da luck： Speaking of crucial moments, India came good everytime there was a crisis
da dobrowin： Partab Ramchand08-Sep-2002With two countries scheduled to tour India early in the 1986-87season, the Board of Control for Cricket in India had no optionbut to send the Indian team on its 1986 trip to England in thefirst half, even though they had toured in the first half on theprevious tour, four years before.This meant that the Indians would have to again play in the cold,rain-affected half of the English season. But unlike on the twoprevious tours of England in 1979 and 1982, this time the bowlingwas strong enough to bowl out the home side. Also, the attack wasbuilt on seam, so very ideal for the prevailing conditions. Thebatting remained good enough and the result was an emphatictriumph in the three-match series.India won their first ever Test at Lord’s, followed it up withanother victory at Leeds and there were times in the third Testat Edgbaston when the tourists seemed set for a clean sweepbefore rain halted play and the match was left drawn.The 1986 Indian team to England has to be among the most balancedin 70 years of Test cricket. Unlike previous teams with apositive record, the strength of the bowling was not based onspin. Kapil Dev, Roger Binny, Chetan Sharma and Manoj Prabhakarwere the medium pacers and the first three did their job inexemplary fashion in the Tests. Madan Lal, called up from theLancashire league, filled in admirably for the injured ChetanSharma at Leeds.However, while the main thrust of the attack centered round seambowling, the two spinners Maninder Singh and Ravi Shastri alsohad a role to play. The former particularly dealt severe blowsand in fact headed the Test averages.But bowlers can accomplish their job if only the batsmen givethem a total sizeable enough to defend. And in this regard, theteam was well served by the presence of Sunil Gavaskar, KSrikkanth, Mohammad Azharuddin, Dilip Vengsarkar and MohinderAmarnath, all-rounders Shastri, Kapil and Binny and the newwicketkeeper Kiran More. Except for Vengsarkar, no one was inreally rip-roaring form but the batting jelled together at vitaltimes.Speaking of crucial moments, India came good every time there wasa crisis. In the first Test, for example, after England had ledoff with 294, India were 264 for eight when More, in his firstTest joined Vengsarkar who was on 81. The stage seemed set for anengrossing duel for the first innings lead that would be a greatpsychological boost. More (25) helped Vengsarkar add 39 runs andthe lead was taken.But Vengsarkar was on 95 when joined by Maninder. The No 11batsman held on to make six runs, saw Vengsarkar reach hiscentury and the two were finally associated in a partnership of38 runs. It was the tall Bombay batsman’s third successivehundred against England at Lord’s, a unique achievement for avisiting batsman.A lead of 47 runs meant that the game had reached a vital stagebut early on the fourth morning, Kapil irrevocably swung thematch India’s way with an inspired spell that removed GrahamGooch, Tim Robinson and David Gower even before the arrears hadbeen wiped off. Midway through the following day, India werecelebrating their first victory at Lord’s in 11 Tests. Kapilhastened the five-wicket victory by hitting Edmonds for 18 runsin an over – three fours and the six over mid-wicket with whichthe game was won. Incidentally, it was also Kapil’s first victoryin 21 Tests as Indian captain.A second – a much more emphatic victory by 279 runs – came twoweeks later. Here the dominance of Indians was complete. Theytook a stranglehold on the game at the end of the first inningsand thereafter only the margin and when that victory would comeabout were being discussed.Vengsarkar top scored with 61 in India’s first innings total of272. Then Madan Lal, preferred in place of Prabhakar who wasalready in the squad, and Binny got among the wickets quickly andEngland were dismissed for 102. In bowler-friendly conditions,Vengsarkar, then in the midst of his Bradmanesque run, broughtall his class, skill and experience into play.Coming in at nine for two, he steadied the innings and in thecompany of the later order batsman and the tail he serenelyprogressed to another hundred, which he reached again in thecompany of last man Maninder. This time he remained unbeaten with102 in a total of 237. England’s victory target was an improbable408 and they succumbed meekly for 128, some 75 minutes afterresumption of play on the fourth morning.With the rubber in their pocket, it only remained to be seenwhether the Indians could make it a clean sweep. And when Englandlost their first two wickets without a run on the board on thefirst morning of the third Test, hopes were high. A captain’sknock by Mike Gatting (183 not out) however helped England get to390.Consistent batting down the order saw India post the same total,only the fourth time this had happened in 1048 Tests since 1877.Chetan Sharma, with a bag of six for 58 that saw him become thefirst Indian bowler to take ten wickets in a Test in England,bowled out the home team for 235 early on the final morning. Avictory target of 236 was on the cards, considering the strengthand form of the Indian batsmen. But from 101 for one, theyslumped to 105 for five.Rain, however, took a hand with India 126 for five at tea and onresumption, Azharuddin and More took the final score to 174 forfive at final draw of stumps.Away from the Tests too, the Indians had a successful tour. Thetwo match one-day international series was shared while thevisitors became the first Indian team not to lose even a singlematch on a tour of England. Out of 11 first-class matches, threewere won and eight drawn.Vengsarkar predictably headed both the Test and tour averages andwas deservedly named among Wisden’s five cricketers of the year.Amarnath and Azharuddin performed well enough to cover up for thecomparatively lean form of Gavaskar, Shastri, Sandip Patil andSrikkanth. And this time the bowling figures for the tour andTests matched the batting, symbolised by Maninder heading theTest figures with 12 wickets at just 15.58 apiece.For England, there was little to rejoice and only Gatting’s formwith the bat, Pringle’s all-round capabilities and Edmonds’ spellon the final day of the third Test providing some sources ofcomfort. England in fact changed captains in mid-stream, Gattingtaking over from Gower after the first Test but this did notresult in any change in England’s fortunes.
