Profligate middle age - 1990
Few, however, could have bargained for what was instore
Partab Ramchand
08-Sep-2002
By the start of the 1990 season, England were fast losing ground
in international cricket, particularly on their woeful record at
home. In successive summers since 1986, England had lost to
India, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies and Australia. And even
though they narrowly defeated New Zealand in the first half of
the 1990 summer, the series against India in the drier second
half, had all the makings of a close contest.
The Indians, in the process of rebuilding under a new captain in
Mohammad Azharuddin, had a number of exciting new players,
including 17-year-old Sachin Tendulkar and 19-year-old Anil
Kumble and this was nicely balanced by the experience of the
captain, Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, Navjot Sidhu,
Manoj Prabhakar and Kiran More.
Few, however, could have bargained for what was in store. By the
end of the three-Test series, the contest was being hailed in
glowing terms by Wisden: "The theatrical impresarios of
London's West End would have been proud to have put on a
spectacle like this. The patrons went away delighted by what they
had seen. The show was a winner."
The batting in the series was spectacular. Centuries, a near
double century, and even a triple century, flowed in a season
that was marked by excellent weather. In the dry conditions, the
Indians matched the home team in every department. Not for the
first time, though, the tourists lost the series through one
batting collapse - in the second innings of the first Test at
Lord's. But even in defeat, the Indians shone and in the
remaining two Tests, their batting was as sparkling as England's.
The bowling, however, was another matter but then England's was
little better. Under the circumstances, the batting provided the
glorious aspect of the rubber and for the spectators there was
much to savour.
The feast started early. By the second day of the series, the
England captain Graham Gooch had made 333 in the first innings,
the first triple hundred in Test cricket since 1974. For good
measure, Gooch in the midst of his annus mirabilis,
scored 123 in the second innings. The total of 456 was the most
any batsman had made in a Test. Allan Lamb and Robin Smith too
got hundreds in the first innings when England declared at 653
for four.
On the face of it, India would have been hard pressed to reply
with anything substantial. But the visitors did, thanks to Ravi
Shastri's 100 and Azharuddin's 121, during which he exhibited
oriental artistry at its best. Audacious, wristy strokeplay got
him to three figures off only 88 balls. But the most dramatic
entertainment was yet to come. Despite these heroics, India were
430 for nine, still needing 24 runs to avoid the follow on in the
pre-lunch session on the fourth day.
Narendra Hirwani joined Kapil Dev and survived the last ball of
Angus Fraser's over. Kapil faced Eddie Hemmings and Wisden
records the sequence of events that followed: "Kapil played the
first two balls of the following over of Hemmings defensively,
then ripped into the next four and drove each one for six. Three
of them were enormous, clattering the scaffolding, one was simply
big; all were magnificent. With the very next delivery Fraser had
Hirwani leg before." Kapil who went from 53 to 77 during this
purple phase became the first to hit four successive sixes in a
Test.
After such heroics, it does seem unbelievable that India lost the
match by 247 runs but credit must be given to Fraser, who with a
match haul of eight wickets, in rather trying circumstances, was
almost as much a hero as Gooch.
More spectacular batting followed in the second Test at
Manchester. Gooch got a third successive three-figure knock,
shared an opening partnership of 225 with Michael Atherton (131)
while Smith got his second century in as many Tests.
England led off with 519 but again India made a fitting reply.
Sanjay Manjrekar got 93 and Tendulkar 68 but it was Azharuddin
who again provided the razzle dazzle with a superb 179 with 21
fours and a six. Between lunch and tea on the third day, he
scored 100 runs, in the process becoming the first Indian to
score as many in a single session in a Test.
India's reply was a fitting 432 but Lamb now got his second
successive hundred in Tests and England declared early on the
final morning at 320 for four. A victory target of 408 was never
really on the cards though a draw was. But India faced defeat
when they were 183 for six. There were 2-1/2 hours left as
Prabhakar joined Tendulkar. However, Indian supporters need not
have worried. For the little man and the gritty all-rounder, some
ten years his senior, figured in an unbroken seventh wicket
partnership of 160 runs to take India to a honourable draw.
Wisden records: "Tendulkar remained undefeated on 119
having batted for 224 minutes and hit 17 fours. He looked the
embodiment of India's famous opener Gavaskar and indeed was
wearing a pair of his pads. While he displayed a full repertoire
of strokes in compiling his maiden Test hundred, most remarkable
were his off-side shots from the back foot. Of the six centuries
scored in the fascinating contest, none was more outstanding than
Tendulkar's. At 17 years and 112 days, he was only 30 days older
than Mushtaq Mohammed was, when against India at New Delhi in
1960-61, he became the youngest player to score a Test hundred.
Tendulkar held the attack at bay with a disciplined display of
immense maturity."
In the final Test at the Oval, it was India's turn to put some
pressure on England. Batting first, India piled up their highestever total against England 606 for nine declared. Shastri led
the way with 187, Azharuddin this time was restricted to 78 but
Kapil came up with 110 at No 8.
England's reply of 340 was not enough to avoid the follow on but
in the second innings, in conditions that remained ideal for
batting even on the last day of the series, they scored 477 for
four. Gooch with scores of 85 and 88 took his tally to 752 an
easy record for a three-Test series. Atherton got 86 and David
Gower remained unbeaten with 157. The bat's dominance over the
ball was complete but no one was complaining.
As only to be expected, the Indian batting figures made for eyepopping reading while the bowling figures had to be gone through
with a great deal of sympathy. Azharuddin, who was named as one
of Wisden's cricketers of the year, topped the Test averages with
426 runs at 85.20 and Shastri, Tendulkar, Kapil Dev and Manjrekar
were not far behind. On the tour, Azharuddin again headed the
averages (770 runs at 77.00) but it was Tendulkar who scored most
runs (945) and not far behind was Manjrekar with 814.
This time Vengsarkar's scores in the Lord's Test were restricted
to 52 and 35 but the veteran did reasonably well with 158 in the
Tests and 576 runs in first class games. In bowling, Hirwani took
most wickets both in Tests and on the tour but like all the
bowlers, had to pay out heavily for them.
Outside the Tests, the Indians did have a fairly successful tour,
winning both the Texaco Trophy one-day games and finishing with a
record of one win, two losses and 10 draws in 13 matches. But the
entertainment they provided in the Tests was all pervading.