Discussion on 37 year old video during rain in Bengaluru Test…

Rajiv Mishra. The first match of the three-match Test series between India and New Zealand is being played in Bengaluru. This is the same ground where 37 years ago such an innings was played, watching the video of which even legends like Virat and Rohit get filled with enthusiasm. The batting is such that you will be forced to bite your teeth. An inning played by Sunil Gavaskar in 1987 is still seen as a master class.

In the 70-80s, when fast bowlers used to dominate. In 1987, a test match was played where the speed of the ball was not discussed but the edge of spin was in the headlines. Before the Bangalore Test, Sunil Gavaskar was considered the greatest batsman against fast bowling, but the way Little Master batted on the rotating pitch of Chinnaswamy, he/she was considered an all-round batsman.

The Pakistan cricket team’s tour of India in 1987 was one of the most talked about Test series between the two countries. The first four Test matches were drawn and when the teams reached the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for the fifth Test, it was widely expected that this too would be a draw. Pakistan batted first and the team collapsed for 116 runs. Chinnaswamy’s wicket turned out to be a complete turner. Pakistan collapsed in front of the spinning balls of Maninder Singh. Maninder took 7 wickets for 27 runs.

It took him/her only 19 overs to dismiss the Pakistani batting line-up. When India batted, two Pakistani spinners Iqbal Qasim and Tausif Ahmed destroyed India as well. The Indian team was all out for 145 runs. In its second innings, Pakistan batted better and took the team to a respectable score.

By the time Sunil Gavaskar started batting in his/her second innings, the wicket of Chinnaswamy Stadium was no longer playable. Pakistani spinners Tausif Ahmed and Iqbal Qasim were training the ball square. What was worse was that the wicket also had tremendous bounce. One of Tausif’s balls rose so high that Gavaskar had to leave it as if it was a bouncer from a fast bowler.

After this, Gavaskar hit an excellent on-drive but the spectators got to see a cloud of dust on the wicket after playing his/her shot. The great Pakistani commentator Chishti Mujahid commented that there was probably no other batsman in the world who could play that stroke better on unfavorable wickets. By then every ball had become a potential wicket-taker, but it was not so for Gavaskar.

Amazing innings by Gavaskar in the second innings

By the time Sunil started his/her second innings, the wicket of Chinnaswamy Stadium was no longer playable. Pakistani spinners Tausif Ahmed and Iqbal Qasim were turning the ball squarely. What was worse was that the wicket also had tremendous bounce. One of Tausif’s balls rose so high that Gavaskar had to leave it as if it was a bouncer from a fast bowler.

On another occasion, Gavaskar hit a brilliant on-drive, but we the spectators got to see a cloud of dust on the wicket after he/she played his/her shot. The great Pakistani commentator Chishti Mujahid commented that there was probably no other batsman in the world who could play that stroke better on unfavorable wickets. By then every ball had become a potential wicket-taker, but it was not so for Gavaskar.

Pakistanis were appealing on every ball

When Gavaskar reached 75, India had lost half their team for 147 runs and Sunil had scored half of his/her team’s total score. The master batsman had assessed the pitch so quickly and accurately that he/she knew it would be useful to play late shots behind the wicket, rather than drive them forward. Imran Khan did not have many runs to play. Gavaskar drove on an impossible wicket, which forced Khan to remove the slip and strengthen the midfield.

As soon as the slips were gone, Gavaskar started late-cutting Tausif at third man and scored valuable runs for India. To be able to play the middle shots on an unplayable wicket required a level of batting that only Gavaskar could do. When he/she arrived in the 90s, he/she alone stood between Pakistan’s first series win on Indian soil. Sunil reached 96 and while the Indian crowd was eagerly waiting for his/her century, he/she received a ball from Iqbal Qasim which not only turned but also bounced incredibly into his/her gloves – the slips did the rest. Gavaskar was out.

India lost the Test match but the Little Master’s innings was a lesson in how to bat on a wicket that was constantly turning and bouncing. Although Gavaskar has played many exceptional innings, he/she himself always gives great importance to this innings played in Bangalore.

tag: india vs new zealand, Sunil Gavaskar