Images of B.S. Chandrasekhar's mesmerising spell (six for 38), spectacular catches by Eknath Solkar and S. Venkatraghavan, and Abid Ali's winning stroke come to Ajit Wadekar's mind as he reminisces India's first Test and series victory against England at The Oval in the summer of 1971.
As the captain of the Indian team to West Indies earlier that year, Wadekar's fortunes took a new turn after the historic victory against Gary Sobers's men. There were murmurs of resentment following the removal of M.A.K. Pataudi as captain, but the series victory in the Caribbean won Wadekar a lot of admirers.
On the tour of England, Wadekar showed the way by counter-attacking the English pace bowlers, John Snow and John Price, in the first innings of the first Test at Lord's. A genuine speed merchant, Snow had taken 31 wickets in the preceding Ashes series. But the elegant left-hander from Mumbai (then Bombay) bludgeoned the English attack to score 85. And with the middle-order coming good, India managed a nine-run lead. But with rain playing spoilsport — the play was halted post-tea on the fifth day — the first Test ended in a draw.
Positive game
“We lost time, but we decided to play positive cricket and force a win. This is the reason we lost too many wickets. The win against the West Indies with a powerful batting line-up gave us the confidence,” said Wadekar.
“The dry summer was another factor. We played eight first-class matches before the first Test and not a single match was washed out. We won five matches, drew two and lost to Essex. The one-month acclimatisation helped the team. The bowling was exceptional right through the series,” said Wadekar.
He explained that being a natural stroke-player, he was keen to get on top of the England fast bowlers at Lord's. “We played well within our limitations against the West Indies, but we had to show that we were not afraid of fast bowling. That's what we did at Lord's.
“We did not have a chance in the second Test at Old Trafford. But our bowlers were superb. England was 187 for seven before Illingworth made a century.
“The last day's play was washed out and we were saved.”
At The Oval, Chandrasekhar teased and tricked the English batsmen. “They were 175 for six and once again Alan Knott frustrated us making 90 (with Richard Hutton scoring 81). We were behind by 71 runs in the first innings.
“I had played Chandra many times and I knew that if he got wickets in his early spell, he could prove deadly. When he struck, dismissing John Edrich, Keith Fletcher and Brian Luckhurst, I knew he had got into his rhythm. The wicket afforded bounce and turn and it was perfect for Chandra.
Spectacular catching
“He needed support from the close-in fielders to be effective. Venkat took a blinder from Luckhurst and Solkar took two outstanding catches from Fletcher and Knott. I told Dilip (Sardesai) to start limping and got Kenia Jayantilal in as a substitute. He took the catch of Basil D'Oliveira who was hitting in the air.”
India chased down the target with Wadekar, Sardesai and G.R. Viswanath providing stability to the innings after the fall of Gavaskar and Mankad. Eventually Farokh Engineer's cameo (28) ensured India its first victory in 22 Tests in England.
“I think we benefited a lot by playing eight matches before the first Test. Moreover it didn't turn out to be a wet summer. Both wins (against England and the West Indies before that) were important and memorable for me. It was all because of team work.”
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