Cricket, India: A history
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An overview
1932 to the present
(Partab Ramchand, Sep 21 2016, REMEMBER THE GIANTS The Times of India)
The team -over this long duration - had its share of ups and downs. Certainly there have been more valleys than hills in the graph, particularly in the formative years, and more so in the record abroad.
This is a journey that began on June 25, 1932. CK Nayudu led the Indian team on to the field at Lord's in the inaugural Test against England and the babes of international cricket were on their way . There was no storybook script, with the match being lost by 158 runs. But debutants India came out with a lot of credit. Indian teams took a long, long time to settle into a cohesive unit and the result was one disaster after another in the 1930s, '40s, '50s and '60s, interspersed with the odd win. Before the present generation -brought up on round-the-year cricket -gets the incorrect idea, it must be stated that Test matches were few and far between in those days.
It took almost 20 years for India to notch up their first Test victory, but that inaugural win came only in their 25th Test. Tests were played with greater frequency in the '50s and '60s, yet India played their 100th Test only in July 1967.
Still, there was no denying the fact that by 1970 Indian cricket's overall record was quite dismal, with only 15 victories to show in 116 Tests only three of them abroad, that too against lowly New Zealand.
Whenever one discusses the history of Indian Test cricket, the year 1971 has to stand out. This was the break through year with historic series tri umphs in West Indies and England and the emergence of Sunil Gavaskar.
From now on there would be a marked upswing in the country's cricketing fortunes. With his superb technique and unruffled temperament allied to his dedication, determination and concentration, Gavaskar showed the way for others to follow.
From now on there would be no meek surrender, not to the fastest of bowlers, not even while playing on alien pitches in foreign weather conditions.A new crop of defiant -or stroke-playing -batsmen cropped up. With a vast improvement in the fielding standards and with a quartet of world-class spin bowlers in Bedi, Chandra, Venkat and Prasanna, Indian cricket at last started earning respect worldwide and the victories -both at home and abroad -became more frequent.
The one lacuna remained in the area of fast bowling. But with the discovery of Kapil Dev towards the end of the '70s, even this was bridged. Like Gavaskar before him, Kapil inspired a generation of fast bowlers and before long, the Indian attack wore a balanced look. The victories became even more frequent and various individual world records were set up. By the early '80s, an Indian was the leading rungetter and century-maker in Tests and he later went on to become the first [in the world] to cross the 10,000-run barrier in Test cricket.
A few years later, another Indian became the highest wicket-taker. Through the '80s, India's upward swing in fortunes continued with a series victory in England and two successive shared contests in Australia.
There was a surprising dip in the graph in the 1990s, with India suffering defeats almost everywhere even as they maintained their enviable record at home. But somehow one sensed that the nucleus of a worldbeating side was being formed, with Sachin Tendulkar being the flagbearer. For the first time an Indian was freely acknowledged as the best batsman in the world.
In the new millennium, Indian cricket touched new heights. The most lustrous batting lineup in the world took shape in the form of Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. With Anil Kumble as the kingpin of the bowling attack, there was a sharp rise in the winning graph.
Starting with the major turning point -Kolkata 2001 -Indian cricket went from strength to strength. The team showed it was capable of winning a series in England, winning a historic rubber in Pakistan, sharing contests in Australia and South Africa and winning a series in New Zealand for the first time in 41 years.
Even as the `Fab Five' -not to forget the irrepressible Virender Sehwag -bowed out of international cricket in the second decade of the new millennium, another set of batsmen and bowlers fit to wear their shoes took over.
The Indian team continues to be respected and even feared in international cricket. And while they are able to maintain a near impeccable record at home, it must be said that they can do better overseas. This is one reason why India's overall Test record sees their winning percentage as low as 25.85, below that of Australia, South Africa, England, West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and ahead of only New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh As Indian cricket crosses an important landmark in Kanpur, it is imperative that the contributions made by the pioneers, who were symbols of courage in adversity in Indian cricket's early days in international cricket, should not be forgotten.
It is never easy to represent a country in its formative years. The dice is heavily loaded against them and more often than not these players were up against far more experienced sides that had all-time great cricketers in their ranks.
This is the time to remember not only the feats of the spin quartet, Gavaskar, Gundappa Viswanath, Dilip Vengsarkar, Kapil, Tendulkar, Dravid, Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Laxman, Ganguly and Sehwag but also the deeds of Nayudu, Lala Amarnath, Vijay Merchant, Mushtaq Ali, Vijay Hazare, Vinoo Mankad, Md Nissar, Amar Singh, Polly Umrigar, Vijay Manjrekar, Subash Gupte and MAK Pataudi.
1932-2018
100 Test victories at home
India vs West Indies: India complete 100 Test victories at home, October 6, 2018: The Times of India
Indian cricketers notched up a plethora of records during the first Test against West Indies at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot and the icing on the cake was that the hosts went on to clinch their biggest victory in Test cricket (by innings).
India pulled off an incredible innings and 272 run victory against West Indies inside three days on Saturday. And this triumph is now in fact India's 100th overall Test win at home which was registered in their 266th match.
India dominated the game, amassing 649 for nine in their first innings before bowling out the West Indies twice on day three, to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
The Windies were bundled out for 181 in 48 overs before lunch and were asked to follow-on. They did not fare any better in the second innings, crumbling to 196 all out in 50.5 overs in the final session.
In the process, India also became the fourth team to get to 100 victories at home after Australia, England and South Africa. Australia top the list with 238 wins out of 415 matches ahead of England's 217 in 515 Tests. South Africa feature third on the list with 104 victories in 230 matches.
Having played their maiden Test at home in 1933/34 against England, it took India close to two decades to record their first victory on home soil. India clinched an innings and 8 run win against England in 1952 for their first home Test win. Download The Times of India News App for Latest Sports News.
A history by Boria Majumdar
Introduction
FOR INDIA, LIFE’S A PITCH
From minnows to World Champions, Team India has come a long way.
Boria Majumdar
The 1880s
Cricket in India had started in real earnest in the 1880s with the first Parsee tour of England in 1886. While this team was hastily put together and did not fare well, the second Parsee team to tour England in 1888 did much better. The improved standard of cricket in 1890s India is something the TOI drew our attention to when the Parsees, the early patrons of cricket, played G F Vernon’s touring English side in Bombay. Vernon’s team won all its matches in India except the one against the Parsees, which the visitors lost by four wickets. Commenting on the Parsee victory, Times of India wrote, ‘The Parsees are heartily to be congratulated on their really splendid victory . . . It is a great feather in the cap of the Parsees to have pulled off the match.’
1932
The improvement was consistent and it was finally in June 1932 that India cut their teeth in international cricket against the English at Lord’s. This tour, from its very inception, was controversial and was marred by a bitter tussle over captaincy, which was beautifully documented in the pages of TOI. The struggle between the Maharajkumar of Vizianagram and the Maharaja of Patiala for captaincy finally ended in favour of Patiala with Vizzy offered the strange designation of Deputy Vice Captain. He soon withdrew from the tour citing health reasons. Patiala followed suit and ultimately the Maharaja of Porbander led the first official Indian touring team to England. Interestingly Porbander was the worst player in the touring party and India’s first homegrown superhero, C K Nayudu, had the privilege of leading India out at Lord’s on June 25, 1932.
Details
Narayanan S, July 25, 2018: The Times of India
After being inducted into the Imperial Cricket Council in 1926, India were invited to play their maiden Test against England at Lord’s in 1932. Apart from the one-off Test, India played a whopping 25 other first-class fixtures on the tour. Natwarsinhji Bhavsinhji, who was the Maharaja of Porbander, was the designated captain but he made way for the more talented CK Nayudu to lead the team. India lost the Test by 158 runs to England captained by Douglas Jardine but not before their pace duo of Mohammad Nissar and Amar Singh had made an impression with six and four wickets respectively. Skipper Nayudu would top-score with 40 in the first innings and end the tour with 1618 firstclass runs at an average of 40. The exposure on England soil for nearly four months took a toll on the players as many were battered and bruised by the end.
1971
After independence, TOI played an important role in documenting the growing importance of cricket in the Indian public imagination. Wins in the West Indies and England in 1971, considered watershed moments in Indian cricket history, found first-page mention as did India’s first ever Test win against England in 1952 in Chennai. K N Prabhu’s dispatches from the Caribbean in 1971 are invaluable in understanding the significance of this victory and in chronicling the early impact of Sunil Gavaskar on Indian cricket. To their credit the TOI correspondents were farsighted in their analysis. This is borne out from stories on Sachin Tendulkar’s debut series in 1989. Reporting from Pakistan, Sunder Rajan predicted that Sachin was a special talent.
Details
Narayanan S, July 25, 2018: The Times of India
India’s second visit to England in 1936 was notorious for the acts of their megalomaniac captain Maharajah of Vizianagram, famously known as Vizzy. He played backdoor games to send Lala Amarnath home before the first Test citing disciplinary reasons. The loss of their most successful allrounder clearly dampened India’s prospects as they lost the first Test at Lord’s and the third Test at the Oval by nine wickets while managing a draw in Manchester in the second. Vijay Merchant was by far the best batsman for India on the tour with 1,745 runs for an average of 51.32 and three hundreds despite missing many of the 28 first-class fixtures the team played. CK Nayudu was not the batsman he was four years earlier and although Mohammad Nissar took 14 wickets, he too had lost a few yards in pace.
Result: England won 2-0.
Cricket nationalism
That cricket had become the most potent symbol of Indian nationalism was borne out from coverage of world cups in 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2007. The 1999 World Cup match against Pakistan occupied many pages drawing attention to the political significance of the encounter against the backdrop of Kargil. And in documenting the curse of match fixing in 2000 or the high of the 2011 World Cup triumph, the paper set new benchmarks. These reports will forever serve as valuable source for historians and aficionados of sport in understanding the emergence of cricket as India’s secular religion.
A
YEAR-WISE DEVELOPMENTS
1946
—Narayanan S, July 27, 2018: The Times of India
England were still reeling under the aftereffects of the Second World War when a team from undivided India toured in 1946. In fact, proper first-class cricket had just resumed when the Indians, led by Iftikhar Ai Khan Pataudi, arrived for a four-month long sojourn in a wet summer. Pataudi had incidentally represented England in the Bodyline Series in 1932-33. Only six in the Indian squad had Test experience against an England side which had the likes of captain Wally Hammond, Denis Compton, Bill Edrich and Len Hutton. England summarily won the first Test at Lord’s by 10 wickets as Alec Bedser took 11 wickets and Joe Hardstaff scored a double ton. India held on for a draw in Manchester in the second Test and rain spoiled the party in the third Test at the Oval. The high point for India was the last wicket partnership of 249 between Chandu Sarwate and Shute Banerjee against Surrey, which is still the second-highest first-class partnership for the 10th wicket. .
Result: England won 3-match series 1-0
1952
—Narayanan S, July 27, 2018: The Times of India
India were still on a high after having beaten England in Madras the preceding year when they reached England for the first tour after the independence -- their five-day Test series. They resumed their second innings in the first Test with a deficit of only 41 runs. However, they were reduced to 0/4 as Fred Trueman and Alec Bedser wreaked havoc. The tour went downhill from thre: they lost the first Test by 7 wickets, second by 8 at Lord’s, third by an innings and 207 runs in Manchester while rain helped them avoid a whitewash at the Oval. At 35, Vinoo Mankad showed why he was India’s first great allrounder with his effort at Lord’s (72 & 184; 5/196) spending 19 hours on the field out of the total 25 hours.
Result: England won 4-match series 3-0
1959
—Narayanan S, July 27, 2018: The Times of India
The first time India played a five-Test series in England. India had lost a home series against West Indies and were going through a leadership crisis, with four people assuming charge in five matches. Key players like Vinoo Mankad, Hemu Adhikari and Ghulam Ahmed had retired. India, under Datta Gaekwad, fared worse than the 1952 side, losing all five Tests, three of them by an innings.
Result: England won 5-0
1967
—Narayanan S, July 27, 2018: The Times of India
Another whitewash followed as India lost all three Tests in wet conditions. The team was captained by Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and included the likes of Farokh Engineer, Bishan Singh Bedi, Chandu Borde and BS Chandrasekhar. The series was in the news for England’s decision to drop Geoff Boycott after he crawled to a double century in the first Test in Leeds. Captain Pataudi scored a superb 148 in the second innings of that Test to help India pile up 510 but that was not enough as England won by six wickets. The hosts won the next two Tests at Lord’s and Edgbaston convincingly.
Result: England won 3-0
1971
—Narayanan S, July 27, 2018: The Times of India
The one that changed it all. Fresh from a historic maiden series win in West Indies, Ajit Wadekar’s India reached England high on confidence. The series was level going into the final Test at the Oval after two exciting draws at Lord’s and Old Trafford. India conceded a 71-run first-innings lead but Chandrasekhar’s dream spell of 6/38, along with some sharp catching by Eknath Solkar, meant India were chasing a gettable 173, which they managed, proving to the world they were no longer pushovers abroad.
Result: India won 3-match series 1-0
1974
India’s then lowest Test score: 42
Avijit Ghosh, December 20, 2020: The Times of India
From: Avijit Ghosh, December 20, 2020: The Times of India
From: Avijit Ghosh, December 20, 2020: The Times of India
Some days are like permanent markers in the head. Years roll by, they remain undimmed. For a generation of cricket-lovers, Summer of 42, is that kind of memory. The title doesn’t refer to the evocative age-gap Hollywood romance of 1971 that became the ultimate fantasy for millions of teenage boys. It is about an agonising summer afternoon in 1974 — June 24 to be precise — when Ajit Wadekar-led India capitulated in 17 overs. The aya ram gaya ram innings lasted less than a football game. The final score was 42, a good 16 runs short of India’s lowest ever Test score then: 58.
Those were radio days. Many who tuned in to the game might recall with clarity and misery what they were doing during that devastating hour. I remember listening to the commentary on a borrowed transistor radio sitting on a charpoi by a fish pond next to the huge Ramna Maidan in Arrah. A couple of elders kept shaking their heads. They seemed too aghast to be angry.
Nobody was expecting this. Before the series began, Wadekar and his men were on cloud nine. Never before had an Indian team won three Test series in a row. Two of those triumphs were spun against formidable opponents abroad: against Gary Sobers’ West Indies in 1971 and against Ray Illingworth’s England in 1971. When England paid a return visit under Tony Lewis in 1972-73, BS Chandrashekhar (35) and BS Bedi (25) hauled 60 wickets between them. India retained the rubber 2-1.
The 1974 tour had started amidst murmurs of groupism. India fought hard but lost the first Test at Old Trafford, despite Sunil Gavaskar’s battling 101. In the second at Lord’s, England smashed 629. India replied with 302 and was forced to follow on. Then the horror show began. Only Eknath Solkar offered resistance. His unbeaten 18 included a defiant six. What went wrong? In his autobiography, Sunny Days, Gavaskar was succinct. “The simple answer is that Arnold and Old bowled five good balls which got our top five batsmen out. After that there was no resistance from the tailenders.” That eerily sums up the 2020 innings too.
Misfortune, goes an old saying, seldom comes alone. A couple of distasteful off-the-pitch incidents followed the humiliating loss. But that’s another story.
1983 WORLD CUP
See also World Cup (cricket): 1983
K Shriniwas Rao | A HAPPY HUNTING GROUND | May 30 2017 : The Times of India
It was a fluke, they claimed, when India defended a low target to send the West Indies and the world of cricket into shock, and lifted the World Cup. The win changed the destiny of Indian cricket, changed the course of the game for ever, and brought an end to many a historical connotation that cricket had blossomed under until then. To say that it was the World Cup that changed cricket forever would be an understatement.
MOHINDER AMARNATH:
That unforgetful grin writ large on his face as he grabbed the stump and ran through a sea of people hovering from all corners of the stadium is now the stuff of dreams. Kapil Dev proudly held the trophy at Lord's but it was Amarnath's workmanlike bating and the underrated, uncanny ability to bowl tight spells that worked the magic for India. Of course, the unlikely heroes scripted a shocker of a success and it was this man's all-round performance that topped the charts back then.
KAPIL DEV:
That backward run for close to 20 yards, when he kept his eyes only on a ball that was hit towards deep mid-wicket boundary, and ran to pouch the catch of the tournament. That catch brought an end to the batting of the dangerous Vivian Richards, who looked like having made up his mind to single-handedly give the West Indies what they deserved. That tournament saw several other memorable performances, Sandhu's inswinger to Gordon Greenidge among them. But Kapil's catch will remain etched in memory for a very long time.
1986
July 29, 2018: The Times of India
Dilip Vengsarkar made it three centuries in a row at Lord’s, but this time it was sweeter as he helped India to a win in the first Test. Chetan Sharma was the star with the ball, taking a fifer in the first innings as India beat the hosts by five wickets. The bigger win, though, came in the second Test in Leeds, where under challenging seaming conditions, India outplayed England. Vengsarkar was the hero once again with a fifty in the first innings and a century in the second. Roger Binny, Madan Lal and Maninder Singh did the job with the ball as Kapil Dev’s men completed a memorable series victory. The third Test in Birmingham was drawn. The tour saw Mohammad Azharuddin playing some eye-catchy knocks and making a reputation as a safe close-in catcher.
Result: India won 2-0.
1989
India-Pak series and ball tampering
‘Ball tampering was rampant during 1989 India-Pak series’, July 10, 2020: The Times of India
New Delhi: Former India wicketkeeper Kiran More has said ball tampering was almost a norm during the team’s 1989 Test tour of Pakistan. More, however, said that neither side reported the other for it and everyone learnt how to scratch the ball and then generate reverse swing.
“In those days, scratching the ball was allowed, so you used to get reverse swing, big time,” More said on a podcast. “It was like, nobody used to complain from both sides. Everybody used to scratch the ball and reverse swing the ball. It was difficult to bat, it was not easy to bat. Even Manoj Prabhakar learned on our team how to scratch that ball and reverse swing that ball and Pakistan found it challenging.”
1989-2015: The era of the Fab Five
The Times of India, October 22, 2015
Virender Sehwag's retirement in 2015 officially brought the curtain down on a brilliant generation of Indian batsmen known as the `Fab 5.' Shashank Shekhar looks back at their contribution to the game and what they meant to the fans
Virender Sehwag's retirement from international cricket also brought the curtain down on a glorious chapter in Indian cricket. A group of supremely skillful batsmen and driven cricketers, called the `Fab 5', helped take Indian cricket to unprecedented heights, culminating in the team ascending t h e nu m ero u n o s t at u s in Tests for the first time, late in 2009.
The members of this celebrated, and now venerated, group were Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, SouravGanguly, VVS Laxman and Sehwag. These men gave wings to the imagination of the Indian cricket fan, enthralled connoisseurs world over, brought dignity and grace to the sport and gave us fond memories to last a lifetime.
With Sehwag closing the door on his career, this golden chapter passes into history .
Seldom in cricket history, such brilliance has come together in one team. If one has to look for similar quality in one line-up, the mind goes to the feared pace battery of West Indies in the late 1970s and early 1980s when the Caribbeans used to field Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner with the likes of Colin Croft and Sylvester Clarke waiting in the wings.
The `Fab 5' had almost everything that a true cricket fan could ask for. When playing, they were like a classical ensemble, profound, rich and in perfect rhythm. Yet, the orchestra was capable of changing gears and reaching buoyant crescendos as and when the situation demanded.
They pooled their resources to lift the team. But while they complemented each other, they carved their own distinct niche. Their purpose bound them, their styles separated them. Similarly , Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman and Sehwag had refreshingly different styles of expressing them selves with the willow. Tendulkar was the supremo, the modern Bradman who was just about perfect in everything he did in the middle. Dravid was the epic hero who combined great technique with mammoth powers of concentration.Ganguly was the fighter who batted with flair and tenacity while also marshalling his resources as captain. Laxman was the silent assassin whose batting was poetry in motion.Sehwag was the enforcer who rewrote the rules of batsmanship with his exceptional skill and amazing audacity .
The `Fab 5' earned great respect for Indian cricket and renown for themselves for the way they were on and off the field. Tendulkar remains the biggest cricketer ever in terms of brand value and impact.Ganguly , now a leading cricket administrator, was a consummate general who gave belief to the Indian team and began the process which culminated in India gaining No. 1 status in Test cricket and winning the World Cup in 2011.
Dravid, for many the best Indian Test batsman ever, is one of the most respected modern cricketers for not only his exploits on the field, but also as a statesman who has given a lot back to the game. Laxman has been hailed as one of the most elegant batsmen of modern times and a gentleman cricketer who eve ryone loved.
Sehwag was the odd man out in the group with his `desi' background which he, of course, was most comfortable with. In fact, it was his untutored mind which let him play and live the way he has. He has little patience for things socially and politically correct.It showed in the outrageously effective way he has batted.
The stats tell the tale of their monumental achievements. But these men are worth much more than the numbers. They have been wonderful ambassadors of the game. The added value to the sport they were part of and left the fans with many stories grand kids will be hearing in times to come.
`Fab 5,' you will be missed.
1990
July 29, 2018: The Times of India
The series was memorable for the The Graham Gooch Test. If India had fond memories of their famous win at Lord’s four years earlier, the England captain crushed it run by run, scoring 333 & 123. Despite Mohammad Azharuddin’s hurricane 121 off 111, India went down by 247 runs. The Test also witnessed Kapil Dev, batting with the last man, hitting four sixes in a row off Eddie Hemmings to avoid follow-on in an unparalleled act of daredevilry. Another high-scoring game followed in Manchester, with six batsmen from each side scoring hundreds, the last among them a curly haired 17-year-old Sachin Tendulkar, who scored his first Test ton to take India to safety. The runs flowed in the third Test at the Oval too and England saved the match thanks to David Gower’s century.
Result: England won 1-0.
1996
July 29, 2018: The Times of India
Mohammad Azharuddin was not the same force as he was with the bat, and his captaincy was also on the wane. Navjot Sidhu walked out of the tour due to his fractious relations with the Indian captain. The series, however, set in stone the foundation of India’s batting might for the next decade, with Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid making their debut and joining Sachin Tendulkar, who was already regarded as the best batsman in the side. England won the first Test in Birmingham as Tendulkar waged a lone battle, scoring a strokefilled 122 in the second innings. Ganguly scored a debut century in Lord’s and Dravid missed out on one by five runs. In Nottingham, Tendulkar and Ganguly again hit tons but India’s bowling lacked venom as England took the series.
Result: England won 1-0
2001
Eden Test vs. Australia
Harbhajan Singh, March 18, 2020: The Times of India
Right from the start, that game was going away from us. At one stage on Day One, they (Australia) were 193/1. Mathew Hayden (97) took his form from the previous Test in Mumbai to Kolkata. We realised that if we didn’t get wickets, they’ll score a lot of runs. My hat-trick got us back in the game but a Steve Waugh hundred (110) — he was the last to get out — took them to 445. The way we batted after that in our first innings, we thought that it would be like Mumbai, where we lost the Test inside three days. But VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid turned it around with their partnership.
I remember that during that entire partnership, all of us in the dressing room didn’t leave our seats! This was because we were losing wickets rapidly in the second innings too, even though Laxman was there at one end. Once their partnership started developing, we stuck to our seats. It was a decision taken by Sachin Tendulkar. After they batted through a session, we told ourselves: ‘This is the first session in which no wicket has fallen, so let’s stick to the same seats.’ And that remained the pattern even the next day, when they batted the whole day! I was sitting in my seat inside the dressing room for that entire day. I didn’t see a single ball. The only time I left it was to clap for Laxman, who reached his hundred, and then again I went back to it before the next ball was bowled! After getting out, Dada took off his T-shirt and kept sitting on his chair with the towel on his shoulders. Imagine, he went home, and the next day, he came back wearing a T-shirt, and after doing the warm-ups, he again took off his T-shirt and wore a towel, just like the previous day! It was like a film shoot, where the sequence and costumes have to be the same.
Talking about my hat-trick, I remember S Ramesh’s superb catch at forward short leg which got Shane Warne out and helped me complete my hat-trick. That was the only time when he was awake on the field! Normally, he was a very laidback guy. However, the quick reflexes that he showed that day left us all stunned! You should see the way Rahul Dravid celebrated after Ramesh took that catch. The way he hugged Ramesh, it looked like as if he had taken a hat-trick!
I knew it that if I didn’t do well in that series, my career would’ve been over. Before that series, I was involved in an (unpleasant) incident at the NCA). I was out of the team. As a result of that, a few selectors and some people in the BCCI didn’t want me in the side. However, our skipper, Sourav wanted a spinner who could pick wickets. Before the series, the team management called all the spinners, including me (I’d taken 28 wickets in four matches), who were doing well in domestic cricket at that time, for a camp. There, they saw that I was hitting the ‘target’ better than the others.”
VVS Laxman on his 376-run stand with Dravid
‘At the end of day’s play, both of us were on drip’, March 19, 2020: The Times of India
VVS Laxman relives that 376-run stand with Dravid in 2001 Kolkata Test
It was a Test match I wouldn’t have played but for our physio Andrew Leipus. When I walked into his room, I told Andrew ‘my back is stiff ’. He asked me to look in the mirror and I saw that my entire back or spine was tilted to the left. I got emotional because I had done all the hard work by scoring runs in firstclass cricket, because of which I got a chance to bat in the middle order. And suddenly Kolkata Test looked doubtful. Andrew made sure that I was 60-70% fit. Credit to Sourav (Ganguly) and John (Wright) as they felt that even if I was 60% fit, they wanted me in the XI given the form I was in.
Even before 281, I was happy with the way I batted in the first innings on the third morning. Steve Waugh literally had all the fielders on the boundary, wanting me to get off strike. But against quality fast bowlers, I was still hitting the ball along the ground, finding gaps and boundaries. I was timing the ball really well. That gave me a lot of confidence. When I got out (on 59, last man dismissed), it was a wrong decision by umpire Peter Willey. When John told me I’d be batting at No. 3 in the second innings, I was delighted. I always loved batting at No. 3.
The dressing room atmosphere was not great. We were bowled out for 171 and following-on. We lost the first Test in three days and Australia were on top with those 16 consecutive wins. I shut out all thought, I was in the zone. Watching Ramesh and Das add 50 odd runs (52), I was very relaxed. When I got the opportunity to bat, I told myself to remember the important knocks I had played for Hyderabad. I wanted to approach the Kolkata second innings with the same mindset I had when I scored those 100s, 200 and a triple hundred for Hyderabad. From my childhood, my coaches and my uncle always told me that if I spend time at the wicket, runs will automatically flow. I just wanted to play session by session. As it turned out, I was in such wonderful rhythm that I was picking the length very quickly, which is so important to me when I’m batting. That allows me to get into position a fraction of a second early and I know where the bowler is bowling to me.
After that partnership with Sourav, Rahul (Dravid) joined me. Not once did we discuss about the batting position nor did Rahul show any disappointment. We just talked to each other the way we talked to each other when we played for South Zone. There was serenity whenever I batted with Rahul. On the fourth morning, we knew the importance of the second new ball. We knew that once we got through that phase and if we played to our strengths, the Australians would start making errors. They were in desperate need of wickets and had to bat on the fifth day. We capitalised on the opportunities and suddenly we saw the Australians panicking. They gave us a lot of boundary balls and we knew that because of the heat and humidity they were getting tired. And so were we. That was the time when we helped each other. I was battling back spasm and Rahul was cramping really bad. We motivated each other – one ball, one over, one hour. As it turned out, we batted the whole day. There was also a lot of contribution from everyone in the changing room. We could see the positivity, enthusiasm, the anticipation of doing something special coming back. At the end of the day’s play, both of us were on drips.
It feels great that people still talk about it. The best part of that match and the series is that we got the belief that we could come back and win the match from any position. (As told to JAC Gladson)
Chappell on Laxman's 281
MELBOURNE: Former Australia captain Ian Chappell has picked his two all-time favourite innings against high-quality spin bowling and one of those is VVS Laxman's iconic 281 at the Eden Gardens in 2001.
Thanks to Laxman and Rahul Dravid (180), India went on to win the game against Australia after following-on.
"The absence of any cricket (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) gives me an opportunity to reflect on an aspect of the game I enjoy: watching a batsman utilise good footwork to combat top-class spin bowling. Two innings stand out: one played by India's VVS Laxman, the other by Doug Walters of Australia," Chappell wrote in a column for ESPNcricinfo.
Laxman and Dravid shared a marathon 376-run stand to engineer an unforgettable win for India. Chappell was simply in awe of Laxman's batting as the wristy Indian batsman toyed with the likes of Shane Warne.
"Laxman's incredible 281 at Calcutta in 2001 is the best I've seen against top-class leg-spin. At the conclusion of that exhilarating series I asked Shane Warne how he thought he bowled.
"I don't think I bowled that badly," he replied. "You didn't," I responded.
"If Laxman comes three paces out of his crease and hits an unbelievable on-drive against the spin and you then flight the next delivery a little higher and shorter to invite another drive and instead he quickly goes onto the back foot and pulls it, that's not bad bowling. That's good footwork.
"Laxman regularly did this during his 452-ball stay, in which he hit 44 boundaries. Therein lies a clue to Laxman's success: he consistently hit the ball along the ground," said Chappell, also praising Laxman's temperament.
Talking about fellow Australian Walters, Chappell called him the best player against spin.
"Walters scored a Test century in a session three times. There are no complete records regarding this feat but I suspect only Sir Donald Bradman did it more often.
"Walters was the best player of off-spin bowling I have seen; he didn't just survive against the very best, he occasionally battered them into submission. He scored a sublime hundred on a Madras minefield in 1969, facing the off-spin wizardry of Erapalli Prasanna, clubbing 14 fours and two sixes in the process," said Chappell.
2001-13: Crises lead to comebacks
The Times of India 2013/08/05
IN A HAPPY SPACE
Indian cricket’s most serious moments of crisis have led to some fighting comebacks. In fact, such has been the trend that the worse the crisis, the better has been the fightback. Here’s a look at how, when the game touched a big low, cricketers got together to give it all a new high...
2001: THE GHOST OF MATCH-FIXING IS BURIED
Soon after Delhi police caught Hansie Cronje on tape in 2000, the former South African skipper’s revelations opened a pandora’s box and cricket in India hit its first low in the wake of some very serious match-fixing allegations. Viewership and fan-following took a hit as investigations went on and suspicion — for the first time — got deeply entrenched in the game. The need of the hour was to restore its popularity in India, and it came a year later. VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid came together in a historic 376-run stand at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens and it infused a great deal of confidence in the minds of one and all. It would mark the beginning of an exceptional run that culminated with India claiming the number one spot in Test rankings in 2008.
2002 NATWEST TROPHY
K Shriniwas Rao | A HAPPY HUNTING GROUND | May 30 2017 : The Times of India
Not until the final one that India claimed with a historic chase of 326 runs could one have doubted that Sourav Ganguly's side wouldn't end up winning the series. That was the kind of form India were in and it would only mark the beginning of a run that changed the mental framework of a side labelled `poor tourists'.
MOHAMMAD KAIF:
87 runs off 75 balls, six fours and two sixes, a strike rate of 115.38 and a 121-run stand with Yuvraj Singh for the sixth wicket. Kaif played the kind of role in the final that was chiefly responsible for Ganguly's jersey-waving daredevilry at the Lord's. Ganguly himself was a contributor with a crisp 60 off just 43 balls and so was the dynamic Yuvraj Singh, scoring 69 from 63. Yet, it was Kaif coming in at No. 6 that changed the equation for India against a bowling attack that included Gough, Tudor, Flintoff, Giles and Collingwood.
RAHUL DRAVID:
With Sourav Ganguly handing him the gloves wicket-keeper's, of course Dravid transformed from a batting machine to a far more rounded contributor that made an unquestionable difference to India's combination of an eleven. Dravid scored 245 runs from six innings but that wasn't the only factor that underlined his contribution. Four catches, a stumping, and monitoring the field from behind the wicket, he marshalled India's resources to the T as Ganguly became the face of a side that dominated all ends.
2003: START OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN SOJOURN
...RAISES A STORM
A shaky start against minnows Netherlands, followed by a ninewicket loss to eventual titlewinners Australia was enough to politicians to stall parliament proceedings, public to burn effigies on the street and miscreants to pelt cricketers’ homes right at the start of the World Cup. The BCCI too had come under immense pressure to as India struggled to find their feet in South Africa. However, just when experts and commoners alike had begun to give up, Sourav Ganguly’s team rose like the phoenix, winning the next eight matches to make it to the final. The title-clash didn’t go India’s way but a lot of pride certainly got salvaged in the run.
2007: DISASTROUS WORLD CUP CAMPAIGNS
...HAS POSITIVE EFFECT
Greg Chappell’s experiment, fractured relationships and the debate on a possible divide between the senior and junior cricketers in the team took a toll on the World Cup campaign in the West Indies as Rahul Dravid’s team didn’t go beyond the first round. It was India’s worst outing and the anger of demanding fans led to further agony. Chappell had to leave but in the year that followed, the senior most cricketers in the side —now led by Anil Kumble — worked on the road to resurrection. The Asia Cup, followed by an impressive tour of Australia and success sought at home saw Team India make it to the top of the ICC Test rankings for the first time ever.
2011: TWO WHITEWASHES LEAD TO HUMILIATION
The enigmatic MS Dhoni’s worst moment as captain of Team India came in the aftermath of eight successive Test defeats in 2011 (four each in England and Australia). The result of it wasn’t just a public backlash but selectors too demanding Dhoni’s scalp as skipper and wholesale changes in the team. Dravid and Laxman — who had resurrected Team India’s fortunes a decade ago — called it a day and seniors like Sehwag, Yuvraj, Harbhajan and Zaheer were dropped as Dhoni began work on a younger team. The result came in the form of victories at home, followed by a 4-0 whitewash of Australia in early 2013. Dhoni’s captaincy received a fresh lease of life with the freedom to build a new Team India as he wished.
2013: SPATE OF WINS OVERSHADOWS IPL MESS
Shocking revelations of the involvement of BCCI president N Srinivasan’s son-in-law in the betting scandal raised a storm in the Indian cricket fraternity. BCCI’s many conflicts of interests, MS Dhoni’s player-management company, Delhi and Mumbai police investigations and heavy politicking caught Indian cricket in a mess and it did appear that matters would get worse. Far away from it all, Dhoni and a young Team India fought great pressure on and off the field to win the Champions Trophy in style — the only title missing from India’s cupboard — to restore a bit of faith among fans. India reclaimed the ODI top spot in rankings and the winning streak has continued.
2002
July 30, 2018: The Times of India
India, under Sourav Ganguly, were changing their image of poor travellers and the emergence of the ‘Fab Five’ batting unit played a key role in it. A lot had changed from 1996. The exhilaration in Sachin Tendulkar’s batting had given way to a measured efficiency, Rahul Dravid had become ‘The Wall,’ Ganguly was driving less through the offside but flaying more, VVS Laxman had arrived with his ‘281’ and Sehwag as a dynamite opener. India went down in the first Test at Lord’s but the Dravid-Tendulkar-Ganguly combine saved them in Nottingham. In Leeds, India batted after winning the toss under overcast skies and the same trio scored centuries and later the spinners came to the party to script a memorable win. Dravid would make it three hundreds in a row with a double ton at the Oval in the drawn final Test.
Result: Series drawn 1-1.
2005- 2017: triumphs
See graphic:
India's opponents and year-wise performance, 2005-17
2006
Tour of Pakistan
Pathan’s hat-trick
NEW DELHI: He burst onto the scene as destiny's child. Come a historic day for Indian cricket, and Irfan Pathan would be there, like a man handpicked by God to create that moment. As famously penned across reams of paper in the early and mid 2000s, the swing he could get was almost like Kapil Dev recreated to bowl with his left arm. Give Pathan the bat, and he could lift spirits with his big hits, of course minus the 'Nataraj' shot. Who can take that away from Kapil?
A number of times when the curly-haired Pathan ran in and roared, India did something special. His debut at the age of 19 in the 2003 Adelaide Test coincided with India winning a Test Down Under after 23 years, and his recall for the World T20 in 2007 saw India clinch the trophy. Pathan, in fact, took three wickets for 16 runs in the final against Pakistan and was adjudged the 'Man of the Match'. His valor in India's famous victory in the 2008 Perth Test was a fitting reply to his critics.
In between those performances, he bamboozled Pakistan -- first in 2004, when India won their maiden Test series on Pakistan soil and then in 2006, when his first-over hat-trick in Karachi sent a wave of terror in the arch-rivals' camp.
Ask cricket fans an Indian cricket moment they would never forget from the late '90s onwards, the answer could be the 2011 World Cup win, the 2007 World T20 victory, Yuvraj Singh's six sixes, the 2002 Natwest trophy final, Virender Sehwag's triple hundreds, Sachin Tendulkar's desert-storm knock or his 100th century, Rohit Sharma's double tons, plus many more. But one Pathan moment that will easily find a place high up on that list is his Test hat-trick in the 2006 Karachi Test.
Bowling the first over of the match, Pathan's pace and swing knocked out Salman Butt, Younis Khan and Mohammed Yousuf off consecutive balls, leaving Pakistan tottering at 0/3. That was followed by a middle-order collapse as well, which left Pakistan reeling at 39/6. Indian skipper Rahul Dravid couldn't have asked for more, opting to field first on a fresh, chilly morning.
It's that moment of Indian cricket history that Timesofindia.com tried to revisit by contacting the man himself, and Pathan detailed a blow-by-blow account from that day more than 14 years ago.
The below account is the version of the narration in Pathan's own words:
Run-fests in Faisalabad and Lahore
THE 2006 KARACHI TEST, AFTER RUN-FESTS IN FAISALABAD AND LAHORE
The first and foremost thing when the Test match started, it was early morning in Karachi. In the first two Test matches, everyone had gone for runs. None of the teams could win. Both the matches were draws and were high-scoring games. It was like a graveyard for bowlers, and the teams were complaining about the pitches for not being result-oriented. Then we came to Karachi for the third Test. It was a slightly chilly morning and I was very pumped up as well to do well, because I had been the guy in the Indian team at that time who used to take the first wicket regularly.
THE SET-UP
That particular morning, I remember, I wanted to swing the ball, I wanted to hit the batsmen on their pads. That's the aim I had. I never thought that I'll get a hat-trick in the first over, but I wanted to get early breakthroughs for my team, especially on that morning.
When I bowled the first ball, it was from the leg-stump. Salman Butt being a left-hander, I wanted to make sure that he plays the first ball, but it didn't swing as much as I would have liked.
The second ball I bowled on the off-stump, it went away. He left the ball, the third as well.
THE FIRST TWO VICTIMS
The fourth ball was right on the money, the way you want as a (swing) bowler -- the batsman defends the ball, it edges the bat and goes to the slip. It exactly happened the way I wanted.
The second one, I knew that Younis Khan was a kind of batsman who was always a difficult proposition for India. He scored a lot of runs against us and actually finished his career as one of the best batsmen for Pakistan. We all knew that his wicket was very, very important. We needed to get him early.
I had a very attacking field against him, but still I wanted to make sure that the first ball I bowled to him had (an element of) risk in it. That's the kind of bowling I always had. I always wanted to take that risk to get the batsman out early. By doing that, if you get hit for four, people might say that it's a bad ball, but that's what the bowlers do, take risks. If you don't take that risk, you won't get a reward as well.
Obviously the ball was swinging, but before Younis, it was a left-handed batsman and now right-handed. So for me to adjust the line straight away, that was the thing in my mind. But most importantly, I wanted to make sure that I bowled a length that hit him below the knee-roll.
As soon as the ball went from my hand, I knew it was that perfect length I wanted. When I turned around (to appeal for LBW), I knew that (umpire) Simon Taufel was going to raise his finger because the ball had hit Younis below the knee-roll, and was hitting the middle stump.
THE HAT-TRICK
When I went to bowl the third delivery, so many things were going through my mind. I had been on a hat-trick before as well. I had taken a hat-trick in junior cricket, for India under-15, in the plate championship in England when I played for India Under-19. So I wanted to do that in (senior) international cricket as well. Before that, in international cricket, in both one-day and Test cricket, I had come close to taking a hat-trick twice but couldn't do it.
I left everything on the Almighty and decided that I'm just going to ball my best ball. I knew that this was Mohammad Yousuf, who had gotten out to me many times. I knew that he was also waiting for my in-swinger. But even if it's a good ball, even if he was waiting for the same delivery, it will hit his pad. I wanted to do that.
The kind of swing I got on that ball doesn't happen (easily). People take time to do that. I delivered the ball, I wanted to hit Mohammad Yousuf's pads and luckily the ball swung so much. Even after pitching, it had movement and it went between his bat and pad to hit the stumps. At that time obviously you don't think about those things, but when I look back, obviously it feels really great and satisfied that people still talk about this hat-trick.
'NO PAAJI, I HAVE NO IDEA’
I remember when the Pakistan innings finished and we went inside the dressing room, Sachin (Tendulkar) paaji asked me: "You know that this is a world record?" I replied, "No paaji, I have no idea."
No one else had done it before.
THE MOST SATISFYING WICKET OF THE HAT-TRICK
All three deliveries were fantastic. You want the batsman to play a defensive shot and get him out in the slip. It happened with Salman. You want to hit the batsman on the pad before even the bat comes down. It happened to Younis Khan. But getting a hat-trick with that kind of swing and that kind of movement, I think Mohammad Yousuf's wicket will be very, very special, also because it had a hat-trick written on it.
Even if there was advice, yes there was from everywhere, I couldn't hear anything. The only thing I was hearing was my own thoughts.
INDIA LOST THE GAME
Obviously, losing the game is always disappointing no matter what performance you put in. Even if you take one wicket, you want the team to win.
That's one particular game when obviously you got disappointed when you had done so well and you performed well. I remember scoring 40 runs (first innings) as well in that Test match and not able to win the game was highly disappointing.
INDIA'S LUCKY MASCOT AGAINST PAKISTAN
There was a time in the '90s when we used to lose regularly to Pakistan. But when I came onto the scene and started playing against Pakistan, the majority of the games we won. Be it the Asia Cups, the series played in Pakistan in 2004, matches later on, the T20 World Cup final.
I always talk about my performance against Pakistan because the majority of the matches I played against Pakistan, we won, and I have been able to contribute in those wins. In 2004 we won the one-day series and the Test series. I had a contribution in that. A lot of people say that I should have gotten the 'Man of the Match' award. But that doesn't matter. It's all about contribution.
2007
July 30, 2018: The Times of India
India were trying to recover from the shock exit at the 2007 World Cup. They were lucky to have gotten away with a draw in the first Test at Lord’s as rain and a generous Steve Bucknor came to their rescue, giving MS Dhoni not out on a plumb lbw call, on the final day. In the second Test in Nottingham, Zaheer Khan showed how a county stint had benefitted him. He took nine wickets, bamboozling the English batsmen with late swing and clever changes of angle and in a way answering the jelly beans taunts. All batsmen, led by Sachin Tendulkar’s 93, chipped in as India cruised to a seven-wicket win. India never looked like letting go of the lead in the final Test at the Oval where Anil Kumble scored his maiden Test century as Dravid became the first captain to win a series in England after 1986.
Result: India won 1-0.
2008
Sydney Test: bad umpiring decisions
My mistakes may have cost India 2008 Sydney Test: Bucknor, July 20, 2020: The Times of India
Steve Bucknor retired from umpiring in 2009 after officiating in 128 Tests and 181 ODIs. For much of his career, he had an unblemished record but his blunders during the infamous 2008 Sydney Test between India and Australia still haunt him.
“I made two mistakes in the Sydney Test in 2008. Mistake one, which happened when India were doing well, allowed an Australian batsman to get a hundred. Mistake two, on Day 5, may have cost India the game. But still, they are two mistakes over five days. Was I the first umpire to make two mistakes in a Test? Still, those two mistakes seem to have haunted me,” Bucknor told a daily.
“You need to know why mistakes are made,” Bucknor said. “You don’t want to make similar mistakes again. I am not giving excuses but there are times when the wind is blowing down the pitch and the sound travels with the wind. The commentators hear the nick from the stump mic but the umpires may not be sure. These are things spectators won’t know.”
Bucknor had refused to raise his finger when Andrew Symonds edged to MS Dhoni behind the stumps off Ishant Sharma. Symonds was on 30 and he went on to score an unbeaten 162 to take Australia to 463 from being 134/6 at one point. He then adjudged Rahul Dravid out on the last day when India were chasing 333 and fighting for a draw. Dravid had his bat firmly tucked behind his pads and replays showed that there was no contact between bat and ball.
Bucknor was eventually removed by ICC from officiating in the third Test as tension between the two sides started snowballing into the Indian team even considering pulling out of the series. IANS
2011
July 30, 2018: The Times of India
India went into the series as World Cup winners with probably the most skilful seamer in the world at that time in Zaheer Khan. But the left-armer limped off due to a hamstring injury on the first morning of the first Test and the die was cast. India’s summer of disarray began. Kevin Pietersen’s double hundred set up the win for the hosts who followed it up with a comefrom-behind victory in Nottingham thanks to Stuart Broad’s devastating 6/46 and Ian Bell’s 159, assisted by MS Dhoni’s decision to recall him after a controversial run out. There was no change in result at either Edgbaston or the Oval, where Sachin Tendulkar came close to his 100th international century before falling agonizingly short. Rahul Dravid was India’s player of the Series, scoring three centuries.
Result: England won 4-0.
2015
India won the test series against South Africa, 3-0: See graphic.
2016
See Cricket, India: A history (2016)
2016-17: Eight consecutive ODI series wins
From The Times of India
See graphic, ' Between early 2016 and Dec 2017 India achieved eight consecutive ODI series wins '
2017
BCCI doubles retainer fees
HIGHLIGHTS'
Jadeja has been rewarded for his all-round show in the ongoing home season
Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay also jumped to the top category
The annual retainer amounts have been doubled for all the categories
NEW DELHI: Ravindra Jadeja has been rewarded for his all-round show in the ongoing home season as BCCI elevated him to Grade A in the annual contracts for the 2017-18 season announced on Wednesday. Along with Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay also jumped to the top category. The Committee of Administrators (COA) met earlier in the day to decide on the annual player contracts for men cricketers for the period ending 30 September 2017.
The annual retainer amounts have been doubled for all the categories and Grade A players will be paid Rs 2 Crore per annum, Grade B will be paid Rs 1 Crore per annum and Grade C will be paid Rs 50 lakh per annum, which is double the amounts paid in the earlier years. The match fee enhancement for men cricketers will be effective from October 1st 2016 onwards and Rs 15 lakh per Test, Rs 6 lakh per ODI and Rs 3 lakh for T20 international will be paid.
The seven cricketers in the top bracket are Dhoni, Kohli, Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jadeja and Vijay. While seniors like Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra have found place in Grade B and C respectively, the biggest name missing is Suresh Raina, who till recently was a permanent member of the limited overs fixtures. Young Rishabh Pant is a part of Grade C contract. Raina had in fact played after October 1, 2016 but is not there in the 32-member list.
Harbhajan Singh and Gautam Gambhir are not in the list as they have played before the said date, from which the contracts are to come into effect. Grade A: Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, R Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, M Vijay
Grade B: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuvraj Singh
Grade C: Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Amit Mishra, Manish Pandey, Axar Patel, Karun Nair, Hardik Pandya, Ashish Nehra, Kedar Jadhav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Parthiv Patel, Jayant Yadav, Mandeep Singh, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shardul Thakur, Rishabh Pant
2018-19
India’s overseas record (till 2019 Aug)
Sep 4, 2019: The Times of India
From: Sep 4, 2019: The Times of India
From: Sep 4, 2019: The Times of India
India captain Virat Kohli feels the team is “really lucky” to have Jasprit Bumrah on their side. Since Bumrah’s debut in the Cape Town Test against South Africa (Jan 5-8, 2018), India have won 6 of 14 Tests played outside the subcontinent (drawn 1, lost 7). All these wins have been fashioned, in particular, by Bumrah — who has 42 wickets and 5 five-wicket hauls in these wins — and in general by the pace attack. It’s expected that the fast bowlers will call the shots in seaming conditions outside the subcontinent, but the degree of their dominance over their spin-bowling teammates is staggering — the Bumrah-led pace battery has taken 84.87% wickets in these 6 Tests, compared to only 15.13% by the spinners.
2019
ICC allowed Team India to wear Army caps
The International Cricket Council (ICC) said Indian cricketers were granted permission to wear camouflage military caps in the third ODI against Australia as a tribute to the country's armed forces, a gesture which Pakistan has objected to.
In the third ODI in Ranchi on March 8, the Indian team sported military caps as a mark of respect to the CRPF personnel who were killed in the Pulwama terror attack and donated its match fee to the National Defence Fund.
"The BCCI sought permission from the ICC to wear the caps as part of a fundraising drive and in memory of fallen soldiers who have died, which was granted," ICC's General Manager Strategic Communications Claire Furlong said in a statement.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had sent a strongly-worded letter to the ICC, calling for action against India for wearing the caps.
"They took permission from ICC for some other purpose and used it to do something else, which is not acceptable," PCB chairman Ehsan Mani said on Sunday in Karachi.
In February, the BCCI had asked the ICC to "sever ties with countries from which terrorism emanates" following the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. The responsibility of the attack was taken by Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Kohli towers; Pant follows; so do Rohit, Bumrah, Yadav
The number of years that it will take Kohli to catch up with Tendulkar’s records
From: January 23, 2019: The Times of India
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From: January 23, 2019: The Times of India
Most hundreds;
most test tons;
most test runs;
most prolific in 2018;
most test runs overseas;
most ODI tons;
most ODI runs;
Virat Kohli's captaincy records;
Rishabh Pant- some records- 2018
From: January 23, 2019: The Times of India
See graphics:
Indians in the ICC awards of the year (2018, declared in Jan 2019)
Kohli towered; Pant followed; so did Rohit, Bumrah, Yadav.
The number of years that it will take Kohli to catch up with Tendulkar’s records
Some records:
Most hundreds;
most test tons;
most test runs;
most prolific in 2018;
most test runs overseas;
most ODI tons;
most ODI runs;
Virat Kohli's captaincy records;
Rishabh Pant- some records- 2018
Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Karnataka wins
Sandeep Dabhekar, Agarwal, bowlers help Karnataka grab title, March 15, 2019: The Times of India
If Mayank Agarwal had Steve Waugh’s wit, he might would have said, “You dropped the Cup, mate,” to Vishal Gite. Agarwal, trying to hit back-to-back boundaries, miscued a drive. Karnataka, chasing 156, were 26/1 at that time. Gite, running backwards, failed to hold on to the catch.
Agarwal was on five when he got the first reprieve. Over the next 15 overs, Agarwal, having got another life on 38, made the Maharashtra team pay heavily for their largesse. The right-hand batsman hit an unbeaten 85 (57b; 6x4; 3x6) and stitched a crucial 92-run partnership with Rohan Kadam (60; 39b; 6x4; 3x6) to propel Karnataka to a comprehensive 8-wicket win over Maharashtra in the final at the Holkar Stadium on Thursday.
Having won almost everything, the one prize missing from Karnataka’s cabinet was the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Kadam continued with his red-hot form while Agarwal made most of the charmed life to help Karnataka fill that void.
Kadam and Agarwal launched a scathing attack on Maharashtra bowlers despite the early loss of BR Sharath. In the fourth over, after being dropped by Gite, Agarwal hit the bowler Satyajeet Bachhav for a six and a four as Karnataka raced to 40 for 1 in four overs. The pair added 88 more in the next seven overs when Agarwal got one more life. This time, the guilty was Maharashtra skipper Rahul Tripathi as he failed to grab a catch off Fallah’s bowling in the 11th over.
11th straight home series win a world record
From: Oct 14, 2019: The Times of India
See graphic:
India’s records after its 11th straight home series win on 13 Oct 2019
Physical Disability World 2019: India wins series
August 13, 2019: Times Now Digital
India won the Physical Disability World Series 2019 in England after defeating the hosts in the final at the New Road Stadium in Worcester. The Indian Physically Disabled (PD) defeated England by 36 runs in the final to clinch the elusive trophy. The six-nation tournament was organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Ravindra Sante scored a quickfire half-century (53 off 34 balls) to star in India's victory. Batting first in the game, India posted a huge total of 180 runs on the board before successfully defending it to win the game comfortably. It was a brilliant all-round performance from the Indian team which played some good cricket throughout the tournament.
India won the toss and captain Vikrant Keni opted to bat first in the final. Openers Kunal Phanase and Wasim Khan couldn't get their team off to a good start as the Men in Blue lost their first wicket in the very first over. Khan was removed on a duck by Ben Tyler before skipper Keni (29) combined with Phanase (36) to post a 46-run stand for the second wicket and steady the ship for India.
After the duo's departure, Sante looked in fine touch as he went on to notch up his fifty. His 53-run knock was laced with two fours and four sixes as he long with Suganesh Mahendaran (33) helped India post a good total on the board. Liam O'Brien was the pick of the bowlers for England finishing with figures of 2/35 in his four overs. The Indian bowers later produced a stupendous effort to bundle out England on 144. Opener Angus Brow top-scored for the hosts with a 44-run knock of 32 balls. However, none of the other English batsmen managed to put up a fight against Indian bowlers. Phanase and Sunny Goyat picked up a couple of wickets each to lead India to victory. Indian players were later seen celebrating their win on the pitch.
The Indian team had earlier defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in their final round-robin match to seal a spot in the final of the tournament. England reached the final after beating Afghanistan in the semi-final.
Captain-coach combinations
Kohli- Shastri, 2017- 2019
From: July 30, 2019: The Times of India
See graphic:
2017, July- 2019, July: India’s record in international cricket under coach Ravi Shastri, overall, and with Virat Kohli as captain
2015-2019 Oct
Nitin Naik , Oct 24, 2019: The Times of India
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From: Nitin Naik , Oct 24, 2019: The Times of India
In the mid 1970’s, a familiar but intimidating chant (especially for visiting English teams) used to go around Australian Test cricket venues. “Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust, if Thomson doesn’t get ya, Lillee must.”
The chant was to highlight the fearsome skills of Australian pace pair, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson.
If Indian cricket fans, so used to salivating over batting feats, while playing at home, choose to borrow that phrase, they might as well sing, ‘’Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust, if Shami does not get you, Umesh must’’ and also add the names of Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah (when fit) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the list. Since January 2015, the time that Virat Kohli took over as India’s Test captain, the pacers, Shami, Ishant, Umesh, Bumrah and Kumar have picked up 428 wickets in 52 Tests at a strike rate of 51.51. Sixteen fivefors have been registered at an astonishing average of 25.54. At home, the pacers have taken 152 scalps in 26 Tests, away, in more helpful conditions, they have picked up 276 wickets in 26 Tests with 13 five-fors. In India’s 3-0 whitewash of South Africa, Shami and Umesh bowled with pace and potency even on unresponsive tracks and have not made the team feel the absence of the brilliant Bumrah.
“They understand their gameplans. The energy has been very good. There is an intent and self-belief that they can pick up wickets,” observed former South African skipper Shaun Pollock during his analysis on Cricbuzz. His former colleague and former captain, Graeme Smith alluded to it in his post-match show on Star Sports. “South Africa expected a lot of spin, but were outdone by pace. The areas that Umesh and Shami bowled in were brilliant. They looked to hit the stumps and make the batsmen play,” Smith commented and praised Kohli for the way he rotated his bowlers.
With the way the pacers have been bowling for the last two years, is it fair to say then that this is the greatest Indian pace attack?
Former Indian left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra sees a problem with that. “Yes, it is a very skilful pace attack, but that does not mean the earlier guys were not good. Now, because of improved fitness, exposure to IPL and India ‘A’ cricket, players have improved. There is competition and players have been forced to raise the bar. We must remember that bowlers like Kapil Dev, Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath took a lot of wickets on Indian pitches and bowled well overseas, too. Let us not make this only about numbers,” Nehra pleads.
As captain, Kohli always loved pace. Even when he captains RCB in the IPL, he prefers speedsters and his endorsement of the speedy Navdeep Saini is a testament to that.
“It is a myth that fast bowlers cannot bowl well in India. The wickets help reverse swing and the SG ball can be very helpful,” says Nehra. He reckons India have been fortunate that a pool of talented pacers are playing at the same time and all are fit and experienced, a ‘luxury’ earlier captains did not have. Being fast through the air, they also take the surface out of the equation. In the 24 Tests that Kohli has captained in India, the pace attack has taken 137 wickets at an average of 27.44 and a strike rate of 57.2. From November 2017, a time when yoyo tests, carb-free diets and improved fitness became part of every Indian cricketer’s vocabulary, pacers have picked up 69 wickets in eight Tests at 20.64 and a strike rate of 39.30.
Shami, speaking after the Ranchi Test mentioned the celebrated ‘F’word. “Fitness has become a revolution in this side. The team management also gives us the confidence and the fields we want,” he said.
Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan, while analysing the bowling performance, on TV, said, “Kohli really takes care of his fast bowlers. He gives them their space, their fields. Only when something does not work, he steps in.”
The skipper seems to be doing the off the field stuff well too, like posing for selfies with his pacers at airports and calling them lean and mean machines and complimenting them and their toned physiques on social media.
Pakistan tearaway Shoaib Akhtar too talked about the impact Kohli has on his pacers. “Kohli enjoys captaincy and gives full freedom to his bowlers,” he analysed on his You-Tube show. In the current series, Indian seamers accounted for 26 of the 60 wickets to have fallen and struck every 35 balls. Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander came to India with greater pedigree, but the South African pacers picked up just 10 wickets at 70.20 and an unflattering strike rate of 131.20. At a recent event in Mumbai, West Indies great Brian Lara had commented that the Indian pace attack reminded him of the great West Indies bowling attack of yore.
That, indeed, is high compliment.
2011-20: The best of the decade
December 28, 2020: The Times of India
Test Team of the Decade: Alistair Cook, David Warner, Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli (c), Steve Smith, Kumar Sangakkara, Ben Stokes, Ravi Ashwin, Dale Steyn, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.
ODI Team of the Decade: Rohit Sharma, David Warner, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Shakib Al Hasan, MS Dhoni (c), Ben Stokes, Mitchell Starc, Trent Boult, Imran Tahir, and Lasith Malinga.
T20I Team of the Decade: Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, MS Dhoni (c), Kieron Pollard, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, and Lasith Malinga.
WOMEN
ODI team of the decade: Alyssa Healy, Suzie Bates, Mithali Raj, Meg Lanning (c), Stafanie Taylor, Sarah Taylor, Ellyse Perry, Dane Van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp, Jhulan Goswami, and Anisha Mohammed.
T20I team of the decade: Alyssa Healy, Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates, Meg Lanning (c), Harmanpreet Kaur, Stafanie Taylor, Deandra Dottin, Ellyse Perry, Anya Shrubsole, Megan Schutt, Poonam Yadav.
ICC’s best
Indians among the best
December 28, 2020: The Times of India
DHONI CAPTAIN OF ICC’S WHITE-BALL TEAMS OF DECADE, KOHLI SKIPPER OF TEST SIDE
Dubai: Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named captain of ICC’s ODI and T20 International teams of the decade while Virat Kohli stamped his pre-eminence in world cricket after being voted the skipper of the Test team. Indians dominated the limited-over teams by having three and four players in the ODI and T20I respectively while England have maximum number of players --four -- in the Test side.
Dhoni was one of the three Indians in the ODI team of the decade, the others being Rohit Sharma and Kohli. Dhoni has three other compatriots in the T20I team -- Rohit, Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. Besides being named captain of Test team, Kohli is the only player in the world to have been voted in the teams of the decade in all formats. The teams of the decades were announced by the ICC ahead of the Awards of the Decade ceremony, to be held in virtual mode on Monday. PTI
Players of the decade
December 29, 2020: The Times of India
From: December 29, 2020: The Times of India
From: December 29, 2020: The Times of India
See graphics:
Virat Kohli, ICC cricketer of the decade
Players of the decade, 2020
India captain Virat Kohli headlined the ICC top honours for the decade, winning the Sir Garfield Sobers award for the best male cricketer of the past 10 years. Kohli was also picked for the ODI Cricketer of the Decade award. Former India skipper MS Dhoni won the ‘ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade’, chosen by fans for his gesture of calling back England batsman Ian Bell after a bizarre run out in the Nottingham Test in 2011. Kohli scored 66 out of his 70 international hundreds in the ICC awards period. In the same period, he was also the batsman with the most fifties (94), most runs (20396) and the best average (56.97) among players with 70-plus innings.
2013-19, India's eleven successive series triumphs
From: Amol Gokhale , Oct 14, 2019: The Times of India
See graphic:
India's eleven successive series triumphs on Indian soil, 2013-19
Coaches
Remuneration
2019: Rs10 cr salary for Shastri
Sep 10, 2019: The Times of India
Recently reappointed India head coach, Ravi Shastri will be earning close to Rs 10 crore a year, according to a report in the Mumbai Mirror. This is a 20% increase over his previous package and was agreed upon at the time of reappointment, according to the report. Shastri was given an extension of 26 months and will remain at the helm till the 2021 World T20 to be held in India.
Salaries of other support staff members have also seen impressive hikes. Bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar are now “expected to get around Rs 3.5 cr” while new batting coach Vikram Rathour will get between Rs 2.5 cr to Rs 3 cr, according to the report.
Shastri was recently reappointed by a panel comprising ex-players Kapil Dev, Angshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy following India’s semifinal exit in the World Cup. High points of his previous stint included India’s first-ever Test series win in Australia in 2018-19. Their ODI record has also been very impressive, with wins in Australia and New Zealand. The low point, however, was the relative disappointment of a semifinal exit in the World Cup.
B
SUBJECT-WISE
All- time greatest players
All formats
1960- Feb 2020
May 8, 2020: The Times of India
A FEW GOOD MEN
Opinions about era-spanning teams tend to border on the irreverent, since there’s no perfect blend and too many subjective picks. Any selection or omission will polarise views, so our logic was simple: Pick a Test team from the last 60-odd years that can succeed across eras and conditions.
We feel this pick is worth it for the opening combo alone, but we’ll wait for the debates to rage. It’s time to play captain, coach and selector…
All-time Test XI (according to batting order)
SUNIL GAVASKAR: Inimitably classic. The greatest-ever opener. The man who gave Indian cricket its spine. Gavaskar was all this and more, a cricketer bigger than the sum of his parts. Could save a Test or win it by producing fourth-innings masterclasses. That sharp eye and Fort-Knox technique weathered an endless barrage of pacy deliveries from some of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. All this without wearing a helmet.
Tests: 125. Runs: 10,122. Home Avg: 50.16. Away Avg: 52.11. 100s: 34. Career Span: 1971-87
VIRENDER SEHWAG: Pure skill. Unmatched bravado. Perfect blend of the brutal and the sublime. Changed the definition of Test opening with audacious but often risk-free strokeplay. The sheer ease of his run-making gave bowlers enough time to bowl opponents out twice. A match-winner for all time.
T: 104. R: 8586. HA: 54.13. AA: 44.65. 100s: 23 CS: 2001-13
RAHUL DRAVID: Unshakeable man of steel. Perfect No. 3. The man for the monumental knocks. Used defence as attacking option to put the slow choke on unsuspecting attacks. Scripted some of India’s most memorable Test wins both at home and abroad.
T: 164. R: 13,288. HA: 51.35. AA: 53.03. 100s: 36. CS: 1996-2012.
SACHIN TENDULKAR: The G.O.A.T. who owns the No. 4 spot. Picture-perfect batsmanship. Prolific lone ranger. Master of adaptation. Statistics, style, substance… he redefined them all. No wonder coach Gary Kirsten called him a “university of batsmanship”. India’s most-loved cricketer. Ever.
T: 200. R: 15,921. HA: 52.67. AA: 54.74. 100s: 51. CS: 1989-2013.
VIRAT KOHLI: Oodles of class. Boundless energy. Wears passion as a fashion statement. In chase of the G.O.A.T, with a similar ability to marvellously adapt technique to different conditions and match situations. Revels under pressure and responsibility. Fitness revolutionary too. It’s the sheer will to win, though, that turned his career around and makes him a must-have in our team.
T: 86. R: 7240. HA: 68.42. AA: 44.36. 100s: 27. CS: 2011-present.
SOURAV GANGULY (C): Ideal captain of a team of heavyweights. Led India out of match-fixing morass. Brought disillusioned fans back. Injected a healthy dose of aggression and chutzpah. Successfully backed raw talent and attitude. And oh, a stylish and very useful left-hander. Will be required to chip in with his seamers too. As always, there’s controversy: he edges out VVS Laxman.
T: 113. R: 7212. HA: 42.97. AA: 41.56. 100s: 16 Winning % as captain: 42.85 (47.61% at home, 39.28% away). CS: 1996-2008.
KAPIL DEV: Renaissance man. Unanimous choice in any all-time Indian XI. A one-man revolution. Fiercely proud fast-bowling aberration in the land of spin. Could breathe life into dead home pitches with the red cherry. Romanticised swing bowling with those lethal away swingers. Fashioned templates with his bat from Chennai to Port Elizabeth. Was an efficient slip fielder. Had a bullet arm. A fine captain too. Did we miss something? T: 131. R: 5248. 100s: 8. Wkts: 434.
Home Bowling Avg: 26.49. Away Bowling Avg: 32.85. 5 wkts/innings: 23. CS: 1978-94
MS DHONI (WK): One multi-dimensional cricketer to follow another. An unorthodox ’keeping technique but extremely efficient behind the stumps, even on square-turning dustbowls. Aggressive, match-turning batting lower down the order. Valuable, flexible, street-smart asset.
T: 90. R: 4876. HA: 45.76. AA: 32.84. 100s: 6 ’Keeping dismissals: 294 (Catches 256 + Stumpings 38). CS: 2005-14
ANIL KUMBLE: Persistence personified. Could deflate set batsmen on the last over of a hot day on a flat pitch. Demystified the arcane art of leg-spin with nagging accuracy, guile, variation and bounce. Expanded his repertoire after a shoulder surgery and developed new weapons to help him deliver overseas. Not for nothing did Tendulkar call him “India’s greatest match-winner”.
T: 132. Wkts: 619. Home Bowling Avg: 24.88. Away Bowling Avg: 35.85. 5 W/I: 35. CS: 1990-2008.
ERAPALLI PRASANNA: Supreme strategist. Elevated finger spin to a fine art. One fourth of the famous spin quartet, they say he could plot a dismissal two overs before it actually happened. Master of flight and control.
Would lure batsmen into the cover drive, knowing his immaculate control and drift would induce error from the best. Believed in the maxim of “length is mandatory, line is optional”. Could plot wickets for other spin-bowling partners.
T: 49. W: 189. HBA: 26.94. ABA: 33.85. 5 W/I: 10. CS: 1962-78
ZAHEER KHAN: The neo-Kapil. Other half of this dream XI’s new-ball pairing. Pace, swing and skill apart, Zak had the ability to make the old ball talk late into the day, making him a herald of doom even in the third or fourth spell. “The Sachin Tendulkar of Indian fast bowling” is how Dhoni described him in 2013.
T: 92. W: 311. HBA: 35.87. ABA: 31.47. 5 W/I: 11. CS: 2000-14
12TH MAN: Harbhajan Singh. Edged out by Prasanna’s overall skill and ability, but more than 400 wickets stand eternal testimony to the feisty ability of the ‘Turbanator’ to fox top batsmen with his brand of finger spin.
T: 103. W: 417. HBA: 28.76. ABA: 38.90. 5 W/I: 25. CS: 1998-2015
COACH: The astute and determined John Wright. Ushered in a more professional culture. Helped India stop Australia’s run of 16 straight wins. Managed big egos with elan. Struck up a famous partnership with Ganguly. Winning % as India coach: 39.21 (45.83% at home; 33.3% away)
TOI’S ALTERNATIVE TEST XI:
Not happy with our main selection? Here are the ones who narrowly missed out (presented here in batting order):
1. Vinoo Mankad I 2. Gautam Gambhir
3. Gundappa Viswanath I 4. Dilip Vengsarkar
5. Tiger Pataudi (c) I 6. VVS Laxman
7. Syed Kirmani (wk) I 8. B Chandrasekhar
9. Mohammad Shami I 10. Javagal Srinath
11. Bishan Singh Bedi I 12th Man: R Ashwin Coach: Anshuman Gaekwad
1980s- 2020: Shane Warne’s XI
April 2, 2020: The Times of India
Warne names Ganguly as captain
Australian spin legend Shane Warne has named Sourav Ganguly as the captain of his all time India XI, which includes Navjot Singh Sidhu. Warne said he ignored former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and current captain Virat Kohli because he picked only those Indian players against whom he had played.
Warne’s all-time India XI: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Virender Sehwag, Navjot Singh Siddu, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Kapil Dev, Nayan Mongia (wicketkeeper), Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble.
T20i players: All- time greatest
Till Feb 2020
Prasanth Menon & K Shriniwas Rao, —All stats: Rajesh Kumar, May 12, 2020: The Times of India
Presenting TOI’s Dream T20 International XI. Here’s one blockbuster Indian team to smash your lockdown blues away…
Less than 85 cricketers have represented India in T20 Internationals over a 14-year period. We wanted a lean, mean powerhouse of a unit with proven T20 track record on the international stage, so we’ve pruned out both pre-T20 era hopefuls and IPL-only notables…
TOI INDIA XI (T20 INTERNATIONAL) (ACCORDING TO BATTING ORDER)…
ROHIT SHARMA
Classy. Audacious. Languid. Has redefined T20 opening. A joy to watch amid the frenzied hustle and bustle of the shortest format. Boasts the maximum sixes and most hundreds in the format.
T20I: 108. Runs: 2773. Avg: 32.62. Strike Rate: 138.78. 50s: 21. 100s: 4. 6s: 127.
KL RAHUL
Style meets substance. The face of Indian cricket’s GenNext. Format suits his attitude and strokeplay. Capable of reaching innovative heights with the bat. Handy behind the stumps if required.
T20I: 42. R: 1461. Avg: 45.65. SR: 146.10. 50s: 11. 100s: 2. 6s: 61
VIRAT KOHLI (vice-captain)
Modern great. Yet to score a T20I ton but is still the format’s highest run-getter. Why resort to all the ugly hoicks and slog sweeps when you have all the delightful drives, wristy flicks and neatly-executed pull shots that make you a spectator’s delight? Brings aggression and passion to the table.
T20I: 82. R: 2794. Avg: 50.80. SR: 138.24. 50s: 24. 6s:76
YUVRAJ SINGH
Proven match-winner. Big-stage player. Six-sixes man. Delightfully versatile and multi-dimensional. Can wreck quality attacks and deflate the opposition in a jiffy. An agile fielder. Handy with the ball in hand. Loves battling the odds.
T20I: 58. R: 1177. Avg: 28.02. SR: 136.38. 50s: 8. 6s: 74. Wkts: 28. Economy Rate: 7.06
SURESH RAINA
Who else but Raina at No. 5? Team man to the core. Swift between the wickets. Not the most flamboyant batsman but more than capable of a fifth gear. Busy, street-smart, utility cricketer. Supremely athletic. Can spin the ball. At his peak, irreplaceable.
T20I: 78. R: 1605. Avg: 29.18. SR: 134.87. 50s: 5. 100s: 1. 6s: 58. Wkts: 13. ER: 7.59.
MS DHONI (captain, wicketkeeper):
The man who shaped India’s T20 destiny in 2007. The greatest finisher ever. Uncanny ability to produce sixes out of nowhere. Cool head. Shrewd cricketing brain. Out-of-the-box ideation. Puts limited skills to optimum use. Canny leader of men. Lightning reflexes behind the stumps. Head and shoulders above the competition.
T20I: 98. R: 1617. Avg: 37.60. SR: 126.13. 50s: 2. 6s: 52; Catches: 57. Stumpings: 34
HARDIK PANDYA
Flamboyant personality with a flamboyant game. Insanely talented all-rounder. Adds the maverick touch. Capable of hitting the big sixes at the crunch and taking the crucial wickets too. Tough competitor. At his best, a clear MVP contender.
T20I: 40. R: 310. Avg: 16.31. SR: 147.61. 6s: 19. Wkts: 38. ER: 8.35
RAVINDRA JADEJA
Shane Warne’s ‘Rockstar.’ Dhoni’s ‘Sir Jadeja’. Sanjay Manjrekar’s ‘bits-and-pieces cricketer’. Everyone’s favourite ‘Jaddu’. The quintessential T20 cricketer. Bigger than the sum of his parts. There may be players with better numbers with both bat and ball but Jaddu’s impact is often unquantifiable, especially as a fielder.
T20I: 49. R: 173. Avg: 12.35. SR: 101.76. 6s: 5. Wkts: 39. ER: 7.10
RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN
Boasts skill, tactical acumen and ability to think on his feet. Innovative off-spinner. Equally adept at the start and the death. Ability to contribute with the bat tilts scales in his favour.
T20I: 46. R: 123. Avg: 30.75. SR: 106.95. 6s: 1. Wkts: 52. ER: 6.97
JASPRIT BUMRAH
Shaped and blessed by the T20 format. Deliciously unorthodox and deceptive. Extremely hard to pick. Extreme pace too. From toe-crushing yorkers and befuddling slower balls to searing bouncers, he can bowl the full spectrum. What’s to dislike?
T20I: 50. Wkts: 59. Strike Rate: 18.2. ER: 6.66
ASHISH NEHRA
Makes it on pure bowling skills. Oodles of experience. Extremely clever fast bowler. The left-armer uses his lean and tall frame to bring a different dimension to the attack. Boasts accuracy and ability to move the ball late. Ideal foil to Bumrah.
T20I: 27. Wkts: 34 SR: 17.2 ER: 7.73
12TH MAN: MANISH PANDEY
Livewire on the field. Ideal floater in the batting order. Useful finisher. The perfect substitute. Can adjust and adapt to virtually everything. Would have made it to the XI in most other international teams.
T20I: 38. R: 707. Avg: 47.13. SR: 127.61. 50s: 3. 6s: 19
COACH: Ravi Shastri
A great motivator. Someone who can pump up the squad before they walk out on the field. Enjoys the confidence of younger players. Good at both technical tips and gut instinct.
TOI’S ALTERNATIVE INDIAN T20I XI:
Furious at some of your favourites being left out? Check out our alternative team, in order of appearance in the batting order…
1. Virender Sehwag 2. Shikhar Dhawan
3. Shreyas Iyer (c) 4. Yusuf Pathan
5. Dinesh Karthik 6. Rishabh Pant (wk)
7. Irfan Pathan 8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
9. Mohammed Shami 10. Yuzvendra Chahal
11. Kuldeep Yadav. 12th man: Krunal Pandya Coach: Duncan Fletcher
Note: Only T20 International performances taken into consideration.
—All stats: Rajesh Kumar
ODI players: All- time greatest
Till Feb 2020
Dwaipayan Datta & Gaurav Gupta, May 9, 2020: The Times of India
ONE-DAY WONDERS
You read and saw and probably debated furiously over our fantasy Test XI. We thought of needling you more and switching colours. How about selecting a fantasy ODI XI? Time again to pick and choose...
SACHIN TENDULKAR
Shifting to the opening slot in the fifth year of his career, Tendulkar changed the way India would play ODI cricket over the next two decades. During the 2007 World Cup, he occupied the No. 4 slot and the consequences were disastrous. Switching back, he got his 100th international 100 (49th in ODIs) in his penultimate ODI in 2012.
M: 463, Runs: 18426 Avg: 44.8, Hs: 200* SR: 86.2, 50s: 96, 100s: 49
ROHIT SHARMA
Probably the greatest ODI opener India has produced after Tendulkar. After struggling for relevance in the middle order, Rohit found his mojo once MS Dhoni, in a masterstroke, asked him to open in 2013. The only batsman to score three ODI double hundreds, he possesses probably the best pull shot in the game today, and becomes more lethal as the innings progresses. Can kill you softly. M: 224, Runs: 9115, Avg: 49.27, HS: 264, Strike Rate: 88.92, 50s: 43, 100s: 29
SOURAV GANGULY
Though he played mostly as an opener in ODIs, Ganguly was superb as a No. 3 during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. His ability to clear the in-field with ease makes him a suitable candidate in the top-3. Two World Cup heroes, Mohinder Amarnath and Gautam Gambhir, were close contenders for the spot but Ganguly’s class, leadership skills and longevity seals it for him.
M: 311, Runs: 11363, Avg: 40.73, Hs: 183; SR: 73.71, 50s: 72, 100s: 22
VIRAT KOHLI
Arguably the best Indian batsman while chasing in ODIs. Even if the target is huge, ‘King Kohli’ can make a mockery of it with his terrific strokeplay and lightning running between the wickets. Once in, expect him to finish off a game without playing a false stroke. Though he has excelled at No. 3, he can adapt his game to bat at No. 4 as well, since he can rotate the strike and take quick singles under pressure. Is also a huge asset in the field.
M: 248, Runs: 11867, Avg: 59.33, Hs: 183, Strike Rate: 93.25, 50s: 58, 100s: 43.
YUVRAJ SINGH
A combination of class and match-winning ability makes Yuvi India’s best bet at No. 5. Easy on the eye with his batting, a brilliant fielder and an effective part-time spinner, Yuvi edges out Mohammad Azharuddin, another legend vying for the No. 5 slot. The fact that Yuvraj, then battling lung cancer, was the Man of the Series in India’s 2011 World Cup win makes him an emotional favourite for the spot. M: 304, Runs: 8701, Avg: 36.56, Hs: 150; SR: 87.68, 50s: 52, 100s: 14 Bowling: Wkts: 111, Avg: 38.68, Economy rate: 5.1
MS DHONI (wk, captain)
There are many ways to describe Dhoni, the ‘greatest finisher in ODIs’ and ‘best Indian captain in the shorter formats’ being the two stand-out attributes. Keeping, batting under pressure and ability to take unbelievable risks as captain, and pulling those off more often than not, make him the best India ever had in that slot. Took guts to promote himself to No. 5 ahead of Yuvraj Singh in the 2011 World Cup final. The way he countered Murali and steered the team home is part of cricketing folklore.
M: 350, Runs: 10773, Avg: 50.57, Hs: 183*; SR: 87.56, 50s: 73, 100s: 10 Ð5He has also taken 321 catches and effected 123 stumpings
KAPIL DEV
Another player who walks into any fantasy Indian XI across formats. Kapil is probably the only genuine all-rounder India ever had. He was a master of swing, a brilliant death bowler, one of India’s finest outfielders and an explosive batsman. His 175* against Zimbabwe in the 1983 WC is rightly rated as the greatest ODI knock by an Indian.
M: 225, Runs: 3783, Avg: 23.79, Hs: 175*SR: 95.07, 50s: 14, 100s: 1 Wkts: 253, Avg: 27.45, Economy rate: 3.72
HARBHAJAN SINGH
His ability to generate bounce and turn at means he can be a menace for all opposition batsmen. Is a feisty competitor who will form a lethal combination with Kumble. Can be economical and run through a side too when in rhythm. His doosra can be a surprise weapon. Can chip in with the bat in the lower order too.
M: 236, Wkts: 269, Avg: 33.35, Best: 5-31, Economy rate: 4.31.
ANIL KUMBLE
India’s most successful Test bowler was any captain’s go-to man even in ODIs for more than a decade. His nagging accuracy and ability to take wickets cover for the fact that he wasn’t the most explosive lower-order batsman or an agile fielder.
M: 271, Wkts: 337, Avg: 30.89, Best: 6-12, Economy rate: 4.30
ZAHEER KHAN
One of the most under-rated performers in Indian cricket, his role in the 2011 World Cup triumph almost goes unnoticed. The left-arm swing bowler was equally effective both in the beginning of the innings and at the death and had the ability to take wickets at any stage. Developed the knuckle ball before the 2011 World Cup and put it to good use in the tournament
M: 200, Wkts: 282, Avg 29.44, Best: 5-42, Economy rate: 4.93
JASPRIT BUMRAH
Can fire toe-crushing yorkers at will to trouble the best of batsmen in the slog overs or bowl traditional seam and swing at the start. Can also do a great job in the middle of the innings to break partnerships or stem the flow of runs. Has a very good bouncer and a slower ball too. Perhaps India’s best ODI pace bowler ever.
M: 64, Wickets: 104, Avg: 24.43, Best: 5-27, Economy rate: 4.55. 12th man
RAVINDRA JADEJA
Along with Mohammad Kaif, perhaps the best limited-overs fielder India have had. Since he is an all-rounder, can be considered in the XI should a batsman or bowler suffer a last-minute injury. M: 165, Runs: 2296, Hs: 87, Avg: 31.88, SR: 85.96 Wickets: 187, Best: 5-36, Avg: 36.57, Economy rate: 4.89.
COACH: GARY KIRSTEN.
Alternative XI: Virender Sehwag, Kris Srikkanth, Mohinder Amarnath, Mohammad Azharuddin, Rahul Dravid, Manoj Prabhakar, Kiran More, Ashish Nehra, R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami; 12th man: Javagal Srinath; Coach: John Wright
Away tests
Victories
After Being Asked To Bat First/ Till 2021 Aug
Amit Karmarkar, August 19, 2021: The Times of India
From: Amit Karmarkar, August 19, 2021: The Times of India
India have won an ‘away Test after losing the toss and batting first’ at Lord’s on Monday. It was the 13th occasion in India’s Test history that they won away after being inserted (46 Tests, 24 lost, nine drawn). Amazingly, in eight of these 13 Tests, at least one India pacer has taken five wickets or more in an innings. And these Tests saw 11 five-wicket hauls by an Indian pacer.
Since India played four pacers at Lord’s, the wickets got distributed and no Indian pacer returned with five wickets in an innings.
But that was not so in the 2014 Lord’s Test win under MS Dhoni. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma had taken six and seven wickets in an innings respectively then. India’s first away Test win after being put in came when they recorded their first ever series win away at Auckland in 1968. But it was sans a five-wicket haul.
Kapil Dev walked away with the honour of five-for during the MCG victory in 1981 when India were asked to bat first by Greg Chappell - a Test in which captain Sunil Gavaskar wanted to walk away literally.
When a captain elects to bowl first, generally a pacefriendly wicket or overcast conditions are expected. Hence it’s not surprising that no Indian spinner contributed with a five-wicket haul in 13 such wins, the best being Ashwin’s four in the second innings of the 2015 Colombo Test. Ishant had taken five wickets in the first innings of that Test.
Besides Lord’s in 2014, India’s Test wins at North Sound 2019 (Ishant and Bumrah) and Nottingham 2018 (Hardik Pandya and Bumrah) had seen two pacers taking five-wicket hauls. Bumrah thus has a total of three five-wicket hauls in such winning causes once you add his exploits at Kingston in 2019.
Bhuvi added to his 2014 Lord’s feat when he sparkled during the Gros Islet win in 2016 with five wickets. Like Auckland 1968, there were no five-wicket hauls by an Indian after they won Tests losing the toss and batting first: at Durban (2010), Chittogram (2010) and Port of Spain (2002). Even Zaheer Khan has a five-wicket haul when the above condition is met (Dhaka 2007).
After the 1981 Melbourne Test until the 2002 Port of Spain Test, India were inserted in 15 Test matches away and won none (lost 10, drawn 5). However, starting with the 2002 Port of Spain Test, India have won 10 of 24 Tests (lost 11, drawn 3) away when the home captain asked them to bat first, a clear sign of India’s greater will to win away and having a wellrounded attack to do so. Before the 1981 Melbourne Test, India had won one of six away Tests (lost 4, drawn 1) when batting first after losing the toss.
It rarely happens that a visiting captain wins the toss and decides to field first in Tests in India. Of such eight Tests, India won none, drew six and lost two, both defeats coming against Australia: Mumbai 2001 and Kolkata 1969.
With fourth innings batting more challenging in India, even an India captain winning the toss and choosing to field first happens rarely. Out of 142 tosses that India won in home Tests, they chose to field first only 13 times - that is just once in about 11 Tests on an average; winning two games, losing four and drawing 7.
This team’s lack of series wins in New Zealand and South Africa notwithstanding, Kohli’s men have clearly improved their stakes significantly away from home. Of the last nine Tests when India have lost the toss away (regardless of batting first or second), they have won five and drawn two; the two defeats coming only in New Zealand.
With no defeats and three wins (Lord’s, Brisbane and Melbourne) in their last five such Tests, India have posed a greater headache for the opposing captain. If the hosts bat first, they have to negotiate India’s quality pace attack on the first day; and if they field first and don’t outbat India in the first innings, they face a tricky task of chasing a target against India’s double barrage (verbal and cricketing).
PART C
The armed forces and cricket
1932-2019
From: July 31, 2019: The Times of India
See graphic:
The armed forces and cricket, 1932-2019
Bowlers for India
2011 World Cup and after
The Times of India, Oct 30 2015
Rajesh Kumar
PACERS
ODIs
Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Stuart Binny, Praveen Kumar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Varun Aaron, Munaf Patel, Ashoke Dinda, Zaheer Khan, Jaydev Unadkat, RP Singh, Abhimanyu Mithun
Tests
Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Stuart Binny, Praveen Kumar, Varun Aaron, Munaf Patel, Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Abhimanyu Mithun, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Pankaj Singh z Laxmipathy Balaji, Parvinder Awana and Sandeep Sharma played in T20Is only
Spinners ODIs
Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Axar Patel, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Rahul Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Virender Sehwag, Ambati Rayudu, Parvez Rasool, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Karn Sharma, Murali Vijay (captured one wicket in two innings), Sachin Tendulkar
Tests
Ravicwhandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Suresh Raina, Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Karn Sharma, M Vijay (captured one wicket in nine innings), Abhimanyu Mukund, Sachin Tendulkar
Captaincy
Split captaincy, worldwide, 1997-2019
July 19, 2019: The Times of India MAJOR COUNTRIES THAT OPTED FOR SPLIT CAPTAINCY
INDIA
• MS Dhoni for ODIS and T20s; Anil Kumble for Tests from Nov 2007 to Oct 2008
• MS Dhoni for ODIS and T20s; Virat Kohli for Tests from Jan 2015 to Jan 2017
ENGLAND
• Adam Holliaoke for ODIs; Alec Stewart for Tests June 1997 to March 1998
• Alastair Cook for ODIS; Andrew Strauss for Tests June 2011 to June 2012
• Eoin Morgan for ODIS; Alastair Cook for Tests Jan 2015 to December 2016
• Eoin Morgan for ODIs; Joe Root for Tests Jan 2017 to present
AUSTRALIA
• Steve Waugh for ODIS; Mark Taylor for Tests from Dec 1997 to Jan 1999
• Ricky Ponting for ODIS; Steve Waugh for Tests from March 2002 to Jan 2004
SOUTH AFRICA
• Graeme Smith for Tests; AB de Villiers for ODIs April 2011 to March 2014
• Hashim Amla for Tests; AB de Villiers for ODIS June 2014 to Jan 2016
Captains and their overseas Test series win
1967-2015
From: Vikrant Gupta, September 14, 2015: India Today
From: From: Vikrant Gupta, September 14, 2015: India Today
See graphics:
The number of Tests it took Indian captains before they got their first overseas series win, 1967-2015
No. of Tests captained, but never won overseas
In SENA countries
1975-2020
From: December 30, 2020: The Times of India
See graphic:
Indian Captains and test wins in SENA countries, 1975-2020
Captains vs. selectors
1970s – 2021: some disagreements
July 7, 2021: The Times of India
NEW DELHI: The breakdown in communication between national selectors, led by chairman Chetan Sharma, and the team management comprising skipper Virat Kohli over Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran's contentious selection, is not the first such instance.
And it is certainly not going to be the last in Indian cricket which is replete with incidents when alpha male captains have locked horns with the wise men of "authoritarian reputation".
It's not a bad time to revisit a few selection conundrums that had gained legendary status over the years.
In the late 1960s till early 70s, Bengal had a wicketkeeper of Parsi origin named Rusi Jeejebhoy, a handsome man born and brought up in Kolkata. He played 46 first-class games and ended with a "horrifying" batting average of 10.46.
Even if one considers that batting wasn't a primary skill for keepers back then, Farokh Engineer was in a different league.
There was a slot for the third wicketkeeper for the historic 1971 tour of West Indies and there was a Duleep Trophy match where East was led by stylish Bihar batsman Ramesh Saxena and Daljit Singh (famous for being BCCI chief curator in later years) was supposed to keep. They were playing a Duleep Trophy game at the Brabourne Stadium sometime in 1970.
"The chairman of selection committee, late Vijay Merchant (an icon of Parsee community) just before the toss summoned Ramesh bhai, a nice gentleman.
"He instructed Ramesh bhai to play Daljeet as a batsman and pick Rusi as a keeper. If someone of Mr Merchant's stature would request, what could have Ramesh bhai done," an old-timer who was part of that match told PTI. Jeejeebhoy's inclusion forced a former India and Mumbai great (his son was also a Test cricketer), known for his sharp sense of humour, to joke: "I only knew about Batliboi (Engineering company), now I am hearing about Jeejeebhoy!"
Jeejeebhoy kept wickets and was selected for his first and last tour of West Indies and when he retired, his highest score was a mere 39 in 46 games. New skipper Ajit Wadekar couldn't have argued with a living legend like Merchant.
Sambaran Banerjee, the only Bengal captain to win Ranji Trophy post independence, is an amazing raconteur. With an elephant's memory, he can just rattle off incidents both from his playing days and during his times as a national selector.
Banerjee recollected how he was literally told that he was going to England in 1979 along with Surinder Khanna, but it was Tamil Nadu's Bharat Reddy (career average of under 18), who eventually got the nod. Coincidentally, then India skipper S Venkataraghavan also hailed from Tamil Nadu.
"We knew Kiri (Syed Kirmani) would be dropped. A day before the team selection, few players came up and said, 'Sambaran we know you are in the squad, we need a treat.
"I must have spent around 400 bucks (quite a sum in those days) to take a few boys out for dinner and next day, the list had Reddy's name. I think he scored 30 odd runs in 4 Tests (38)," one could gauge the hurt in Banerjee's voice as he spoke.
Banerjee claims that while South Zone selector M L Jaisimha and North's Vijay Mehra was in his support, Dattu Phadkar, the East Zone selector, kept quiet and Venkataraghavan apparently got his choice of keeper.
In 1986, Manoj Prabhakar was in the Indian team and before the Leeds Test match, skipper Kapil Dev felt that he wasn't measuring up in the nets (years later it happened with Karun Nair in 2018).
"Jimmy Amarnath was entrusted with the duty to call up Madan Lal, who by then was semi-retired from Tests and playing club cricket in England and ask him to join the team. Prabhakar, till date, hasn't forgotten the snub from Kapil, who could convince selectors that Lal was better than Prabhakar."
But Banerjee's greatest achievement was winning the battle of wits to get Sourav Ganguly in the Indian team for tour of England in 1996. Captain Mohammed Azharuddin was dead against Ganguly's inclusion, and so was then coach Sandeep Patil.
"I got support from Vishy (chairman of selectors Gundappa Viswanath) and Rungta (Central Zone) to get Sourav in as bowling all-rounder. Azhar was seething in rage but the simple 3-2 vote prevailed.
"I remember when Ganguly's name was announced by Vishy at Taj Palace, Delhi, some journalists started hooting but Vishy being the gentleman explained why he got the nod."
During the 1998 Sahara Cup, one of the most hilarious selections happened. The then skipper Azharuddin and the team management wanted Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Jai Prakash (JP) Yadav in the team and convenor of selection committee, late Jyoti Bajpai of UP, conveniently sent his state's Jyoti Prakash (JP) Yadav to Toronto. Jyoti Prakash never got to play a match.
The historic 2001 Australia series was equally dramatic as skipper Ganguly went against the selection committee comprising Madan Lal and Ashok Malhotra, who wanted Sarandeep Singh in the team. Ganguly's choice was a young Harbhajan Singh. The rest is history.
In 2003-04, reporters sitting on the Chinnaswamy turf witnessed skipper Ganguly and then chairman of selectors Syed Kirmani having a long debate over who would be second keeper -- Karnataka's (Kirmani's state) Thilak Naidu or Bengal (Ganguly's state) Deep Dasgupta. The powerful skipper prevailed.
In 2011, Mahendra Singh Dhoni summoned his friend, Rudra Pratap Singh, then holidaying in Miami, to the Test team. RP's first ball went to the keeper on three drops. He never played Test cricket again.
Clearly, Indian cricket has not seen the last of the Abhimanyu Easwaran episode.
Coincidences, superstitions
December 19, 2016 and 2020
December 19, 2020: The Times of India
Indian Test cricket's uncanny coincidence of December 19 TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Updated: Dec 19, 2020, 14:45 IST NEW DELHI: The date December 19 has now gone down in the history books of Indian Test cricket as the day when the team scored their highest and incredibly, their lowest Test totals. Both instances were under Virat Kohli's captaincy. December 19, 2016 and December 19, 2020 India, under the leadership of Virat Kohli, scored 759/7 declared against England in 2016 in the Chennai Test. That is still their highest-ever Test innings total and was registered on December 19, 2016. India batted only once in that match and thrashed England by an innings and 75 runs. Exactly four years later, on December 19, 2020 Team India were skittled out for a paltry 36 by the Aussies in the Day and Night Test in Adelaide. No Indian batsman could get to double digits in their second innings. Mayank Agarwal's 9 was India's highest individual score. This (36) has now become their lowest-ever Test score in an innings, beating their previous lowest score of 42 vs England at Lord's, 46 years ago, in 1974.
India, riding on Karun Nair's magnificent unbeaten triple century (303 off 381 balls) and KL Rahul's 199 off 311 balls, posted a mammoth 759/7 declared against England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai.
India collapsed to their lowest Test score of 36 as a rampaging Australia cruised to an emphatic eight-wicket victory inside two and a half days.
The scores of the Indian batters - 4, 9, 2, 0, 4, 0, 8, 4, 0, 4, and 1 on the scorecard in their second innings will hurt the fans and Indian captain Kohli, who has to leave the tour now on this disappointing note. He will now return to India for the birth of his first child. India will have to go into the remaining three Tests without their key batsman and talismanic captain.
For Australia, the wrecker-in-chief on Saturday was Josh Hazlewood (5-3-8-5). Hazlewood was well supported by Pat Cummins (10.2-4-21-4). The duo showcased fast bowling of the highest quality.
Debutant players
In ODIs
Five in one match
July 24, 2021: The Times of India
The ongoing third ODI between India and Sri Lanka here is only the second instance in history when India handed debuts to five players in a 50-over match. After sealing the three-match series on Tuesday, five rookies aggressive lefthanded batsman Nitish Rana, leggie Rahul Chahar, left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya, off-spinner Kishnappa Gowtham and wicket-keeper Sanju Samson, made their ODI debuts.
Chahar and Samson have already played T20Is for India, but got their ODI caps.
The only time when India had five debutants in an ODI was against Australia in December 1980 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground when spinner Dilip Doshi, Kirti Azad, Roger Binny, Mumbai stylish batsman Sandeep Patil and Tirumalai Srinivasan made their debuts.
Left-handed batsman and wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan and Mumbai’s Suryakumar Yadav had made their ODI debut in the first game at the same venue. PTI
Disciplinary issues
Players sent back from overseas tours, 1936-2019
In 1936, the legendary Lala Amarnath was sent back from the tour of England by the erstwhile captain Maharaja of Vijianagaram or ‘Vizzy’ for alleged insubordination during a firstclass game.
In 1996, Navjot Sidhu left the tour of England on his own after a heated exchange with skipper Azharuddin before a practice game. He left without informing anyone, paving the way for roommate — Sourav Ganguly — to make his Test debut at Lord’s and score a century on debut. PTI
2019: While there has been a history of disciplinary issues on tours, the Pandya-Rahul issue is the first time that the BCCI has acted and called back errant players. Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul being sent back from an overseas tour is only the second such instance in 82 years in Indian cricket. [Pandya made boastful comments about his sex life, while Rahul listened on, on the TV show Coffee with Karan ]
Draws
1948, 1969, 1971, 1979: Draws caused by rain or bad light:
Avijit Ghosh, November 21, 2017: The Times of India
Test cricket involving India has witnessed many tight finishes. Some of them were natural outcomes of the way the games unfolded. A few happened due to the elements. Back in 1948, one dramatic finish took place due to an umpiring gaffe. Here’s our top four...
1979: Eden Garden, Kolkata: Against West Indies: Alvin Kallicharan’s team held on in fading light to force an unlikely draw. The visitors were chasing 335. By the time the last overs were bowled, the street lights had come on. Bastman Sew Shivnarine was the WI hero scoring a dogged 36*. Scores: India 300 and 361 for 1. West Indies: 327 and 197 for 9
1971: Lords, London: Against England: Needing 183 to force an improbable win, Ajit Wadelkar’s India were 145 for 8 at tea – 38 short of win. Eknath Solkar (6) and Bishan Singh Bedi (2) were at the crease. But the score stayed that way as rain intervened. Scores: England 304 and 191. India 313 and 145 for eight
1969: Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad: Against New Zealand: India escaped with a draw due to an unsavory combination of riot, rain and allegedly biased administration. Time was lost due to a riot in the stadium when a spectator, who had rushed to the field, was roughed up by the men in uniform. Later, India were down in the dumps at 76 for 7 when rain stopped play. It is said, efforts to resume play were painfully slow. Scores: New Zealand: 175 and 181 for 8. India: 89 and 76 for 7
1948: Brabourne Stadium, Bombay: Against West Indies: Chasing their first ever Test victory, India needed just six runs to reach the imposing target of 361 with two wickets left. Led by Lala Amarnath, hosts had lost their eighth wicket at 321 but Dattu Phadkar (37 not out) and Ghulam Ahmed (nine not out) had dramatically taken the hosts to 355 when umpire Bapu Joshi declared the end of play. Incredibly, Joshi had ended the game with two minutes left when another over could have been bowled. Scores: West Indies 286 and 267. India: 193 and 355 for eight (Vijay Hazare 122)
Impact Index
India’s greatest
Numbers appear cold, perhaps even limited, yet they seem definite. But if you delve a little deeper, numbers tell you stories that you didn't know existed. Impact Index, a cricket analytics system created by Jaideep Varma in 2009, is based on a very simple idea -of accounting for every cricket performance first within the context of its match. And after that, the series or tournament the match is from. The quality of a batsman's performance, for instance, is measured on a variety of parameters: Pressure Impact, Partnership Building Impact, Runs Tally Impact, Strike Rate Impact, New Ball Impact, Chasing Impact, Batting Impact, Failure Rate (Batting), Series Defining Performance etc. The new methodology has thrown up a bunch of startling facts that's likely to stir a passionate debate in cricket-crazy India.
Dravid is India's highest impact Test batsman
No Indian batsman has produced more high impact performances in critical circumstances (in a series context) than Dravid. In fact, in all Test cricket, only Inzamam-ul-Haq has as many series-defining (SDs) performances as him (eight).Between 2001 and 2006, Dravid was the second highest impact batsman in the world after Inzamam-ulHaq. In that period, India made considerable strides in world cricket (including notable overseas wins), and it is uncanny how Dravid played the leading role every single time in those landmark wins.
He also has the second highest batting consistency in Indian Test history after Sunil Gavaskar. He has the highest Runs Tally Impact (proportion of runs made in every match relative to the match standard, with a higher value on `tough runs') and Partnership Building Impact (self-explanatory) in Indian cricket history . And the fourth highest Pressure Impact (of falling wickets) after Gundappa Viswanath, Chandu Borde and V V S Laxman. Interestingly, he even has the fourth highest New Ball Impact (ability to see off the new ball). There are only three batsmen ahead of him, all openers: Gavaskar, Gautam Gambhir and Navjot Sidhu. This is an indication of what a reliable No. 3 batsman he was. Combine all that with his longevity (163 Tests in 16 years, second only to Tendulkar), and his place cannot be disputed.
No Test batsman in history absorbed more pressure than Pataudi
The conventional view on Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi (or Nawab of Pataudi Jr) is that he was one of India's greatest captains and an unorthodox, fearless player who gave India a sense of belief. And that he was a very good batsman who would have touched greatness if he had not lost one eye in an accident six months before his Test debut. All of this is true.But he was more than this -in deed, not just in potential.
In the history of Test cricket (minimum 40 Tests), no batsman in the world has absorbed more pressure (of falling wickets) in his career than MAK Pataudi. Those immediately below him include Peter May , Andy Flower, Angelo Mathews, Kane Williamson, Brian Lara, Warwick Armstrong, Younis Khan and Clem Hill (Williamson and Younis have ongoing careers, of course). Perhaps, more than anything else, this demonstrates Pataudi's greatness. Losing one eye was not his only cricketing tragedy -he was also not part of a world-beating side. It would be entirely human to not be fully motivated in such circumstances but it did not stop him from repeatedly playing at his best when his team needed it the most.
His batting average of 35 in 46 Tests (between 1961 and 1975) does not suggest that he was a world beater. However, in the five years when he was at his peak (196468), he averaged 56 in Australia (in three Tests), 45 in England (three Tests) and 43 overall in 25 Tests. Even this does not tell the real story, given how little success Indian teams had in those days, especially overseas, and how many players scored more runs and averaged more than him in world cricket.
Pataudi scored tough runs, more than anybody else in the world in that period. In fact, he was the second highest impact batsman in the world in this period (minimum 20 Tests), after Garry Sobers, partly because of his extremely high Pressure Impact. He also had one seriesdefining performance (vs Australia, October 1964) to his credit at a time when India hardly won any series.
India's most under-rated batsman in Tests & ODIs: Sidhu
Navjot Sidhu as a higher im pact Test batsman than Sehwag and Azharuddin, despite averaging just 42.13 with the bat and registering only 9 tons, will raise eyebrows. But when one analyses the significance and timing of his contributions, Sidhu emerges as the fifth highest-impact batsman in India's Test cricket history, after Dravid, Tendulkar, G av a s k a r a n d Viswanath (minimum 50 Tests). Despite a relatively high failure rate, Sidhu's high New Ball Impact and Partnership Build ing Impact suggest his effectiveness as an opener.
But the big reason for his high impact are those two seriesdefining performances he registered in just 51 Tests. In India's only Test match win (also series win) outside its own shores in the 1990s against Sri Lanka (1993), Sidhu was India's highest impact batsman (with 82 and 104). Then against Australia in the famous momentum-changing Chennai Test of 1998, Sidhu was India's second highest-impact batsman (with 62 and 64) and in the second innings, with India still in the arrears, he began a famous assault of Shane Warne (which Tendulkar continued spectacularly with his classic unbeaten 155). India came back from behind to win this match and later, the series.The frequency at which he produced a series-defining performance is the main reason why he is higher impact than Virender Sehwag -the latter had three SDs in 104 Tests compared to Sidhu's two in 51.
Also, Sidhu scored a higher proportion of runs in the matches he batted (Runs Tally Impact) than Azharuddin, and thus is of marginally higher impact than him with the bat. Interestingly, Sidhu's longevity is not as low as his tally of 51 Tests suggests, because his Test career actually lasted 16 years.
Jersey
Byju’s replaces Oppo
K Shriniwas Rao, July 25, 2019: The Times of India
Byju's to replace Oppo on Team India jersey
MUMBAI: Come September, there will be a new brand name on Team India jerseys. Chinese mobile-maker Oppo, which had made a winning bid of about Rs 1,079 crore for the jersey rights in March 2017 for a period of five years, will make way for Byju's, the Bangalore-based educational technology and online tutoring firm.
Sources in the know told TOI that Oppo has decided to exit the space and reallocate the rights to Byju's because it now finds the value at which it acquired the rights in 2017 to be "extremely high" and "unsustainable".
The development took place around two weeks ago and Oppo will be seen on the Team India jersey only till the end of the forthcoming West Indies series. Once South Africa's tour of India in September commences, Byju's will take over the jersey. According to sources, "work is already in progress" on that front.
BCCI will continue to receive the same amount from Byju's and technically will be at no loss for the entire duration of the deal, which runs up to March 31, 2022, said a BCCI source.
"Basically, what Oppo has done is cut its losses. They've reassigned the rights to Byju's. They will pay Byju's a minor amount to help make the full payment while Byju's will pay BCCI. The board will continue to get what is due to it," sources said.
Byju's, founded by Kerala-based entrepreneur Byju Ravindran, is valued at around Rs 38,000 crore after its latest tranche of funding concluded recently. It is being seen as "just the right kind of player to enter this space", said industry sources.
Think & Learn Pvt Ltd - Byju's parent company - had received seed funding in 2013 to get started. As of the present financial year, it is learnt to have secured funding in excess of $750 million from global investors, including the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative.
"They've been looking for branding exercises of this volume and it's (Team India jersey rights) is just the kind of space they wanted to get into. At the moment they fit absolutely well here," said sources.
Oppo's winning bid in 2017 worked out to Rs 4.6 crore per bilateral match and Rs 1.56 crore per ICC or Asia Cup match. This was a massive increase from what previous rights holders Star India Pvt Ltd had been paying the BCCI.
In the previous deal, Star had paid the BCCI Rs 1.92 crore per bilateral and Rs 61 lakh per ICC and Asia Cup game. Star India chairman and CEO Uday Shankar had then told TOI in an exclusive interview that "given the uncertainty surrounding Indian cricket and the lack of consensual leadership in the game's administration", his company would not bid for the rights once again.
Incidentally, when Oppo replaced Star in 2017 with the winning bid, its own sister concern Vivo (they're both owned by Chinese corporate BBK Electronics)came up with the second highest bid of around Rs 750 crore. Vivo also holds the IPL title rights.
Pitches
Substandard pitches in India: history
Mar 01 2017, The Times of India
With the Pune pitch being rated as poor by the ICC, TOI looks at other instances when other pitches in India were of substandard quality
INDIA VS SRI LANKA, DEC 25, 1997, INDORE
The second match of the India vs Sri Lanka series saw a bone-dry and chocolate brown surface greet both teams. India instructed the curator Narendra Menon to roll out another pitch. Sri Lanka skipper Arjuna Ranatunga had none of it and complained to match referee Justice Ebrahim that the pitch was being changed without informing him.Ebrahim ordered India to play on the original strip.Javagal Srinath's first ball exploded through the surface. The same over saw wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia collect a delivery over his head and one near the ankle.Srinath's second over saw more of the same and even injured No.3 batsman Roshan Mahanama. The umpires said enough is enough and the match was called off.Both teams played out an exhibition match which didn't see any pacers bowl.Sri Lanka won the 25-oversa-side match by two runs.
INDIA VS AUSTRALIA, 2004, MUMBAI
With the series lost, India were looking to salvage pride, but even they would not have bargained for a sand-paper type of pitch which saw 40 wickets fall in just over two days. India were bowled out for 104 and the Aussies responded with 201. Day Three saw both teams lose all their wickets.India got to 205 with 50s from Tendulkar (55) and VVS Laxman (69). A bizzare spell of play though saw India collapse from 182 for 4 with Michael Clarke taking 6-9 in 6.2 overs. Australia, chasing 107 for victory were bowled out for 93. Murali Kartik was the man of the match for his 3-32 despite Harbhajan Singh's five-for. The Aussies left generous traces of saliva on the pitch before leaving for home.
INDIA VS SOUTH AFRICA 2008, KANPUR
After being blown away by the South African seamers in the second Test in Ahmedabad on a sporting wicket, MS Dhoni replaced an injured Anil Kumble as captain. He got a tailor-made wicket for his captaincy debut. South got 265, India scored 325. The hosts opened the bowling with Harbhajan Singh in the second innings and he took four wickets and Virender Sehwag took three as South Africa were bundled out for 121. Chasing 62 for victory, India won by eight wickets.
INDIA VS SRI LANKA, DEC 27, 2009, KOTLA
The fifth ODI between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned because the pitch was reckoned to be too dangerous after just 23.3 overs. Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillkaratne Dilshan were struck numerous blows on the body as the ball reared off a surface which had uneven grass covering and had numerous bald and dry patches as debutant pacer Sudeep Tyagi briefly metamorphosed into a combination of Marshall and Ambrose. The ICC match referee Alan Hurst deemed the pitch to be very poor.
INDIA VS SOUTH AFRICA, NAGPUR, 2015
If one were to be kind to the pitch at the VCA for the third Test between India and South Africa, one can call it a dustbowl. India managed to win inside three days and with it they won the series, but no one remembers that triumph as Kohli's men won on a joke of a surface. 33 wickets of the 40 fell to spinners. In the first innings, South Africa were 12 for 5 before being all out for 79. No batsman reached 50 in all the four innings. The ICC promptly dismissed the surface as poor.
Referees
Lakshmi first woman referee in men’s one-dayers
Former India cricketer GS Lakshmi is set to become the first woman match referee to oversee a men’s ODI when she officiates the opening match of the third series of the World Cup League 2 in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. Lakshmi will oversee the match between the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The competition aims to provide development opportunities for officials. This is the second significant achievement for Lakshmi this year, following her appointment as the first woman onto the ICC International Panel of Match Referees in May.
The 51-year old, who first officiated as a match referee in domestic women’s cricket matches in 2008-09, has now overseen three women’s ODI matches, 16 men’s T20 Internationals and seven women’s T20 Internationals. “It feels great, having anything assigned first to your name gives me a sense of pride. This being a big ICC event (ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2) it feels great to be officiating at this level,” Lakshmi said in an ICC media release. Speaking of how she first got into cricket and her time as a player, Lakshmi recounted how cricket secured her place at college. PTI
Spinners trouble India
The Times of India, November 6, 2015
Dean Elgar is not the only unknown
Dean Elgar is not the only unknown spinner to trouble India. There are other unassuming tweakers in the list:
KEN BARRINGTON, OLD TRAFFORD 1969
In reply to England's 490, India crashed to 208 with Barrington dismissing Chandu Borde, Bapu Nadkarni and Ramakant Desai. In the 2nd innings , he dismissed Polly Umrigar for 118 and Surendranath.England won by 171 runs.
MARK BURGESS, NAGPUR 1969
Burgess, a top-order batsman for New Zealand contributed to his team's 167-run win at Nagpur in 1969 their first ever over India. After top-scoring with 89, Burgess, who had only one wicket in nine Tests dismissed Wadekar, Venkataraghavan and Pataudi in eight overs.
GRAHAM HICK, KOLKATA 1993
India were well placed at 3465 with skipper Mohd Azharuddin looked set to get to his first double ton. But Hick, with his gentle off-spin dismissed Kapil Dev, Azharuddin for 182 and Venkatapathy Raju to trigger a collapse.
MICHAEL CLARKE, MUMBAI 2004
In the final match of the 2004 series in India, it was Clarke the bowler that sizzled. On a Wankhede minefield, Clarke stunned India in their second innings: 38 balls, six wickets for nine runs. No Aussie has claimed six wickets for fewer runs.
SHAUN UDAL, MUMBAI 2006
Aged 36, the Hampshire offie found a spot in the XI for the deciding Test in Mumbai, with India leading 1-0. Udal took 4-14 in 9.2 overs as India were bowled out for 100. It was his last game.
JASON KREJZA
The Tasmanian achieved the second best figures by an Australian on Test debut. However, he also conceded more runs than anyone in their maiden Test appearance. His debut inning figures of 8-215 and match haul of 12-358, troubled India.
Test matches that made history
India's 10 Greatest Tests
From The Times of India: see graphics on this page.
The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India
Memorable test matches India vs. England 2008; Some of India’s famous series victories. The Times of India
B
Dwaipayan Datta, December 30, 2020: The Times of India
The Oval, London 1971 vs England (Capt Ajit Wadekar): India hadn’t won a Test in England before that and they conceded a 71-run firstinnings lead. Leggie BS Chandrasekhar’s magical 6-38 in the second innings set up one of India’s most iconic Test wins and a series win in England.
Brief scores: England 355 & 101 (Chandrasekhar 6-38). India 284 and 174-6 (Wadekar 45, Sardesai 40, Viswanath 33). India won by 4 wkts.
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, 1976 vs West Indies (Capt BS Bedi): A 406-run chase in the fourth innings was a world record which stood for 27 years. Gavaskar (102), Amarnath (85) and Viswanath (112) were the architects of the win. Such was the impact that West Indies captain Lloyd lost faith in his spin bowlers.
Brief scores: WI 359 & 271/6 decl. India 228 & 406/4 (Gavaskar 102, Amarnath 85, Viswanath 112). India won by 6 wkts
MCG vs Australia. 1981 (Capt Sunil Gavaskar): Dennis Lillee & Co were all over India in the series and Gavaskar was so angry after being wrongly given out leg-before off Lillee and consequently abused by the Aussies that he staged a walkout. Better sense prevailed and India continued. An injured Kapil Dev (5-28) bowled an inspired spell to bundle out the Aussies for 83 in the second innings as they chased 142 for victory. Viswanath’s 114 in the first innings was also crucial.
Brief scores: India 237 (GR Viswanath 114; D Lillee 4/65) & 324 (C Chauhan 85; Gavaskar 70; D Lillee 4/104). Australia 419 (A Border 124) & 83 (Kapil 5/28). India won by 59 runs.
Kolkata 2001, vs Australia (Capt Sourav Ganguly): India had lost the first Test in the series against the ‘invincible’ Aussies and were made to follow on. VVS Laxman’s 281 and Rahul Dravid’s 180 during their 376-run fifth-wicket partnership set up the 171-run win, Harbhajan Singh taking the first hat-trick by an Indian in Tests and 13 wickets in the process. The win was a gamechanger for Indian cricket.
Brief scores: Australia 445 (Harbhajan 7-123) & 212 (Harbhajan 6-73). India 171 & 657/7 (Laxman 281, Dravid 180). India won by 171 runs
VS AUSTRALIA, ADELAIDE 2003
Indian Summer Over screamed headlines in the Aussie press after Australia totalled 556 thanks to a Ricky Ponting double hundred. At 85 for 4, things looked dire. India though had protagonists at the crease who had scripted the miracle at Eden not too long ago. Rahul Dravid (233) and VVS Laxman (148) got India to 523 all out. Ajit Agarkar then bagged 6-41 to limit the Aussie second innings to 196. Chasing 230, Dravid anchored the chase with 72 not out.
Perth 2008 vs Australia (Capt Anil Kumble): Coming right after the Monkeygate scandal and a shattering loss in the Sydney Test, the first-ever WACA win was a huge morale-booster for India. There were a lot of highlights. But young Ishant Sharma’s spell in Australia’s second innings when he removed Ricky Ponting after tormenting him for half an hour was right up there.
Brief scores: India 330 (Dravid 93) & 294 (Laxman 79). Australia 212 (Symonds 66; RP Singh 4/68) & 340 (Clarke 81). India won by 72 runs.
When India batted second but still won
1986- 2020
Amit Karmakar, December 30, 2020: The Times of India
This article was written after India’s victory over Australia at the MCG in Dec 2020
A RARE AWAY WIN WITHOUT BATTING FIRST
Winning an away Test match in SENA (SA, Eng, NZ and Aus) countries is no more a rarity in Indian cricket. But India doing it at the MCG without batting first is indeed rare. TOI takes a look…
• This is only the sixth Test win for India batting second away from home in challenging conditions (not counting Zimbabwe, Lanka and West Indies) since 1986. And first in 11 years and nine months. • The last time they fulfilled the above condition was in Hamilton in March 2009. Since 1986, they have won batting second on the following occasions: Lord’s 1986, Adelaide, Rawalpindi (both 2003-04), Nottingham 2007 and Hamilton 2008-09. This is, of course, irrespective of which team won the toss.
• From Hamilton 2008-09 till Adelaide 2020, India batted second against the opposition away from home 18 times, drawing 4 and losing 14 Tests.
• The current feat is also notable because in the preceding four Test wins batting second (before April 2009), India had posted huge scores: 523 (Australia), 600 (Pakistan), 481 (England) and 520 (New Zealand). The last three were instances of outbatting the opponent and more or less ensuring success after the completion of the first innings.
• India had also enjoyed the toss going their way in Rawalpindi, Nottingham and Hamilton where they inserted the hosts in. • However, India neither won the toss at MCG nor put up a huge total in the first innings. In fact, the 326 runs that they put on is their lowest first-innings total in a winning cause in these countries (SENA plus Pak).
• The next task is to win away from home in challenging conditions against quality opponents despite losing the toss and batting first! In 11 such Tests in the last 11 years, India have won 3, lost 7 and drawn 1. For this to happen, Australia have to win the toss and field first. They have always chosen to bat first in the last seven years at home.
Test venues
How India’s test venue policy evolved
Pratik Bandyopadhyay, Oct 23, 2019: The Times of India
HOW INDIA’S TEST VENUE POLICY HAS EVOLVED…
Till 1990s: There was no prescribed policy for Test match allocation in India. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru hosted a majority of the Test matches, but centres like Jalandhar and Cuttack were also awarded Tests.
On the lines of Boxing Day Test at the MCG in Australia, there was briefly a practice of having a New Year’s Test in Kolkata and a Test during Pongal in Chennai, but was discontinued due to an overcrowded calendar.
Early 2000s: The then BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya introduced a system where Tests would only be distributed among 10 designated centres. Apart from the traditional centres, Ahmedabad, Mohali, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Kanpur were allocated Tests on a fairly regular basis.
Since 2016: There has been a notable shift with Tests in India having been taken to many new venues including Indore, Rajkot, Ranchi, Dharamsala.
Totals
500+ conceded by India: 2012- 2014
Unruly spectators
1967-2015
The Times of India, October 7, 2015
Major incidents of crowd trouble in the past in India
1967 : India vs West Indies, 2nd Test at Eden Gardens, Kolkata: Organizers had sold more tickets than there were seats. The ensuing chaos resulted in the crowd resorting to vandalism on Day Two of the Test. Assurances to players from officials finally saw the visitors win by an innings and 45 runs. A day's play was lost.
1984-85 : India vs England, 3rd Test at Eden Gardens, Kolkata On the third day, the crowd -already angry to see Kapil Dev sitting out -got infuriated with captain Sunil Gavaskar for delaying the declaration. They pelted fruits and garbage. The match ended in a draw.
1996 : World Cup semifinal at Eden Gardens, Kolkata Frustrated over India's poor batting, the crowd burnt stands, threw bottles and garbage and forced organizers to abandon the match when India were 120-8 chasing 252. The game was awarded to Sri Lanka.
1996 : India vs Australia, Titan Cup league match in Bangalore All hell broke loose when Azharuddin fell to a dubious decision while India were chasing 216. Plastic bottles were thrown, forcing the game to be held up for a little over 15 minutes. India won a thrilling game by two wickets.
1999 : India vs Pakistan, Asian Test championship, Kolkata Sachin Tendulkar collided with Shoaib Akhtar while taking a single and was ruled run out. Angry spectators disrupted the game, which subsequently restarted. But next day, organizers were forced to evacuate the unrelenting crowd.Players completed proceedings in an empty stadium.
2002 : India vs West Indies, third ODI in Rajkot India were 200 for 1 in 27.1 overs in reply to West Indies' 300 when the crowd started throwing water bottles and sandbags at visiting players. Play was abandoned.
2015 : Second T20I, India vs SA at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack India's poor batting angered a section of the crowd and the game was halted twice. A section of the stands had to be emptied.
SCG, Sydney
1980- 2020
Amit Karmarkar, January 5, 2021: The Times of India
Sydney is considered the most friendly Test venue for India in Australia. By the time the tourists move there, they are well settled and acclimatized to conditions Down Under. The New South Wales capital has a sizeable Indian population and the pitch is not that challenging for the Indian batsmen: it’s on the lower and slower side and offers turn.
Still, India have lost five Tests and won just one in 12 attempts at the SCG, that too way back against Bob Simpson’s team, which was weakened by the Packer breakaway.
Of course, the Test on the last tour was a pivotal moment for Indian cricket. Although play was lost due to rain, they sealed India’s first-ever series win in Australia.
THE WIPEOUTS
India have suffered three humiliating defeats at the SCG. The first of those came against Greg Chappell’s team in 1980-81. The second came in 1999-2000, which realized the then BCCI secretary’s prediction of India losing 0-3. And the third came in 2011-12 when Oz mounted 659/4 declared with Michael Clarke scoring 329 and Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey getting tons. Four Indian bowlers conceded more than 120-plus runs and Sehwag and Virat Kohli had to bowl more than 30 overs combined.
Current context: Who will bat big for Australia this time? With David Warner back and Smith hungry, India can’t afford to relax.
THE GHOSTS OF MONKEYGATE
Some skewed decisions by the umpires resulted in the Monkeygate scandal. Andrew Symonds was allowed to score a hundred in the first innings after the hosts were reeling at 134-6. India needed to bat for more than 70 overs to save the Test but Dravid and Ganguly were given out wrongly. Captain Kumble famously said, “Only one team was playing in the spirit of the game”.
Opposing captain Ricky Ponting, who claimed a grounded catch, emulated the Steve Waugh-led team’s feat of winning 16 Tests in a row. But history repeated on both counts, like in Kolkata 2001, as India won the next Test in Perth. Numerous other controversies also plagued the Aussies down the years, like Steve Smith’s ‘brainfade’ while using the DRS and then the ball-tampering scandal in SA.
Current context: When cornered, India are dangerous. But can they continue the good run for the second Test in a row?
THE STORY OF FOLLOW-ONS
India have given Australia followons thrice at SCG. The first came in 1985-86 (captains Kapil Dev and Allan Border). But Australia batted for a combined 255 overs and the game was drawn despite 425 overs of play. The third instance came in 2018-19. But the one in between (2003-04) was the most interesting.
On a batting beauty, India chose to bat on for 187 overs, well into the third day, and still didn’t enforce the follow on. Sourav Ganguly was a smart captain but couldn’t do better than ensuring that India wouldn’t lose. The delayed declaration (Australia were given the target of 443 runs in about 95 overs) probably denied India their most deserving away series win.
Current context: Who can show control like Tendulkar at the SCG in 2003-04? He didn’t score a single boundary on the off side during his unbeaten 241.
STARS ARE BORN HERE
Ravi Shastri can boast of a double hundred as an opener in Australia (1991-92), but Sachin Tendulkar’s unbeaten 148, his second Test ton and first in Australia, was majestic. India were unlucky in this match because the rain robbed almost 90 overs of play. About 23 years later, the SCG Test saw the transformation of a very good batsman into a modern batting great. Taking over the captaincy from Michael Clarke in the second Test, Steve Smith hammered 769 runs in a series with hundred in each of the four Tests. It culminated at Sydney with a 117 and 71 in a Man-of-the-Match performance in a drawn Test.
Current context: Will Shubman Gill raise his game to the next level?
SCG DOSSIER
0 Wickets taken by Shane Warne in the 1999-2000 Test, which Australia won by an innings and 141 runs despite VVS Laxman’s 167 in the second innings.
13 Don Bradman’s score during India’s first ever Test at SCG in 1947-48. The hosts were all out for 107 in a Test marred by rain.
Venues abroad and Indian teams
MCG, Melbourne
1948-2020
From: December 30, 2020: The Times of India
See graphic:
Indian performance at the MCG Melbourne and other away venues, 1948-2020
PART D: The law/ court judgements
Income tax on Cricket bodies
HC, 2019: charitable work, hence no income tax
Cricket bodies doing charitable work, not liable to pay income tax, says Gujarat HC
Playing cricket may be a money-spinning business, but organizing cricket matches is still a charitable activity, ruled the Gujarat High Court while upholding the exemption from paying income tax granted to Gujarat’s cricket associations. The issue arose with television rights of international matches and the IPL matches through which the BCCI started earning huge sums of money. The board used to pass on certain amount of this to the state cricket associations. The income tax department treated the funds given by the BCCI to these associations — Gujarat Cricket Association, Baroda Cricket Association and Saurashtra Cricket Association — as their income and concluded that this activity did not fall in the definition of charitable work.
See also
Cricket, India: A history
Cricket, India: A history (2016) and other individual years
Cricket, India: A history (2017)
Cricket, India: A history (2018)
