The dating game
Unfortunately, in Indian cricket, not all anniversaries and dates are associated with memorable deeds ornotable triumphs
Partab Ramchand
19-Jul-2002
Anniversaries and important dates are always fondly remembered.
Can anyone even remotely associated with Indian cricket forget
June 25, for example? That was not just the day India made her
debut in Test cricket in 1932 but by happy coincidence also the
date of the greatest moment in Indian cricket the World Cup
triumph - 51 years later and at the same ground to boot.
Unfortunately, in Indian cricket, not all anniversaries and dates are associated with memorable deeds or notable triumphs. The setbacks and reverses, the defeats and disasters associated with the game in India are innumerable, and though one may not care to remember these, they cannot be ignored. |
Indian cricket fans will also vividly recall August 24. After
all, that was the day in 1971 when India registered her first
Test victory in England and with it claimed the rubber. Does
anyone remember the significance of March 7, 15 years ago? After
jogging one's memory for some time, perhaps cricket fans will
recall that was the day in 1987 when Sunil Gavaskar became the
first batsman in Test cricket to cross the 10,000-run barrier.
Old-timers will probably have an easier time recalling the
significance of February 10, 1952, for that day saw India
register her first victory in Test cricket, against England at
Madras.
Those over the age of 50 will perhaps remember with a glint in
their eye Christmas Eve in 1959, the day India registered one of
her most significant victories the miracle at Kanpur against
the redoubtable Australians led by Richie Benaud. More middleaged cricket-lovers on the other hand will probably never forget
the significance of April 12, the date in 1976 that India scored
arguably their greatest ever Test victory, making 406 for four
against West Indies at Port of Spain.
Also of considerable importance are January 15, 1962 the day
India registered her first rubber victory over England at Madras
and February 20, 1968 the day India notched up her first win
abroad, against New Zealand at Dunedin. There are some for whom
March 6, 1971, is also a special date, being the date of
Gavaskar's Test debut; after all, many of the subsequent upswings
in the country's cricketing fortunes can be traced back to that
date. The newer generation of Indian cricket followers, I
suppose, will rate November 15, 1989, as significant, being
Sachin Tendulkar's first day in Test cricket. Not very far behind
for them will be February 8, 1994 the day Kapil Dev took his
432nd wicket and stood on the pinnacle all by himself.
Unfortunately, in Indian cricket, not all anniversaries and dates
are associated with memorable deeds or notable triumphs. The
setbacks and reverses, the defeats and disasters associated with
the game in India are innumerable, and though one may not care to
remember these, they cannot be ignored. For example, does anyone
remember the significance of June 24, 1974? Offhand, maybe not,
but mention 'Summer of 42' and it will jog unhappy memories. That
was the day India were shot out for 42 at Lord's to lose the
second Test at Old Trafford by an innings and 285 runs, the
second-heaviest margin of defeat in Indian cricket history. Long
may it remain India's lowest total in Tests!
And what about the significance of June 7, 1952? That was the day
when, in a batting collapse of the first magnitude, India lost
their first four wickets without a run on the board. Playing
against England at Leeds, India had started their second innings
midway through the third day of the first Test only 41 runs in
arrears. But in just 14 balls, Freddie Trueman and Alec Bedser
had swung the match irrevocably England's way. Such was the
impact of the collapse that when a reporter of an evening daily
rang up the desk to give the latest score as a stop-press item,
the story goes that the sub-editor, refusing to believe the
score, gave it as, "India in their second innings were four for
no loss when reports last came in."
When the seamier aspects of Indian cricket are recalled, July 19,
1952, will rank very high, but few will care to recall it, and
most certainly not the survivors of the Indian team that faced
England at Old Trafford in the third Test of that one-sided
series. For a Test side to be bowled out once in 58 overs or
inside four hours is bad enough. But what can one say when a side
is bowled out TWICE in that time? And yet that was the sickening
experience of the Indian team on that fateful day.
It was the third morning of the match, and England over the first
two days had scored 292 for seven in between interruptions for
rain and bad light. Resuming, England carried on till Len Hutton
applied closure at 347 for nine. What happened thereafter was
beyond the belief of even the most cynical Indian cricket
follower. In just 21.4 overs, India were bundled out for 58,
equalling their record lowest total registered against Australia
at Brisbane in November 1947. Trueman, striking terror in the
Indian ranks, finished with eight for 31. Ten minutes later,
India were following on, 289 runs behind.
And in just 36.3 overs, they were dismissed in the course of that
hideously unforgettable day for a second time for 82. This time
the damage was done by Bedser (5 for 27) and Tony Lock (4 for
36), with Trueman being restricted to eight overs and one wicket.
It remains the only time that a Test side has been bowled out
twice in a single day an unwanted record that has unfortunately
stood for half a century.