Relive all our Test Victories

[kabira]

Cracking idea indeed. Reminds me of when on ICFever once there was an attempt to profile every player who played a test for India' date=' in order of appearence. Not sure how far that got! Im sure this is far more realistic...:P[/quote'] that was me :). I did reach more than half way but stopped when we moved to new ICF. So that project never ended.

[Sooda]

^ Really? That too was a great (not to mention ambitious) idea for a thread. Alot of obscure names propped up, players who I never knew existed let alone the fact that they probably never get recognition they deserve.

[Nova]

Match Link: http://www.cricinfo.com/indvaus2008/engine/current/match/345670.html

[kabira]

6th Test victory again came after 3 years and this time was against Aussies in Kanpur. It was low scoring game. The hero was Gujju not many would know him. Jasubhai Patel, an offie from Ahmedabad. He ran through Aussies in both the innings. In first innings he took 9 wickets, this figure were best figures Kapil's burst in Ahmedabad. The chief architect of India's first Test victory over Australia since the two countries first met in 1947 was Patel, the Ahmedabad offspin bowler, who took fourteen wickets for 142 runs. In the Australian first innings Patel exploited newly-laid turf and achieved an analysis of nine for 69 -- India's finest Test bowling performance. Then on the last day, amid scenes of great excitement, he routed Australia a second time and took five more wickets for 55 runs. For Australia Davidson, the fast bowler, took 12 wickets for 124 and twice regained the initiative for his side. India collapsed alarmingly on the first day. Benaud began the slide after lunch, and Davidson pressed home the advantage when India slumped from 38 for no wicket to 152 all out. At first the India bowlers failed to gain any assistance from the pitch when Australia replied and 71 were scored before Patel dismissed Stevens. Then a remarkable transformation took place. Patel took eight wickets for 24 runs and the Australian lead was restricted to 67. Contractor (74) and his colleagues showed improved form during the India second innings and Australia were left requiring 225 for victory. McDonald, Harvey and Kline, who scored 73 between them, batted confidently enough, but the other seven -- Rorke was absent ill -- mustered only 20 against Patel and Umrigar and India won comfortably.

[kabira]

http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/79156.html On December 24, 1959, India completed a Test victory over Australia at Kanpur. To today's generation, which have been brought up on the exploits of Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar, who have seen the country register ten successive victories in Tests at home in the 80s and 90s, who have seen India score great triumphs at Port of Spain and the Oval, Lord's and Leeds, Melbourne and Sydney, who have seen India take the World Cup, the simple fact that the team scored a victory in a Test would seem commonplace. Believe me, it wasn't. It was page one news in Indian papers, was the lead story in radio news bulletins, made headlines all over the cricketing world and was hailed as ``the miracle at Kanpur.'' Even 40 years ago to the day, despite the halo surrounding the many notable victories notched up by Indian teams over the last two or three decades, the mystique over that Kanpur culmination has not diminished one bit. To old timers like me and to keen cricket followers of a later generation, the mere mention ``Kanpur, 1959'' will make eyes sparkle, even though a full four decades have elapsed since that memorable day. Let's roll back the years quickly. On December 19, 1959, the Indian team had reached its nadir. Of the previous 14 Test matches, eleven had been lost, five of them by an innings, eight of them with more than a day to spare. And they were up against opponents, who were the leading cricketing nation in the world, and who had won ten of their previous 14 Tests. Ever since Richie Benaud had taken over the leadership, Australia were a transformed lot and with players like Harvey, O'Neill, McDonald, Favell, Davidson, Meckiff, Lindwall, Kline, Grout, Burge and Mackay in their ranks, they were a formidable side. Just three days before the Kanpur Test commenced, they had routed India by an innings and 127 runs in four days at New Delhi. India had just returned from a 5-0 thrashing in England and all seemed set for another clean sweep at the hands of the Australians. The Indians, on paper, did not look to be a very weak side. With players like skipper Ramchand, Roy, Contractor, Umrigar, Borde, Nadkarni, Kenny, Baig, Desai, Tamhane and Surendranath around, it did seem like they had the ability to extend the Australians, if not exactly be a match for them. But then what changes could be effected within three days to overturn an overwhelming innings defeat? This is where the chairman of the selection committee Lala Amarnath came up with his masterstroke. Knowing the Green Park wicket well and being well aware of the general vulnerability of the Australians to off spin bowling, he picked Jasu Patel to play at Kanpur. Cricket followers all over the world wondered at Amarnath's wisdom in choosing a 35-year-old bowler who had performed only modestly in the four Tests he had played since making his debut in Pakistan in 1955. Since then, he had played in one Test against New Zealand in 1955-56 and then two against Australia in October-November 1956. Relaxing in his Ahmedabad home, Patel himself was surprised at his selection and made the trip to Kanpur quite reluctantly, aware of the fact that opinion was growing in favour of playing AG Kripal Singh, a much younger off spinning all rounder. Amarnath however knew exactly what he was doing and ultimately it was Patel who played. And yet it was quite some time before Patel started weaving his magic around the strong Australian batting line up. After India were bowled out for 152 on the first day, Australia at lunch on the following day were 128 for one. Patel had taken the wicket to fall but generally seemed innocuous. However Ramchand had been bowling him from the wrong end as Amarnath pointed to the Indian captain at the break. Amarnath wanted him to bowl at the footmarks of Davidson and Meckiff. After the interval, Ramchand brought him on from the pavilion end and the transformation both in the bowler and the trend of the Australian innings was astonishing. Well before close of play, the visitors were all out for 219 with Patel picking up nine for 69, which remained the best figures by an Indian bowler in a Test till Anil Kumble took his all ten against Pakistan in February this year. He was accuracy personified, made the ball turn viciously and mixed his straighter one or the drifter judiciously. The Australians, even such experienced players of spin like Harvey and McDonald, had absolutely no clue as to which way the ball would turn. The Indians came up with a much better display in the second innings and a total of 291 left the Australians 225 to get. But by now the initiative had slipped from their grasp and they never really had a chance. In the second innings, Patel was less devastating but this was made up by Umrigar's incisive spell. The veteran all rounder, who bowled both off breaks and medium pacers, made the ball turn alarmingly and settled the match with two similiar deliveries which dismissed Harvey and O'Neill - a sharply turning off break which pitched at an inconvenient length. Both were caught by Nadkarni, the left handed Harvey at slip and the right handed O'Neill at leg slip. Umrigar finished with four for 27 while Patel had five for 55. Australia, well before lunch on the final day were bowled out for 105 leaving the jubilant Indians unexpected victors by 119 runs - their first success in ten Tests against Australia. The Kanpur victory was only the sixth notched up by India in 64 Tests till then. It was easily the most notable win in Indian cricket history and remained so till our double triumphs at Port of Spain and the Oval in 1971. Given the background leading up to the victory, the formidable opposition over which it was achieved and the glorious manner it was registered, there is little doubt that the `miracle at Kanpur' will forever rank as one of the greatest triumphs, no matter how many more triumphs are scored in future.

[Sooda]

I wish I had Mihir Boses History of Indian cricket book. My Dad has a copy but in India He brings to life so well all these old India wins The next on the list is Ind v Eng at Kolkata in 1962. http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/62904.html A pretty decent looking India team- Manjrekar, Umrigar, Pataudi to name a few. Salim Durrani was the star of the show, a 43 in the first Innings to go with a 5-fer and 8 wicket match haul. ( Interestingly he was my dads favourite player growing up) Quality cricketer (allrounder who i think bowled offspin and agressive bat) whos figures dont do justice to his talent, or Indeed the effect his personality had on the team then. India were seen as pretty dour and negative until then- exciting players like Pataudi, Engineer, Durrani did much to break that view. Even the likes of Borde- good bat, useful spinner and (like Pataudi) supposedly a very good fielder. This test win is most interesting though for the incident Ive highlighted in the almanack report in bold. One of the silliest tragedies in not just Indian cricket but ALL test cricket. Subhash Gupte our first great spinner- one of our greatest ever bowlers - and a man who Sobers thinks was a better leggie than Warne, dropped for good for incredibly dumb reasons. This is a story all Indian cricket fans should know... Gupte was still only 32, and still seemed to have a long international career in front of him. But in the next Test at Delhi he got into trouble after a hotel receptionist complained of being harassed over the telephone by one of the Indian players. The call in question was traced to the room which he shared with Amritsar Kripal Singh. Gupte, in fact, was wholly innocent. Riled, though, by the suggestion that he should have prevented Kripal Singh from bothering the receptionist, he reacted by giving a member of the Indian Board of Control the rough side of his tongue. He was informed that he would not be selected for the forthcoming tour of the West Indies. He never represented India again. The whole story was that the guy Kripal Singh (who Jasu Patel was nearly dropped for) asked this receptionist out to dinner- i think she refsued and was offended- then the accusation came. Gupte was told he should have stopped Kripal. His response was '...he's a big guy, how can i stop him..?'. and Insulted that he should be blamed he had a few words to say. (Mihir Bose writes really well about this) A fine was MAYBE in order But he was dropped. For good. This is a man who gave the then very strong WI batting (W's and all) some hard times. He had taken a 5 wicket haul in the Delhi test, his last. In happier news India won the next test anyway....(and indeed the one after that too)... ------------------------------------------------- India v England India won by 187 runs, thus ending a sequence of nine successive drawn Tests by them. They beat England for only the second time in history. India gained a big advantage in winning the toss for the pitch took a fair amount of spin after the first day and rough patches from bowlers' footholds made conditions difficult, particularly for left-handed batsmen. Still, after the lifeless pitches of the three previous games, this made a welcome change and the cricket had plenty to interest the large crowds each day. England gave first Test chances to Parfitt and Millman, who replaced M.J.K. Smith and Murray. Subsequently Pullar went down with dysentery and Russell replaced him. Because of a disciplinary investigation Gupte and Kripal Singh did not play for India, Ranjane and Mehra taking their places. Contractor again disappointed, but Mehra, despite receiving a nasty blow on the right hand which turned out to be a fractured bone at the base of the thumb, batted solidly. Manjrekar failed to maintain his high scoring, but Pataudi and Mehra added 95 for the third wicket. Even so with the total 194 for five England were reasonably satisfied, but the strength of the India middle batting again showed itself. Borde played a splendid innings and Durani also did well. The England decline began from the start of their innings and by the close of the second day, despite useful batting by Richardson, three men, including Barrington, were out for 107. Next day, the collapse really developed, the remaining seven wickets falling for 105, Dexter alone doing much. India, 168 ahead, began brightly, but Manjrekar and Pataudi were surprisingly slow after tea. On the fourth morning three wickets fell at 119 and another should have gone seven later, Umrigar being missed at slip when seven. With Borde again in good form, India built a commanding position and England needed 421 to win in eight hours, ten minutes. Despite another good innings by Dexter and useful displays from Richardson, Parfitt and Knight, the match was over in mid-afternoon of the last day. Lock and Allen bowled splendidly over long periods for England and Borde and Durani served India well.

[Sooda]

somebody read my (admittedly brief) write up^^^ :hitler:

[Sachinism]

Mihir Bose, is he that joker that used to come on Sky Sports

[kabira]

thanks Sooda for continuing where I left. Great write up. We would need videos of those that are available. Who is video expert here?

[Sooda]

Pleasure. Glad you liked. :--D

Mihir Bose' date=' is he that joker that used to come on Sky Sports[/quote'] Im not sure, I know hes a journo so possibly yes. he used to write a blog for BBC sport too. I dont know about his other work for TV etc, but that book -History of Indian cricket- is excellent

[dial_100]

Terrific idea... Guys please keeep adding the stuff here... It will be one heck of a read...A nice motivator...

[flamy]

Match Link: http://www.cricinfo.com/indvaus2008/engine/current/match/345670.html

That was some pwnage :yay:

[kabira]

My new year resolution is to finish this thread before 102nd victory. I know thats ambitious. But I need helping hand. couple of volunteers. anyone interstd please PM me

[Sir john]

bump pataudi played 12 test in which india wins.