The towering three-liter tube of Kingfisher beer in the center of the booth at the Xtreme Sports Bar had dropped by exactly one liter. The upbeat Punjabi music that had filled the innings break was abruptly cut off. The giant 100-inch projector screen switched back to the live feed from the WACA.
The bright Perth sun beat down on the pitch. Jerome Taylor, the West Indian fast bowler, was marking his run-up. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma were taking their guards.
183 runs to win. On paper, it was a walk in the park.
"Easy chase," Prakash declared, grabbing a handful of spicy peanuts. "Rohit will finish this by the 30th over. He loves the pace on the ball."
Ravi didn't reply. He meticulously adjusted his coaster so it was perfectly parallel to the edge of the wooden table. "The new ball swings. Just watch."
[COMMENTARY BOX - 2ND INNINGS, OVER 1]
Harsha Bhogle:"Welcome back to the WACA. A very modest target of 183 for India to chase. But as we know, a small target can sometimes induce a false sense of security. Jerome Taylor has the new white Kookaburra in his hand. Rohit Sharma takes strike."
Ian Bishop:"Taylor needs early wickets, Harsha. If Rohit gets his eye in, this game will be over very quickly. He needs to pitch it up and look for the swing."
0.1 Taylor ran in hard and delivered a beautiful, full-length delivery angling away from the right-hander. Rohit pushed at it tentatively. The ball whistled past the outside edge.
"Ooh!" the entire sports bar echoed in unison.
0.4 Taylor pitched it on the exact same length, but this time, the ball jagged back in off the seam. Rohit, anticipating the away swing, played completely down the wrong line. The ball rushed through the gap between bat and pad and crashed into the top of the middle stump.
[COMMENTARY BOX - WICKET]
Ian Bishop:"BOWLED HIM! What a delivery from Jerome Taylor! The perfect inswinger! Rohit Sharma is gone for a duck in the very first over! The West Indies have the exact start they needed!"
The Xtreme Sports Bar plunged into a stunned, groaning silence.
"Prakash, I swear to God, you jinxed it!" Ravi yelled, slamming his hand on his thigh. "Why did you have to say it was an easy chase?!"
"It was a good ball! How is that my fault?!" Prakash argued defensively.
Virat Kohli walked out to the middle. The tension in the bar had instantly returned. Chasing a small total was suddenly looking like a treacherous minefield.
Kemar Roach took the second new ball from the other end. He targeted Shikhar Dhawan with hostile, short-pitched bowling, utilizing the steep WACA bounce.
In the fourth over, Dhawan tried to counter-attack. He stepped out to Taylor, attempting a forceful drive over the covers. The ball swung late, catching the thick outside edge. Darren Sammy, standing at first slip, took a sharp, diving catch. Dhawan was gone for 8.
India was 12 for 2. The target of 183 suddenly looked very, very far away.
"We are collapsing," Kiran whispered, his eyes wide as he stared at the screen. "It's the Brisbane Tri-Series match all over again."
As if on cue, the camera focused on the Indian dressing room balcony. Siddanth Deva was walking down the steps, his bat tucked firmly under his arm. The collective anxiety in the bar eased slightly.
[COMMENTARY BOX - DEVA ENTERS]
Harsha Bhogle:"And out walks Siddanth Deva. He comes in at 12 for 2. The West Indian pacers have their tails up. The WACA pitch is spitting fire. This is a massive test."
Aakash Chopra:"If there is one man you want walking out in a crisis, it is Siddanth. But he has to be careful here. Taylor and Roach are bowling impeccable lines."
Siddanth took his guard. He surveyed the aggressive field Jason Holder had set—three slips and a gully.
3.4 Taylor bowled a 144 kmph outswinger. Siddanth engaged his Crab's Eye trait, read the late movement, and shouldered his arms smoothly, letting it pass.
3.6 A sharp bouncer aimed at the ribs. Siddanth dropped his hands and swayed effortlessly out of the line.
"Just survive the new ball, Sid," Ravi muttered, clutching his beer mug. "Don't do anything stupid."
For the next ten overs, Siddanth and Kohli initiated a gritty, highly disciplined rebuilding phase. They respected the pacers, leaving the good deliveries and only capitalizing on genuine errors in length.
Kohli looked fluent, driving Roach through the covers for two beautiful boundaries, while Siddanth rotated the strike with precise, soft-handed pushes into the gaps. They slowly took the score past fifty.
Suddenly, Kiran's smartphone began ringing loudly on the table. The caller ID read: Ramesh - IT Lead.
"Oh, crap. It's my boss," Kiran panicked, his eyes darting from the phone to the giant projector screen. "I told him I was working from home today because I had a stomach ache."
"Just decline it," Prakash suggested.
"I can't! He'll know I'm ignoring him," Kiran said, taking a deep breath and answering the call, pressing the phone tight against his ear. "Hello, Ramesh sir?"
"Kiran, where are you? The backend servers for the new client deployment are showing latency issues. I need you to run a diagnostic," the boss's voice crackled through the earpiece.
"Sir, I'm... khchhh... I'm looking at it right now," Kiran lied flawlessly, tapping a random spoon against his glass to simulate static. "But my Wi-Fi is down... khchhh... I'm sitting in the basement parking lot trying to catch a cellular signal... khchhh."
"What? I can barely hear you, Kiran. Is there music playing?"
Just as Ramesh asked the question, Kohli hit a magnificent boundary on the screen, and the entire sports bar erupted into a deafening roar of "SHOT! YES CHEEKU!"
Kiran's eyes widened in sheer panic. He quickly shoved his hand over the microphone. "Sir! That's... that's the neighbor's dog! It's very aggressive! Khchhh... The network is dropping, sir! I will fix the servers in an hour! Bye!"
Kiran hung up immediately and threw the phone onto the table, exhaling heavily. "That took ten years off my life."
"Excellent crisis management," Ravi laughed, clinking his mug against Kiran's.
On the screen, the partnership was developing nicely. Siddanth and Kohli had taken India to 75 for 2 by the 16th over.
[COMMENTARY BOX - THE PARTNERSHIP]
Ian Bishop:"This has been a very mature partnership. Virat Kohli and Siddanth Deva have absorbed the pressure beautifully. They are scoring at five runs an over without taking any aerial risks."
Aakash Chopra:"Look at Siddanth's focus, Ian. He has been in absolute Devil's mode since this World Cup started. He looks utterly impenetrable. It is almost as if he took the losses in the Carlton Mid Tri-Series personally, and he wants to make absolutely sure India wins this tournament."
However, the West Indies struck against the run of play.
In the 17th over, Jason Holder was introduced into the attack. Extracting extra bounce from his immense height, Holder bowled a back-of-a-length delivery outside off stump. Kohli, batting on a fluent 31, tried to run it down to third man. The ball bounced fractionally higher than expected, catching the outside edge. Denesh Ramdin took a safe catch behind the stumps.
[COMMENTARY BOX - WICKET]
Harsha Bhogle:"Caught behind! Virat Kohli falls for 31! Just as India looked like they were cruising, Jason Holder strikes! A massive opening for the West Indies. India are 75 for 3."
The bar groaned. Ajinkya Rahane walked out to the middle.
Siddanth remained absolutely unfazed at the other end. While the batsmen around him struggled, he looked like he was batting on a completely different pitch.
23.2 Andre Russell banged it in short. Siddanth swiveled instantly and pulled it with ferocious power, keeping it along the ground through square leg for a boundary.
The boundary brought up Siddanth's half-century.
He raised his bat towards the Indian dressing room and acknowledged the applause from the Perth crowd, and immediately tapped his bat back on the crease. It was a display of cold, unadulterated focus.
"He's not celebrating," Prakash observed quietly, taking a sip of beer. "He knows the job isn't done. 106 for 4 is dangerous territory."
Rahane, usually incredibly solid, struggled to find his timing on the fast WACA pitch. He scratched his way to 11 runs before misjudging a slower ball from Andre Russell, chipping it straight to mid-wicket.
India was suddenly 106 for 4. The target was 183, but the wickets were tumbling.
Suresh Raina walked out to join him. Raina attempted to counter-attack, hitting a quick boundary and a six off Sulieman Benn to ease the run-rate pressure. However, his aggression proved fatal. In the 28th over, trying to clear the long-off boundary against Kemar Roach, Raina holed out for 18.
India was 146 for 5. They needed 37 more runs to win.
MS Dhoni walked down the pavilion steps.
"Okay, the Captain is here," Ravi exhaled, leaning forward. "Dhoni and Deva. The ultimate finishing duo. We are fine. We just need 37 runs."
Suddenly, Ravi's phone began vibrating on the table. The caller ID displayed a picture of his wife, Sneha.
Ravi swore softly. "She told me to pick up groceries in the morning."
He swiped to answer, putting his hand over his other ear to block out the bar noise. "Hey, baby!"
"Ravi? Are you still at the office? The background sounds really loud," Sneha's voice came through.
"Yes! I'm at the... the mandatory HR compliance seminar in the main conference hall," Ravi lied through his teeth, gesturing for his friends to keep quiet. "They are playing a very loud presentation video about diversity and inclusion. It's fascinating, but I can't leave yet."
At that exact moment, Siddanth Deva smashed a gorgeous cover drive off Jason Holder for four.
"SHOT! BEAUTIFUL!" Prakash yelled at the top of his lungs, completely forgetting Ravi's predicament.
"Did someone just yell 'shot'?" Sneha asked suspiciously.
"No! He yelled 'thought'! It's a highly interactive seminar, baby! People are sharing very deep thoughts!" Ravi panicked, furiously kicking Prakash under the table. "I have to go, the HR director is looking at me! Bye!"
Ravi hung up, wiping sweat from his forehead. "If she finds out I'm drinking beer instead of buying tomatoes, I am a dead man."
On the screen, the tactical dynamic of the run chase had completely shifted.
The total score was 152 for 5. The target was 183. India needed just 31 runs to win.
Siddanth Deva was batting on 69. He needed 31 runs to reach his century.
The math was instantly apparent to everyone in the stadium, the commentary box, and the sports bar.
[COMMENTARY BOX - THE MILESTONE WATCH]
Harsha Bhogle:"Well, well, well. Have a look at the scorecard, gentlemen. India needs 31 to win. Siddanth Deva is on 69. He needs exactly 31 for a century. If he gets it, it will be his third century of this World Cup, and his 8th World Cup century overall."
Aakash Chopra:"And more importantly, Harsha, if he reaches the three-figure mark today, it will be his 72nd International Century across all formats. He is currently tied with the legendary Ricky Ponting at 71. This century would put Siddanth Deva in undisputed second place on the all-time list, behind only Sachin Tendulkar."
In the middle of the WACA, MS Dhoni was fully aware of the math.
32.1 Andre Russell bowled a length delivery to Dhoni. Dhoni easily had the gap at cover for a single, but he intentionally pushed the ball straight to the fielder and yelled, "Wait."
32.4 Russell bowled on the pads. Dhoni gently nudged it to square leg. It was an easy single. Dhoni didn't even take a step out of his crease.
A silent, absolute understanding passed between the two men. Dhoni was intentionally blocking the deliveries, completely refusing to score runs, ensuring Siddanth had the entire remaining target to chase his milestone.
The broadcast cameras immediately zoomed in on MS Dhoni at the non-striker's end. Through the grill of his helmet, a subtle, highly mischievous smile was clearly visible. He offered a tiny, knowing wink toward Siddanth.
In the sports bar, the patrons caught the cheeky moment on the big screen and absolutely lost their minds, cheering louder for the defensive blocks than they had for the boundaries.
"Look at Mahi bhai," Kiran laughed, pointing at the screen. "He's literally defending full tosses! He wants Sid to get the hundred!"
"That's a captain," Prakash smiled. "He knows how much a 72nd century means for the history books."
Siddanth, understanding Dhoni's intention, didn't argue. He simply went to work.
33.2 Kemar Roach bowled a wide half-volley. Siddanth stepped across and drove it majestically through extra cover for a boundary. He moved to 73.
33.5 Roach dropped it short. Siddanth pulled it fiercely to the square leg fence for another boundary. 77.
The crowd at the WACA caught onto the narrative. Every time Dhoni defended a ball, the crowd cheered. Every time Siddanth hit a boundary, the roar was deafening.
By the 36th over, the equation was down to single digits. India needed 9 runs to win. Siddanth was batting on 91.
Prakash's phone buzzed. It was a text from his roommate asking for help moving a heavy couch. Prakash didn't even bother answering it; he quickly typed: 'Activa carburetor exploded. Flames everywhere. Very tragic. Can't come.' He threw the phone face-down on the table. "Nobody is interrupting this."
37.1 Jason Holder steamed in. He bowled a fast, 142 kmph delivery angling into the pads. Siddanth effortlessly flicked his wrists. The ball soared over the deep square-leg boundary for a massive, 90-meter six.
Siddanth moved to 97. India needed 3 runs to win.
The entire Xtreme Sports Bar was on its feet. The 300 patrons were holding their breath.
37.2 Holder, trying to prevent the boundary, bowled a wide, slower-ball yorker outside off-stump.
Siddanth read the variation out of the hand perfectly. He didn't try to muscle it. He waited deep in his crease, opened the face of his bat at the very last millisecond, and elegantly guided the ball past the diving backward point fielder.
The timing was absolute perfection. The ball raced across the lightning-fast WACA outfield and crashed into the boundary ropes.
The target was chased down. India won the match.
And Siddanth Deva had secured his 72nd International Century.
[COMMENTARY BOX - MATCH FINISH & MILESTONE]
Ian Bishop:"FOUR RUNS! AND HE HAS DONE IT! A magnificent, flawless century to win the game for India! The WACA is on its feet!"
Harsha Bhogle:"What an incredible moment in cricketing history! Siddanth Deva scores his 8th World Cup century! And with that boundary, he surpasses Ricky Ponting! Siddanth Deva now stands in undisputed second place on the all-time list of international century-makers, with 72 hundreds to his name! Only the great Sachin Tendulkar sits ahead of him now."
Aakash Chopra:"He came in at 12 for 2, when the ball was flying around, and he played an innings of absolute supremacy. He finishes unbeaten on 101 off just 86 deliveries. A masterclass."
On the screen, the emotion of the moment finally broke through the 'Devil's' icy focus.
Siddanth took his helmet off, his face soaked in sweat, and let out a deep, satisfied exhale. He raised his bat high into the Perth sky, turning 360 degrees to acknowledge the massive standing ovation from the crowd. He then pointed his bat respectfully towards the Indian dressing room, where the entire squad was standing on the balcony, applauding furiously.
MS Dhoni walked down the pitch, a wide, genuine smile on his face, and pulled Siddanth into a firm, proud hug. "Well played, Sid. History made."
"Thanks for blocking those overs, Mahi bhai," Siddanth smiled back, breathless.
"Somebody had to let you get the record," Dhoni chuckled.
As Siddanth began to walk towards the pavilion, the West Indian players demonstrated incredible sportsmanship. Jason Holder walked over first, shaking Siddanth's hand warmly. Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy, and Jerome Taylor all came over to offer handshakes and pats on the back, openly applauding the monumental achievement of passing Ricky Ponting's record.
In the sports bar, the celebration was absolute chaos.
Kiran, Ravi, and Prakash were hugging each other, spilling beer on the table, completely unbothered.
"Undisputed second!" Prakash yelled over the DJ, who had immediately blasted a victory anthem. "He's going to catch Sachin! I swear to God, he's going to catch the hundred hundreds!"
"101 not out!" Ravi cheered, raising his empty mug. "Best excuse to skip grocery shopping ever!"
Their joyous celebration, however, was suddenly grounded by a harsh dose of reality. A thoroughly unamused waiter appeared at their booth, dropping a long, printed receipt onto the table. The massive three-liter beer tower, four plates of Chicken 65, and extra peanut masala had racked up a hefty bill.
Karthik and Ravi immediately stopped jumping and looked at each other, engaging in the timeless, universal standoff over who was going to pull their wallet out first.
"You said it was an easy chase, Prakash," Ravi pointed out firmly, sliding the bill across the table. "You pay."
$$POST-MATCH PRESENTATION$$
The presentation ceremony was set up on the WACA outfield. Harsha Bhogle held the microphone, waiting as Siddanth walked up to collect yet another award.
Harsha Bhogle:"Ladies and gentlemen, a comfortable 5-wicket victory for India in the end. And to no one's surprise, the Man of the Match is Siddanth Deva for his unbeaten 101 and 3 wickets in the first innings."
Siddanth stepped up to the podium, looking completely relaxed in his training jacket.
Harsha Bhogle:"Siddanth, 12 for 2 when you walked in. The ball was moving, Taylor was firing. How difficult was that initial period?"
"It was a tough spell to navigate, Harsha," Siddanth admitted smoothly. "Jerome Taylor and Kemar Roach bowled exceptionally well with the new ball. Virat and I just decided to leave our egos in the dressing room. We couldn't afford to play expansive shots early on. We just needed to absorb the pressure and take it deep. Once the ball got a bit older, the pitch was fantastic for batting."
Harsha Bhogle:"You say you left your ego in the dressing room, but you certainly didn't leave your timing. You accelerated beautifully. And let's talk about the milestone. 72 international centuries. You have officially gone past Ricky Ponting. How does it feel to be standing in undisputed second place on the all-time list?"
Siddanth smiled a grounded, modest smile. "It's an incredibly humbling feeling, Harsha. Ricky Ponting is a legend of the game, someone I grew up watching and respecting immensely. To even have my name mentioned in the same sentence as him is an honor. But honestly, milestones are just a byproduct of the process. I'm just happy the century contributed to a win today. We are four from four in the World Cup, and that's the most important statistic right now."
Harsha Bhogle:"And we couldn't help but notice MS Dhoni defending some very hittable deliveries at the end there. Was there a conversation out there?"
Siddanth let out a soft laugh. "Mahi bhai is the ultimate team man. He knew the math. I didn't ask him to do it, but he just smiled and blocked them out. I owe him a dinner tonight."
Harsha Bhogle:"I think you owe him more than a dinner! Congratulations on a historic milestone, Siddanth, and a fantastic victory."
[TWITTER TRENDS - #SiddanthDeva #72Centuries #CWC15]
@CricketMemes:Half the men in India are definitely lying to their bosses and wives right now just to watch Siddanth and Dhoni finish this match. 😂
@RickyPonting:An absolute masterclass under pressure. Welcome to the club, @SiddanthDeva_6. To reach that number at 23 years of age is simply frightening. The game is in great hands. 👏🏏
@Cric_fanatic:Punter's record is gone! Siddanth Deva is a machine! 12 for 2 meant nothing. Just pure, absolute dominance. 👑🇮🇳
@HarshaBhogle:A privilege to witness history at the WACA. Siddanth Deva surpasses Ricky Ponting. The only man left to chase now is Sachin Tendulkar.
@MSD_FanClub:The broadcast catching Mahi bhai smiling through his helmet while blocking full tosses so Sid could get his 100 is peak brotherhood. 💛🇮🇳
@WindiesCricket:Respect where it's due. Siddanth Deva played a flawless innings today. The sportsmanship from our boys at the end was beautiful to see. Great game, India. 🤝🌴
@CricCrazyJohns:Siddanth Deva didn't just score a century, he controlled the entire geometry of the run chase. Absolutely unbelievable player. 🐐
@SportsCenter:HISTORY AT THE WACA! Siddanth Deva stands alone in 2nd place on the all-time international century list. A monumental achievement! 🏏🌟
@Prakash125:I told you all it was an easy chase! Never doubted him for a second! Now, someone else is paying this bar bill! 🍻🔥
SIDDANTH DEVA - MATCH LOG
Match 5 vs West Indies (WACA, Perth) - INDIA WON
Batting: 101* (86 balls)
Bowling: 3 for 25 (8 overs)