled as Kohli ran in from slip to grab him, followed quickly by Rohit, Hardik, and the rest of the side. Mohammad Nabi walked off for 1. Afghanistan 173 for 4.
Rashid Khan came to the crease.
29.5: Rashid defended solidly.
29.6: Rashid pushed a single off the last ball. Afghanistan 174 for 4.
Ashwin bowled the 31st over.
30.1: Ashwin to Rashid. Clipped for a single.
30.2: Shahidi defended.
30.3: Shahidi defended.
30.4: Shahidi defended.
30.5: Shahidi defended.
30.6: Ashwin fired it into the pads. The ball deflected off Shahidi's front leg for a leg-bye. Shahidi crossed over, putting him on strike for the next over. Afghanistan 176 for 4.
Jadeja returned for the 32nd over. Reiffel was umpiring.
31.1: Jadeja to Shahidi. Defended.
31.2: Jadeja held the length back slightly. Shahidi went for the sweep, but was early. The ball went straight on and struck the front pad in line with the stumps.
Reiffel raised his finger. Shahidi looked at Rashid, shook his head, and walked.
Hashmatullah Shahidi 66. Afghanistan 176 for 5.
Azmatullah Omarzai came in.
Deva took the ball for his final over. Rashid was on strike.
32.1: Deva, short. Rashid pulled it on the bounce to deep square for a single.
32.2: Omarzai defended.
32.3: Omarzai defended.
32.4: A single to third man put Rashid back on strike.
32.5: Deva went full. Yorker, base of off stump, 143 kmph.
Rashid tried to carve it through the off side but the bat came down late. The ball clattered into the base of off stump.
Rashid Khan 4. Afghanistan 178 for 6. Deva's third wicket took his tally to 536.
Najibullah Zadran came in.
32.6: Deva finished the spell with a bouncer that Najibullah safely let go.
Deva took his cap. His figures read: 3.0 overs, 0 maidens, 4 runs, 3 wickets.
The next two overs brought ten runs as Omarzai and Najibullah tried to rebuild. Omarzai contributed six of those, pushing the score to 188 for 6 before Bumrah returned.
35.1: Bumrah to Omarzai, yorker, dug out.
35.2: Hard length into the splice. Omarzai fended to point.
35.3: Slower ball outside off. Omarzai swung and missed.
35.4: Bumrah went short. Omarzai hooked, getting a top edge. The ball went high toward fine leg, where Siraj settled underneath and took it safely at chest height.
Azmatullah Omarzai 11. Afghanistan 188 for 7.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman walked out.
35.5: Mujeeb defended safely.
35.6: Mujeeb defended again.
Siraj took the 37th over from the pavilion end. Gough was umpiring.
36.1: Najibullah drove for four.
36.2: Najibullah defended.
36.3: A single put Mujeeb on strike.
36.4: Siraj went short, directly into the ribs. Mujeeb fended awkwardly. The ball popped off the glove of his bottom hand holding the bat.
Samson dove to his right and took a brilliant one-handed catch inches from the turf. Gough raised his finger.
Mujeeb 0. Afghanistan 193 for 8.
Naveen-ul-Haq came in and blocked the final two balls of the over.
The lower order scraped together runs as the overs ticked down. By the 41st over, Bumrah was back with Gough officiating.
40.1: Najibullah took a single.
40.2: Bumrah, 141 kmph, full and angling into the right-hander. Naveen played around it and was struck on the pad.
Gough said no to the appeal. Deva, at mid-off, called for the review.
Erasmus checked the technology: Pitching in line. Impact in line. Wickets hitting. Three reds.
Naveen-ul-Haq 3. Afghanistan 211 for 9.
"India review successfully," Bishop said. "One wicket left, and nine overs and four balls remain. Afghanistan need to stretch this out."
Fazalhaq Farooqi joined Najibullah. Farooqi blocked out the remaining four balls of the 41st over.
Najibullah farmed the strike expertly through the final phase of the innings, lifting the score with calculated boundaries while Farooqi survived. Going into the final over, Afghanistan had pushed their total to 252 for 9.
Siraj bowled the 50th over. Farooqi was on 1.
49.1: Yorker. Farooqi dug it out.
49.2: Short. Farooqi ducked.
49.3: Full, outside off. Farooqi swung and missed.
49.4: Into the pads. Farooqi flicked to fine leg for a single.
49.5: Siraj went full to Najibullah, who squeezed it to cover for a single.
49.6: Siraj fired it full and straight, 141 kmph. Farooqi swung across the line and missed. Middle stump was knocked back.
Fazalhaq Farooqi 2. Afghanistan 254 all out. Najibullah Zadran finished 29 not out.
The innings ended on 50.0 overs.
India walked off satisfied. Keeping a side to 254 on a short-boundary Delhi pitch was a disciplined fielding effort.
The lights took full effect through the smog as Rohit Sharma and Sanju Samson walked out to chase 255.
Rohit had been trapped lbw by Hazlewood for a duck in Chennai. On this flat track, he showed immediate intent.
Fazalhaq Farooqi took the new ball, looking for early swing.
0.1: Farooqi, 137 kmph, full into the pads. Rohit leaned into the pitch of the ball and drove it cleanly past the non-striker for four.
0.2: Short of a length. Rohit left it alone.
0.3: Full again. Rohit presented the full face and clipped it to square leg for a single.
0.4: Farooqi, length, off stump. Samson defended with soft hands.
0.5: Wider. Samson drove on the up to extra cover. Dot.
0.6: Short. Samson rode the bounce and dropped it to point. India 5 for 0 after one over.
Naveen-ul-Haq bowled the second over. Rohit picked up a boundary with a wristy pull, and Samson timed a cover drive perfectly to the rope. India moved to 15 for 0.
They continued to score freely, putting away anything loose. By the end of the fifth over, India had moved to 39 for 0, well ahead of the required rate.
"He is in the mood tonight," Shastri said of Rohit. "No hanging on the crease. And Samson is playing his part beautifully."
At the end of the powerplay, India were coasting. Samson reached a composed fifty in the 14th over, stepping in seamlessly at the top of the order.
Rashid Khan bowled the 18th over, hoping to force an error. Samson was on 57.
17.1: Samson defended a skidder.
17.2: Samson went back to punch. No run.
17.3: Tossed up. Samson pushed to long-on for a single.
17.4: Rohit took a two into the deep.
17.5: Rohit pushed a single.
17.6: Rashid bowled it flatter and quicker. Samson went for the sweep but the ball skidded on faster than he anticipated. The top edge carried to short fine leg, where Shahidi took it safely in both hands.
Sanju Samson 68. India 130 for 1.
Virat Kohli walked out to a massive reception from his home crowd. The end of the over meant he took his place at the non-striker's end while Rohit prepared to face the next delivery.
Kohli played his usual chase anchor role. He didn't try to match Rohit's boundaries, instead dropping the ball into gaps and converting singles into twos, constantly returning the strike to the captain.
Rohit was relentless. In the 25th over, with the score at 186 for 1, he was closing in on his century.
24.1: Rohit pushed a single, moving to 96.
24.2: Kohli took two.
24.3: Kohli pushed a single, moving to 25.
24.4: Nabi bowled full on the pads. Rohit stepped across and swept it beautifully backward of square. The ball hit the rope.
Hundred.
Rohit took his helmet off and acknowledged the roaring crowd, then raised his bat to the dressing room. Deva, watching from the balcony, clapped steadily.
India 194 for 1.
"A proper hundred," Gavaskar said. "He copped it after the first match, but tonight he has pulled and driven with absolute authority."
The rest was a formality. Kohli reached his fifty with effortless rotation. By the end of the 35th over, India were 249 for 1, with Rohit on 125 and Kohli on 65.
35.1: Naveen bowled short. Rohit rocked back and pulled it with contempt. The ball sailed into the stands square of the wicket for six.
Match over.
India 255 for 1.
Rohit Sharma 131 not out.
Virat Kohli 55 not out.
Deva smiled in the dugout, shaking hands with the coaching staff as Rohit and Kohli walked up the stairs.
"India win by nine wickets," Shastri said. "They have chased 255 with nearly fifteen overs in the bank. And the man who broke Murali's ODI record didn't even need to put his pads on tonight."
The next morning, the conversation belonged entirely to the record.
In the ESPNcricinfo studio in Mumbai, Sourav Ganguly and Sanjay Manjrekar sat at the desk with a split-screen graphic of Deva behind them.
"We have to talk about the numbers," the host said. "Siddanth Deva holds the most runs in ODIs, and as of last night, the most wickets. Sourav, how do you contextualize that?"
Ganguly shook his head slightly. "You don't. We grew up with specialist batsmen and specialist bowlers. Even the great all-rounders leaned one way. What Siddanth has done isn't a normal workload. Three critical wickets yesterday, and he has the batting records sitting right next to them. He is the man everyone is talking about."
"And look at how he captained," Manjrekar added. "He didn't panic when Gurbaz and Shahidi were building that partnership. He brought himself on at the right moment, bowled the cutter to Gurbaz, set Nabi up with Kohli in the slips, and yorked Rashid. Then he sat in the dugout and watched Rohit finish it. That is a dressing room functioning perfectly."
On the streets of Connaught Place, at a busy chai tapri, the sentiment was identical.
"Bhai, I am apologising to Rohit Sharma in public," Zaid said, holding a small glass cup. "I thought his footwork was gone after Chennai. Yesterday he was hitting them like net bowlers."
"Rohit is Rohit," Kiran replied, scrolling on his phone. "And Sanju did what was asked of him. Fifty in a World Cup opening slot."
Aniketh tapped his phone screen, displaying Deva's statistics. "You're missing the main point. When Nabi was given lbw, my father actually started crying in the living room. He said he never thought anyone would go past Murali. We are watching this in our own backyard."
"And he didn't even bat," Zaid laughed. "India chased it down with one wicket lost, and the best batsman in the team was sitting in a chair having a drink."
India's World Cup was moving quickly. The records sat with the captain. Next match.