India on tour: The champagne moments
Partab Ramchand - 16 November 2001
Part IV: High Drama Down Under
In any Indian fan's list of famous triumphs, the unexpected victory at
Melbourne in February 1981 will rank very high and for good reason.
A win abroad, against strong opposition, achieved against all odds,
with the Indian side crippled by injuries to key bowlers, and after
being in arrears by 182 runs in the first innings this is the stuff
of which fiction and film scripts are made. But even this scenario was
made more surreal by one more dramatic event that marked the twists
and turns over five days at the Melbourne Cricket Ground a near
walkout by the Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar after he had furiously
disagreed with an lbw decision against him.
Things moved as expected when Australia wrapped up the first Test
against India at Sydney by an innings in three days. The home team
then had the better of a drawn second Test at Adelaide. So India could
still level the series by winning the final Test at Melbourne, but for
long this seemed an impossible task.
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It is true that India had won two successive Tests in Australia in
1977-78 against a sub-standard Australian side, denuded of the Packer
players, and had come close to winning the series. But against full-
strength Australian teams on two previous visits, they had lost eight
out of nine Tests played. And, in 1980-81, Australia were the second-
best team in the world, behind West Indies, with a particularly good
record at home. Prior to the series with India, Australia had beaten
New Zealand in a three-match series 2-0.
Things moved as expected when Australia wrapped up the first Test
against India at Sydney by an innings in three days. The home team
then had the better of a drawn second Test at Adelaide. So India could
still level the series by winning the final Test at Melbourne, but for
long this seemed an impossible task. In spite of a gallant 114 by
Gundappa Viswanath, India could only get to a modest 237 in the first
innings. Allan Border (124), with good support from Greg Chappell (76)
and Doug Walters (78), saw Australia reply with 419 midway through the
third day.
As Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan opened the Indian second innings, the
odds predictably were on Australia completing a 2-0 triumph. Gavaskar
had been woefully out of touch, struggling to get 48 runs in five
innings, but this time he settled down, and the pair led India's
fight-back with their ninth three-figure partnership in Tests.
On the fourth morning, after the pair had put on 165, Gavaskar was
adjudged lbw to Dennis Lillee for 70. He disagreed with the decision,
stood his ground, and alternated between pleading and arguing with the
umpire and the Australian players. Then Lillee came near him, pointed
to his pad, and said something to him. Already upset, Gavaskar by now
was furious. He stormed off the field, pulling a reluctant Chauhan
along with him.
The Indian manager, Wing Commander Salim Durrani, met the agitated
Gavaskar near the boundary line, asked Chauhan to stay on the field,
and instructed Dilip Vengsarkar to go in. The manager's timely action
saved a potentially embarrassing situation, but in the meantime, India
had to continue their fight to save the match. Chauhan top-scored with
85, and there were good supporting knocks from Vengsarkar (41),
Viswanath (30) and Sandip Patil (36). A total of 324, however, meant
that Australia had to get only 143 runs for victory.
The wicket was showing some signs of wear and tear, but it seemed too
small a target to cause the Australians, with their formidable array
of batsmen, any trouble. Moreover, by now the Indians had major injury
problems. Kapil Dev had pulled a thigh muscle and was unable to open
the bowling; in fact, he had batted with a runner in the second
innings. Dilip Doshi had a fractured instep, but was just about in a
condition to bowl. Shivlal Yadav, while batting in the first innings,
had sustained a hairline fracture on his toe thanks to a Len Pascoe
yorker. He had bowled 32 overs in the Australian innings, retired
midway through, was not in a position to bat in the second innings and
was thus out of the action for the rest of the Test.
So India were left with one fit (Karsan Ghavri) and two half-fit
bowlers, and this weakened trio were to bowl Australia out for less
than 142. It seemed Mission: Impossible until Ghavri dismissed John
Dyson and Chappell with successive deliveries to leave Australia at 11
for two. Super-fast work by Syed Kirmani stumped Graeme Wood off Doshi
at 18, and with the Australians teetering at 24 for three by the close
of play, the match had suddenly come to life. However, Australia were
still the firm favourites as the target was within reachable limits,
and Kim Hughes, Doug Walters, Allan Border and Rod Marsh were still
around.
On the final morning, Kapil Dev put aside his discomfort and, with the
aid of pain-killers, took the field. He and Doshi now bowled
unchanged, the left-arm spinner taking the crucial wicket of the in-
form Hughes. Thereafter, it was all Kapil. Bowling with fire in his
eyes, the Indian spearhead maintained a perfect line and length, made
the batsmen play at every ball, and gave nothing away.
In a trice, the strong Australian batting line-up crumbled before his
inspired spell. With Gavaskar, still smarting from what had happened
the previous day, egging his team on, the home side were shot out for
83, leaving India winners by 59 runs. Not one batsman got to even 20,
and Kapil finished with five for 28. Of course, the roles played by
Ghavri (two for 10) and Doshi (two for 33) were also vital in shaping
one of the most dramatic victories in Indian cricket history.
© Cricinfo
Teams
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Australia,
India.
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Players/Umpires
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Sunny Gavaskar,
Gundappa Viswanath,
Allan Border,
Greg Chappell,
Chetan Chauhan,
Dennis Lillee,
Dilip Vengsarkar,
Syed Kirmani,
Rodney Marsh,
Kapil Dev.
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Internal Links
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Part I,
Part II,
Part III.
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