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Indian cricket and heartbreaks are no strangers. There have been multiple ones over the years and it is etched in the memory of the fans. One such heartbreak was when India went down to Pakistan in 1999 in Chennai.
Having not faced each other in the longest format for more than nine years, India and Pakistan produced a classic and a Test match for the ages. A game that finished in four days but is remembered for the collapses, for incredible bowling spells, excellent batting displays and more importantly, the heartbreak.
When Pakistan arrived in Chennai, the security was bulked up. It was their first visit for a bilateral series in nearly 12 years.
Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath shine on Day 1 as India bowl Pakistan out for 238

After opting to bat first, Pakistan had a steady opening stand. Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi added 32 in eight overs Javagal Srinath drew first blood for India. That first wicket triggered a collapse as Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
Every time there was a small partnership, the visitors lost a crucial wicket and they were reduced to 91/5 just after lunch. Srinath was the wrecker-in-chief till then, taking three wickets.
However, Pakistan fought back with some crucial contributions from the lower half. Mohammad Yousuf struck a solid half-century while Moin Khan made 60. Wasim Akram added 38 valuable runs, swinging his bat. But Anil Kumble kept chipping away from one end and finished with 6/70 as Pakistan were bowled out for 238.
Spin twins Saqlain Mushtaq and Shahid Afridi run through India’s middle and lower order
India had a solid start. Sadagoppan Ramesh and VVS Laxman raced to 48 in eight overs towards the fag end of the first day. They started the second day pretty well too before Wasim Akram struck in back-to-back overs to remove both openers.
The opening stand was worth 67 but that soon turned into 72/3 as Saqlain Mushtaq dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for a duck. Skipper Mohammad Azharuddin didn’t last long either. But fifties from Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly along with a decent 25 from Sunil Joshi helped India gain a slender 16-run lead.
Mushtaq picked up an excellent five-wicket haul while Afridi took three, accounting for the last three Indian wickets to fall.
Shahid Afridi stands out with a superb 141

Pakistan’s second innings was two big partnerships on either side of wickets falling in a cluster. But one man stood out and that was Shahid Afridi who was playing just his second Test. His knock of 141 put Pakistan in with a real chance.
Having lost Saeed Anwar and Ijaz Ahmed for low scores, Pakistan were in a spot of bother at 42/2. That’s when Afridi joined forces with Inzamam-ul-Haq and added 97 runs for the third wicket which put Pakistan in a good position. The latter struck a fluent half-century. Mohammad Yousuf walked out and scored a brisk 26 off 25 balls before falling to Tendulkar.
Afridi had Saleem Malik for company for the 5th wicket and it was that partnership that extended Pakistan’s lead. The duo added 106 runs and stretched the lead past the 250-run mark.
Sunil Joshi was the one who gave India the breakthrough with the wicket of Saleem Malik, after which Venkatesh Prasad ran riot and just blew away Pakistan’s lower order which added crucial runs in the first innings. From 275/4, Pakistan slipped to 286 allout. Prasad took five wickets in 18 balls and didn’t concede a single run in that spell.
Sachin Tendulkar hits a majestic 136 but India fall 12 runs short

The stage was set. India were set a target of 271. In India’s Test cricket history till then (January 1999), India had successfully chased down a target more than 250 just once which was in Port of Spain in 1976 when they hunted down 406 against the mighty West Indies.
Chasing 271 was never going to be easy on a tricky surface. India had the worst possible start. Waqar Younis knocked over both the openers and reduced the hosts to 6/2.
That is when Sachin Tendulkar walked in. With just a few minutes to go for stumps on the third day and having gotten a duck in the first innings, the India maestro was under a bit of pressure. Moreover, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram were steaming in and breathing fire.
But Tendulkar went into zen mode. He struck a cracking cover-drive along with a couple of other gorgeous shots to get his knock underway late on day three.
India finished day three at 40/2. That turned into 82/5 in no time on the fourth morning as Akram and Mushtaq combined to dismiss Dravid, Azharuddin and Ganguly.
Nayan Mongia joined Tendulkar in the middle. While Tendulkar was doing the bulk of the scoring, Mongia played a perfect foil to the great India No. 4, rotating strike well. The duo combined to put on a stunning 136-run stand for the 6th wicket which brought India back into the contest.
Just when things looked solid for India and concerning for Pakistan, Akram got the much-needed breakthrough with the wicket of Mongia with the second new-ball. The Gujarat-born wicket-keeper batter departed after making 52.
Tendulkar marched along and carried the engine forward. In the process, he notched up his 18th Test hundred and first against Pakistan. Towards the back half of his knock, the Mumbaikar was dealing with a back injury but he continued to pepper the field and kept the scoreboard moving. He was playing the spinners beautifully while tackling the fast bowlers excellently too.
India went past the 250-run mark and still had six wickets in hand. Despite the back issue and tiredness creeping in, Tendulkar was smashing it to all parts of the Chepauk.
With 17 runs to get with Tendulkar still out in the middle and four wickets in hand, India were in the box seat. But the master blaster holed out and skied one off Mushtaq to be out for 136.
That gave Pakistan the opening they were looking for. Akram had Anil Kumble LBW in the following over before Mushtaq wrapped things up with the last two wickets, finishing with another fifer. India’s last four wickets fell for just four runs and they lost by 12 runs.
Barring Tendulkar and Mongia, none of the Indian batters could even put up any substantial resistance. Eight of them fell for single-digit scores while Dravid was the only other one who reached double-figures but made just 10.
It was heartbreak for Tendulkar and the whole of India! The fans in Chennai were shell shocked and were in despair. However, they gave a standing ovation for the touring Pakistan team for the effort and the memorable win.