One of the most memorable series victories in the history of Indian cricket, The Coca-Cola Cup 1998 in Sharjah is still vivid in many cricket lovers’ memories. The memories of Sachin Tendulkar hitting the Australian bowlers all over the park still resonates in everyone’s mind and the pictures of a jubilant Indian squad have permanently captured a place in the history of Indian cricket.
India, under the leadership of Mohammad Azharuddin successfully chased the daunting target of 272 to trump the mighty Australians in the final. Indian batting maestro, who also propelled India to the final with a century in the game before, scored another in the final to help India achieve that wonderful feat.
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The other 10 members also contributed to a certain extent and we thought of taking a trip down the memory lane to find out about the members of that triumphant squad. 18 years down the line, what are they doing now? For many Indian cricket fans, that was a cherished childhood memory which they still treasure and we thought of giving them a chance to relive that nostalgia once again.
Let’s start the journey (according to batting order in the final)
1. Sourav Ganguly
The stylish southpaw, who scored 23 in the final, stitched an opening partnership of 39 runs with his partner Sachin Tendulkar. Sourav Ganguly was dismissed by Damien Fleming in the final.
Ganguly, one of the most successful captains in the history of Indian cricket, retired in 2008. Besides being the chairman of the BCCI Technical Committee, he is also the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal. Before venturing into cricket administration, the former skipper also made his name as an eminent commentator.
Apart from his cricketing duties, the charismatic Ganguly also hosts a popular Bengali quiz show called Dadagiri on television.
2. Sachin Tendulkar
Undoubtedly, the star of final as well the tournament, the Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar struck a blistering 134 off just 131 balls in the final to help India reach the target with consummate ease.
He also scored a brilliant 143 in the game before against the same opposition to help India reach the score they needed to qualify for the final. The innings was hailed as ‘desert storm’ and is still regarded as one of the best ODI knocks ever played.
Tendulkar announced his retirement from Tests in 2013 after serving the nation for nearly 24 years and now enjoys his time off the cricket field.
The most prestigious civilian award of India- ‘Bharatratna’ was conferred on him after his retirement and he was also elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha(the upper tier of the parliament) in May 2012.
3. Nayan Mongia
The wicketkeeper-batsman was promoted up the order in the final and it paid dividends as he stitched an important 89-run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar.
Mongia, who has many wicket-keeping records for India in his kitty, will always be remembered for all the wrong reasons. The man who holds the record for most catches in a test match (8, twice) by an Indian Wicket-keeper, had his name embroiled in many off-the-field controversies. He was dropped from the India team for apparently not trying to win a match, suspended after showing dissent at an umpire, and banned after suspicions of being involved in the match-fixing crisis of the late 1990s.
After retiring in 2004, he was named as a coach of Thailand national cricket team. Along with the senior team, Mongia was also named coach of Thailand under-19 cricket team as well.
Mongia now has become a cricket analyst and gives his opinion on many things related to the game.
4. Mohammad Azharuddin
The captain of the victorious squad, Mohammad Azharuddin scored a crucial half-century in the final and it was his 120-run partnership with Sachin which proved to be decisive in the end.
A pure artist with the bat, Azhar was one of India’s most successful skippers too. However, allegations of match-fixing brought an abrupt end to his career as he was left stranded on 99 Tests. He is one of those cricketers who scored a hundred both on their debut and their last Test match.
Azhar later joined politics and became a member of Parliament from Moradabad constituency on an Indian National Congress party ticket. Recently a Bollywood movie called ‘Azhar’ based on his life was released.
5. Ajay Jadeja
This flamboyant middle-order batsman remained unbeaten on 11 in the final as he and Kanitkar knocked off the remaining runs to script a marvelous victory. Jadeja also effected the run-out of Damien Martyn in that game.
A controversial cricketer Jadeja was banned for 5 years from international cricket in 2000 because of his involvement in the match-fixing saga. Jadeja, who swung many close ODI games in India’s favour with his presence of mind, left behind an infamous trail of bookmaker connections and unanswered questions.
Jadeja, who also acted in Hindi movies, is a cricket analyst now. Jadeja acted in the Bollywood movie called ‘Khel’ in 2003 and was also a part of the 2009 movie, Pal Pal Dil Ke Saath.
He also became the coach of the Delhi cricket team but left the job amidst controversial circumstances in 2015. The effervescent cricketer nowadays works as a cricket anchor, commentator, and cricket analyst.
6. Hrishikesh Kanitkar
The left-handed batsman and a right-arm off break bowler didn’t have to do much with the bat in the final. However, with the ball he picked up two crucial wickets of Adam Gilchrist and Steve Waugh who were threatening to take the game away from India.
Kanitkar will forever be remembered for the winning boundary he hit off Saqlain Mushtaq in India's memorable victory over Pakistan at Dhaka in the Independence Cup final. His career didn’t quite prosper afterwards as he only managed to play 2 Tests and 34 ODIs for India.
The southpaw had a prolific record for the Maharashtra cricket team in the Ranji Trophy. Kanitkar also joined Brentwood Cricket Club in Essex for the 2006 season and during this season, he amassed over 1000 runs throughout the season with an average of 76 in challenging English conditions.
Kanitkar also played for Rajasthan Ranji team as a senior player in the 2010-11 Ranji Trophy and led them to their maiden Ranji Trophy win. Kanitkar, who was named as head coach of Goa cricket team for 2015–16 Ranji Trophy season, also had a brief coaching stint with the Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the IPL.
7. VVS Laxman
Another artist with the bat, this elegant Hyderabadi wasn’t required to bat in the final. A tormentor of the Australian bowling up, Laxman played one of the best knocks in Test cricket history against them at the Eden Gardens in 2001.
Unfurling some exquisite strokes, Laxman plundered 281 runs against a formidable Australian bowling attack to win a memorable match for India. Laxman, who announced his retirement in 2012, dons the commentator’s role with gusto nowadays.
He was also the mentor of the Sunrisers Hyderabad side in the IPL which recently lifted the coveted IPL title on 29th May. A sublime stroke-maker, Laxman was a delight to the eyes and some of his knocks are still treasured by cricket connoisseurs.
8. Anil Kumble
One of the best bowlers India have ever produced, Anil Kumble took the wicket of Darren Lehmann in the final. Kumble, who is revered for his immaculate line and length bowled a tight spell in the final as he conceded 46 runs in 10 overs with a maiden.
A gutsy customer, Kumble showed tremendous courage when he bowled with a broken jaw in a Test match against West Indies in 2002. Probably one of the greatest match-winners for India in Tests, Kumble decided to call curtains on his glittering career in 2008.
His captaincy skills came to the fore when he was appointed India’s skipper in Tests in 2007. He led the side with great gumption and delivered some splendid performances.
He made a foray into cricket administration and was also elected as The President of the Karnataka State Cricket Association in 2010. Kumble’s name was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2015 and he is also the chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee. Besides his administerial duties, the wily leg-spinner has dabbled in commentary too.
9. Ajit Agarkar
The zippy fast bowler was a bit expensive in the final as he conceded 61 runs in just 8 overs but did his reputation of being the genuine wicket-taker no harm as he scalped two wickets including that of Mark Waugh.
The bowler will forever be remembered for his outstanding 6-wicket haul against Australia at Adelaide in 2002-03 series which won India the game. He also had the record for the fastest to 50 wickets in ODIs before Ajantha Mendis took him over.
More than an able all-rounder, Agarkar scored the fastest 50 for India in ODI’s, off just 21 balls against Zimbabwe. He also has a Test century at Lord’s against England in 2002.
After getting dropped from the national side in 2007, he continued playing domestic cricket for Mumbai and announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2013. Agarkar plays Corporate Golf now and he recently won the India Finals of BMR World Corporate Golf Challenge held in Bangalore.
10. Venkatesh Prasad
With impressive figures of 2 for 32 in 10 overs, the lanky pacer was the most impressive amongst the bowlers in the final. He also finished as the second highest wicket-taker of the tournament behind Damien Fleming with 9 scalps.
Prasad was someone who was adept at moving the ball both ways and creating troubles for the batsmen in helpful conditions. Struggling with poor form, Prasad was dropped from the national squad in 2001 and with not being able to stage a comeback, he decided to call it quits in 2005.
Following retirement, he took to coaching and was appointed India's bowling coach for the tour of Bangladesh in May 2007. Prasad worked well with India's promising new-ball pair, Zaheer Khan, and Ishant Sharma and was also involved in tremendous feats which he failed to achieve as a cricketer.
Later he became the coach of the Uttar Pradesh cricket team and also had his coaching stints in the IPL with a few teams. Prasad also dabbled in cricket administration as he became the Vice President of the Karnataka Cricket Association in 2010.
According to reports, he could become the bowling coach of the Bangladesh national team after Heath Streak recently tendered his resignation.
11. Rahul Sanghvi
The left-arm spinner, who kept the run hungry Australian batsmen at bay in the final, played only 1 Test and 10 ODIs for India. In those 10 ODIs, he did reasonably well too as he picked up 10 wickets at a decent economy of 4.80.
An orthodox spinner of the ball, Sanghvi has come up through the ranks having toured England in 1994 with the Indian Under-19 side. He had all the attributes of a proper spinner in his armoury and was quite handy with his art on batting-friendly tracks as well.
In 1997–98, he took 8–15 for Delhi against Himachal Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy One Day match to register the best bowling performance in List A cricket. Sanghvi recently made the headlines for all the wrong reasons when his name was dragged into a conflict of interest case.
He is also the team manager of the Mumbai Indians and a senior selector of Delhi and it was his post as the selector which came under severe scrutiny.
Down the memory lane, revisited!
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