It was an unexpected head-on collision. As the Indian and Australian cricketers moved towards Mumbai from the east for the final one-dayer, a cyclonic depression headed this way from the opposite direction, resulting in a cricketing mishap that would have been more devastating had the series still been alive. For the most part, the giant screen at the DY Patil stadium had the satellite image of a fuzzy cotton-like cover over the city that repeatedly reminded fans that the problem ran deeper than the intermittent drizzle in the afternoon on Wednesday.

Though it was clear that the game would not start, thousands in the stands still stuck around. The organisers had planned to match the 50,000 capacity with the number of tri-colours they would distribute, and the the flags were waved rigorously even as the large blue plastic cover lay motionless in the middle. Going by the exhilarating atmosphere here during the inaugural Indian Premier League final, the venue was meant to provide a perfect setting for the last game of a close seven-match series. At the end, all that was left of these one-dayers were a few red marks in the Indian record book and a series of ‘what ifs’.

What if Harbhajan Singh had hung on for a bit longer in the first game at Vadodara after he led a brave late charge with Praveen Kumar? What if Virender Sehwag had lasted a few more balls at Mohali while he was in dangerously good touch when India were chasing 250? And what if Ravindra Jadeja had managed a few edges when he tied down the Aussies during their tough chase of 170 on a spin-friendly track in Guwahati? And, most importantly, what if Tendulkar had read the slower ball from Clint McKay at Hyderabad?

... contd.