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Vol. XXVI No. 11, September 16-31, 2016

The day India upset Brazil

by Partab Ramchand
partabramchand@yahoo.com

Recalling…

upset-brazil

In a long and eventful career in professional sports reporting, stretching more than 40 years, it is difficult to pinpoint one or two major highlights. I however have no doubt as to the two most memorable events I have witnessed. Pride of place goes to Tied Test II played in the cauldron that was the MA Chidambaram stadium in September 1986. You cannot ignore the tremendous historical aspect of the game, particularly when it could be pointed out that nearly 1200 Tests have been played since then and there has never been another tied Test. Second on the list has to be India’s comeback victory over Brazil in the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie in Chennai in 2010 when the home team turned a 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 triumph.

This is a feat that not many teams have achieved in Davis Cup history and you must remember that the competition has been played since 1900. The fact that it was the first time that India were achieving the feat since playing in the tournament for the first time in 1921 emphasises the historical aspect of the incredible turnaround. Also it must be said that the result was unexpected, for Brazil arrived as favourites. The only thing that India had going for it was home advantage and an almost sure point in the doubles. But still, two of the four singles had to be won and this seemed a tall order going by the rankings.

Brazil’s two top players were Thomaz Bellucci (ranked No 28) and Ricardo Mello (81). Against that, India’s two singles players were Somdev Devvar­man (98) and Rohan Bopanna (476). It is true that rankings can mean little when it comes to Davis Cup play, as indeed Leander Paes had proved again and again with incredible victories over players ranked much higher than him. But here the difference in numbers seemed too much to make up.

When Brazil, thanks to victories by Ricardo Mello over Devvarman and Thomaz Bel­lucci over Bopanna, took a 2-0 lead at the end of the first day’s singles it did appear that India’s bid to make it back to the prestigious World Group had suffered a severe and irretrievable setback. In the glorious days of the Krishnans and the Amrit­rajs, India were always placed among the elite teams and in fact had made it to the Davis Cup final in 1966, 1974 and 1987. In the new millennium, however, with Paes concentrating on his successful doubles career, the challenge in singles play was fragile with the result that India continued to languish for long in the Asia/Oceania qualifying stage.

The fightback started the second day with the well established and highly successful duo of Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi winning the doubles easily in straight sets against Bruno Soares and Marcelo Melo. That however was the expected result, with the sixth ranked Paes and seventh ranked Bhupathi always tipped to defeat opponents ranked 35 and 38 respectively. However, with Brazil needing to win only one of the two reverse singles to stay in the World Group, the odds still favoured the visitors. But there was a perceptible change in the mood when the players took the court at the Nungambakkam Stadium on Sunday, September 19th. With the win in the doubles the initiative seemed to have changed hands and the large crowd present somehow sensed that there were going to see something special. After all, other teams had come from 0-2 behind to win in Davis Cup play so why not India?

An inspired Devvarman lived up to his reputation as the country’s leading singles player and was leading Bellucci in the first of the reverse singles 7-6, 4-0 when the latter retired following an injury. It was now 2-2 and everything hinged on the tie between Bopanna and Ricardo Mello. By now the near capacity crowd was on its feet, cheering and screaming for every point won by the Indian. Poor Mello must have felt that he was not only taking on Bopanna but thousands of others as well. A supremely confident Bopanna made nonsense of the rankings on his way to a 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 victory to spark off scenes of jubilation.

The sight of the Indian squad along with non-playing Shiv Prakash Mishra taking a victory lap around the stadium with the tricolour fluttering behind them will always be one to cherish. India were back in the World Group and the amazing turnaround made it one of the greatest moments in Indian tennis – nay, Indian sport.

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