On 22nd September 1986, Australian bowler Greg Matthews was ready to bowl the penultimate ball of the Cricket Test Match between India and Australia at Chennai (then Madras). Indian tail-ender Maninder Singh was at the strike. The ball was rapped on to the pad and Matthews immediately appealed for an LBW. Without any delay, up went the finger of umpire Vikram Raju and history was created.
The Test ended as a Tie, only the second and till date the last Tie Test of 140 years of Test Cricket.
So when that great match is going to have its 30th anniversary, it deserves a tribute and let’s recall that great match.
I rate Indian Test team during 1985-86 as one of the finest Indian Test side ever. It was a seamless blend of experience and youth, a real optimized side. Great Sunil Gavaskar was in the last phase of his career. With hardly anything left to achieve, he was playing fearless and attacking cricket, much in contradiction of his image of a cautious opening batsman. Along with swashbuckling Srikkanth, Gavaskar made an outstanding opening batting pair.
Dileep Vengsarkar was in the form of his life. At number four, he was fulcrum of Indian middle order. Another veteran Mohinder ‘Jimmy’ Amarnath was steady and solid at number three. Young Azharuddin was filling the number five slot perfectly. He was an outstanding fielder and his exuberance (and of Srikkanth as well) on field was a delight to watch. Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri were two all-rounders. Kapil though was past his peak as a bowler by then, but still he was very potent. Bowlers like Chetan Sharma, ManinderSingh and Shivlal Yadav were playing their part too.
The performance and results during that period also validates this point. India visited Australia in 1985-86 for three Test series and completely outclassed Australians in each department of the game. Though all three Test matches played, ended in draw but that doesn’t tell the whole story. With a little better luck, the score line could have been 2-0 in favour of India or even 3-0. That in fact has been the only instance, when India dominated in a Test series down under in such convincing manner. India then played a three Test series in England during the summer of 1986 and completely decimated them. India thrashed England in first two Test matches at Lords & Leeds.
Dileep Vengsarkar scored centuries in both Test matches. He became first non-English player to score three Test centuries at Lords. Australia was undergoing process of re-building at that point in time under the leadership of Allen Border. During the first part of eighties, legends like Lillee, Rod Marsh, Chappel Brothers and Kim Hughes left the scene and side was reeling. Border was shaping up the team, which later became world beater under leadership.
Australia came to India in the later part of 1986 and first Test commenced at Madras on 18th September 1986.
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Border won the toss and elected to bat. Australians were slow but steady and scored just a little over two hundred runs for the loss of just two wickets on the first day. Second day belonged to Dean Jones. Jones completed his double century during the second day. He played a valiant knock amidst sultry weather. His scoring rate was brisk and riding that brilliant double century, Australia was well past five hundreds by the end of day two. Dean Jones was so tired & dehydrated during the day’s game that soon after his innings was over, he was rushed to hospital.
Australia declared their first innings at 574 for 7 during the first hour of third day. At that point in time, it appeared that Indians will pile up runs too against a depleted Australian attack and test will ultimately end in a lull draw.
However Indian batting sans Vengsarkar struggled. The unexpected damage came from Australian off-break bowler Greg Matthews. It was surprizing. First of all, Indians were supposedly very strong against the spin attack. Moreover Matthews had a very mediocre record, until commencement of this Test. Greg Matthews was an interesting personality.
In hot and humid Madras weather, he played the match with sweater on and used to bowl wearing with baseball cap.
Though Srikkanth, Shastri and Azhar scored half centuries but no way it was good enough to counter mammoth Australian total. By the time third day’s play got over, Indians were still more than hundred runs away from saving the follow on with just three wickets in hand. Kapil was on the crease and he had a colossal task of taking India out of this muddle with three tail-enders.
Some people keep their best reserved for the special occasions. Kapil Dev was one such bloke. If second day of match belonged to Dean Jones, it was Kapil’s day on fourth. As soon as games commenced on day four, Kapil made his intentions clear. He started hammering Australian bowlers in each part of the ground. He was ferocious and very aggressive. Kapil smashed century and saved follow on for India.
India finished first innings at 397 – a deficit of 177. At the end of fourth day’s play, Australia was 170 for 5 and this is when Border spiced up the whole scenario. In a display of extreme aggression, Border declared and lured Kapil and India to score 348 runs on the fifth and last day and bag the match.
Today scoring 340 runs in a day of Test match is still bit of routine but thirty years back it was almost thinkable. That was the time when a normal day of Test cricket would yield just 200-250 runs. But it was actually Great Spirit of two captains which turned this Test in one of the greatest ever. When Indian started their fourth innings, after a while it became apparent that challenge has been accepted. India decided to chase down, instead to play out the fifth day safely. Srikkanth provided quick start at the top of the order. Azhar played a short but quick knock and kept the chase on. Kapil promoted himself up in the batting order and all eyes were on him. However he could not do much. India’s prospects got severe damage when Azhar and Kapil got out in quick succession. Shastri and Chandrakant Pandit however took charge. Both scored briskly and at one time in point India was just 17 runs away from victory with good four wickets in hand. Victory was in sight but then Indian tail crumbled.
India needed four runs in last over with Ravi Shastri on strike and eleventh man Manainder Singh on the other end. Matthews was bowling. Shastri took a couple of second ball of the over. Now two needed in four balls. At this juncture, Shastri did something unusual. He took single on third ball and put Maninder on strike. Maninder’s batting skills were zilch; in the league of Chandra and Courtney Walsh. It was a blunder by Shastri which costed India.
Test. Maninder defended the fourth ball but fallen prey to high pressure situation on the fifth ball. Australian rejoiced as they saved the Test from a difficult situation. Allen Border took a sigh of relief. His audacity had almost costed him the match.
Will end this discussion with an amazing coincidence. After one year, India played Australia in a World Cup ODI match at the same venue. Australian batted first and scored 270 runs. India was 269 for 9 after 48.4 overs. Again Maninder Singh was on strike. India needed two runs to win. Again on the penultimate ball of the match, Maninder succumbed. India lost by one runs.
So Maninder Singh broke heart of Indian fans twice in two years and that too at the same venue and against the same opposition. Isn’t it so interesting?
Coming back to Tie Test, thirty years on, I still wish Maninder Singh should have scored that one run but then the match wouldn’t have been so memorable.