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Scores to settle Wisden CricInfo staff - October 29, 2002
Historically, the Eden Gardens has been a draw-oriented venue. Till 10 years back, 17 out of 26 Tests had ended in a stalemate. However, in the last 10 years, all five matches here have produced a decisive result. Overall, India have won six and lost eight Tests at this ground, while West Indies have won three times and lost once in seven matches. Winning the toss and batting has been the norm at Kolkata. Only once in the last 16 Tests has the captain called correctly and inserted the opposition. The Indians have enjoyed a bittersweet experience here, recording both their biggest Test win and their heaviest defeat at this ground. In 1997-98, they humbled Mark Taylor's Australians by an innings and 219 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the three-Test series; almost 40 years earlier they'd been at the receiving end of an innings-and-336-run drubbing at the hands of West Indies.
Carl Hooper can take some inspiration from West Indies' record at Kolkata: all their three wins here have been by an innings. India's only victory over the Caribbeans – in 1974-75 – was fashioned by a superb 139 by Gundappa Viswanath, as West Indies fell short of the victory target of 310 by 85 runs. That was arguably the best match at the Eden Gardens… till VVS Laxman came along last year and scripted one of the greatest comebacks ever. Trailing by 274 runs in the first innings against Australia, India rode on Laxman's epic 281 – the highest Test score by an Indian – and Harbhajan Singh's 13-wicket match haul to pull off a remarkable 171-run victory. Harbhajan's 13 for 196 in that Test was the second-best match figures ever recorded at the venue. The best was Javagal Srinath's 13 for 132 in a losing cause against Pakistan in 1998-99. Interestingly, of the four ten-for hauls achieved here in 31 Tests, two of them have come in the last two matches. Harbhajan's spin partner Anil Kumble hasn't had it quite so good in the four Tests he has played at Kolkata. An average of 30.55 and a strike rate of 75.5 balls per wicket pale when compared to his overall figures in India (average 21.03 and strike rate 53.8). Two other players who have a score to settle at this venue are Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. Tendulkar has a highest of 79 in five Tests and averages a miserable 23.37. Among venues where he has played at least three Tests, only at Lord's has he fared worse (click here for full list), while Ganguly has scored 183 runs in four Tests at 26.14. The third member of the Big Three, Rahul Dravid, broke the jinx with his 180 against Australia – before that, he averaged 33.66 at the Eden Gardens. Perhaps Tendulkar or Ganguly will set the records straight this time around. S Rajesh is sub editor of Wisden.com in India.
© Wisden CricInfo Ltd |
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