Who was the first Indian to hit a hundred and claim five wickets in an innings in a Test? (24 June 2002)
The difficulty that lies in accomplishing the feat can be gauged from
the fact that it has been performed only 25 times in the 1606 Tests
played until now. Indeed, it remains the highest benchmark by which a
cricketer's all-round ability is judged.
Many great players - Richard Hadlee and Kapil Dev included - have,
though, failed to pass this exacting test. The rather surprising
absence of Kapil notwithstanding, India is fairly well-represented
among the 25 thanks to two gallant performances by Vinoo Mankad and
Polly Umrigar.
The former pulled off the feat against England at Lord's in 1952 while
Umrigar completed the double against the West Indies at Port of Spain
in 1962. The similarities in the two performances are astonishing.
In both cases, they were the top-scorers in either innings - Mankad
making 72 and 184 and Umrigar hitting 56 and 172 not out. Both Mankad
and Umrigar also sent down the maximum number of overs - 72 and 56
respectively - for their five-wicket hauls, conceding 196 and 107
runs. Both had a tidy spell in the second innings without claiming a
wicket. And in both cases, India lost the match - the margin at Lord's
being eight wickets while at Port of Spain it was seven wickets.
Mankad accomplished the feat against Len Hutton's Englishmen in the
second of four Tests between the two sides.
On the opening day of the match - June 19, 1952 - Indian skipper Vijay
Hazare won the toss and elected to bat. He dominated the opening
partnership with Pankaj Roy, hitting leg-spinner Roy Jenkins for a
straight six inside the first hour. The two put on 106 runs before
Mankad was first out. His going triggered a collapse; India being
dismissed for 235, shortly before close.
Throughout the second day and most of the third, Mankad toiled
manfully while bowling to a strong England batting line-up that began
with Hutton and Reg Simpson and included Peter May, Denis Compton, Tom
Graveney, Alan Watkins and Godfrey Evans.
On a perfect pitch, the left-arm spinner still managed to extract some
turn and bounce, all the while maintaining his trademark control over
line and length. When England were all out for 537, shortly before tea
on the third afternoon, Mankad had been rewarded with the wickets of
Simpson, May, Watkins, Jenkins and Bedser and his figures were
73-24-196-5.
Ten minutes later, he was back at the crease and was soon stroking the
ball with great elan against the pace of Freddie Trueman, the swing of
Bedser, and the spin of Jenkins, Jim Laker and Allan Watkins. By close
of the day's play, he was unbeaten with 86 out of a total of 137 for
two and in the Sunday newspapers, critics expended their stock of
superlatives whilst praising Mankad's all-round abilities, his skill,
his stamina and his courage in adversity.
The fourth day saw Mankad resume his innings and complete his century
within quarter-of-an-hour. He had thus become the first Indian to
complete the double of five wickets in an innings and a hundred in a
Test.
At that point of time, the feat had only been accomplished on four
occasions in 351 Tests. The last player to do so was Jack Gregory for
Australia against England in 1920-21. Little wonder, then, that
Mankad's was hailed as an outstanding achievement.
The great Indian all-rounder went to make 184 in the Indian second
innings before becoming the third wicket to fall with his team's score
on 270 - this after dominating a 211-run third wicket partnership with
captain Hazare (49).
His dismissal led to an all-too-familiar Indian batting collapse as
the tourists were all out for 378 shortly before close of play.
England promptly knocked off the 77 runs needed to complete the win
for the loss of just Simpson's wicket. But it was not to stop the game
from being remembered as Mankad's Test.
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