World Cup 2003 flashback as Sourav Ganguly stumbles in another South African final

Twenty-three years after leading India in the 2003 World Cup final defeat, Sourav Ganguly suffered another South Africa final heartbreak as coach of Pretoria Capitals in the SA20 title clash on Sunday. The Capitals lost to SunRisers Eastern Cape despite a hundred from Dewald Brevis.

Twenty-three years on, South Africa remains a place where finals have a habit of reopening old wounds for Sourav Ganguly.

In 2003, as India’s captain, Ganguly walked out at the Wanderers in Johannesburg carrying the weight of a billion hopes. His team — stacked with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and himself — had powered its way into the World Cup final, only to be halted by a ruthless Australian side. The defeat was agonising, and for many Indian fans, it still stings. India have since lifted three World Cups, including the landmark ODI triumph in 2011, yet memories of that day in South Africa remain stubbornly painful.

On Sunday night, Ganguly found himself enduring a familiar sense of heartbreak, this time from the dugout rather than the middle. As coach of Pretoria Capitals, he watched his side fall short in the SA20 final in Cape Town, losing to Sunrisers Eastern Cape in a pulsating contest that once again denied him a title on South African soil.

Pretoria had done much right over the course of the tournament and were well placed to lift their maiden SA20 trophy after a stirring batting performance in the final. Their hopes were built on a breathtaking counter-attack from Dewald Brevis, who produced one of the finest innings Newlands has witnessed in recent memory. Walking in with the Capitals reeling at 8 for 2, Brevis tore into the Sunrisers attack, striking a magnificent 101 off 56 balls, studded with eight fours and seven sixes, to lift his side to a competitive 158 for 7.

For large parts of the evening, it seemed that effort might be enough. Pretoria’s bowlers kept things tight, and with three quarters of the chase completed, the Sunrisers were still searching for momentum. But finals have a way of turning on moments, and Sunrisers captain Tristan Stubbs provided exactly that.

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