In a remarkable parallel spanning 26 years, India’s cricket team faced strikingly similar Test match defeats, with both games ending in nearly identical fashion. At Lord’s on Monday, Mohammed Siraj’s defensive shot against Shoaib Bashir led to a 21-run defeat against England, while in Chennai 1999, Javagal Srinath’s defensive stroke against Saqlain Mushtaq resulted in a 12-run loss to Pakistan, both matches concluding with the ball rolling back onto the stumps.The recent Lord’s Test saw Siraj batting for 30 deliveries alongside Ravindra Jadeja in pursuit of what could have been a historic victory. Facing Shoaib Bashir, Siraj played a defensive shot with soft hands, mindful of the close-in fielders, only for the ball to roll back and dislodge a bail, ending India’s hopes.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The 1999 Chennai Test against Pakistan began with the visitors scoring 238, powered by half-centuries from Mohammad Yousuf and Moin Khan. India gained a slim lead of 16 runs, with Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid contributing half-centuries.
Pakistan’s second innings featured a dominant performance from Shahid Afridi, who scored 141 off 191 balls, setting India a target of 271 runs. The chase saw Sachin Tendulkar craft a valiant 136, supported by Nayan Mongia’s 52, while the rest of the batting lineup struggled to reach double figures.Following Mongia’s dismissal at 218, India required 53 runs with four wickets remaining. Tendulkar and Sunil Joshi (8 off 20) added 36 runs before Tendulkar’s dismissal at 254, leaving India 17 runs short of victory.The Indian tail could only manage four more runs in 21 balls before Srinath’s dismissal sealed Pakistan’s victory. His defensive shot against Saqlain bounced between his legs and hit the stumps, knocking both bails off, unlike the Lord’s dismissal where only one bail was dislodged.India went on to win the second Test in Delhi in 1999, levelling the series 1-1. The connection between these two matches is made more intriguing by the fact that Shoaib Bashir, who took the final wicket at Lord’s, wasn’t even born when the Chennai Test took place.
