Scorecard of the Day : The Hirwani test match

[The Outsider]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63469.html One of my favorite test matches due to the manner in which WI were ambushed on a turner against a leg spinner. Some interesting tidbits I remember, please add more : 1. It was Shastri's first and only test as captain of India. He was replacing Vengsarkar who was injured in the previous test at Calcutta. At the time Vengsarkar was amongst the best batsmen in the world and IIRC was ranked number 1 in the ICC rankings. Unfortunately, after this injury his slide began. 2. The backdrop was a 1-0 lead to WI going into the 4th and final test. The lead was taken on a nightmarish pitch at Kotla. The conditions were Headingly like when India and WI were dismissed for around 100 in the first innings. Unfortunately, the match proceeded at such a pace that by the time the pitch started turning Richards was well set in the second innings chase and WI pulled off the highest run chase in India at the time. 3. Weather saved India in the 2nd test and a patta at Calcutta set up the decider at Madras. 4. Reportedly, Shastri asked for a bunsen burner and got it. He also played Hirwani, a leg spinner, and later said that he got the idea from WI surrender to Qadir at Faisalabad a year back. 5. Luckily, Shastri won the toss because by the time India's first innings was in progress the pitch had already started coming apart. Kapil played one of the best innings of his career on a tough pitch. 6. Hirwani bowled wonderfully in the match, but IMO it was the WI ineptness against leg spin which made the win so easy. Their only response to leg spin bowling in the match was to charge down the pitch on a turning track in complete contrast to the approach adopted by them against Qadir a year back when they were caught on the crease every time. 7. Kiran More picked up a record number of stumpings in the match - I think the record still stands. 8. Richards' half century in the second innings might look good on the scorecard, but was a terrible innings. He lofted into no man's land with no control on n number of occasions. 9. This and the Faislabad test are reasons why I believe the Australian XI of the early 00s would have beaten the WI from the 80s - Shane Warne.

[vijay810]

Hirwani had taken many wickets against WI in a tour match in same series which prompted his selection. He did not last long but in few series he played he was unplayable.

[Chandan]

9. This and the Faislabad test are reasons why I believe the Australian XI of the early 00s would have beaten the WI from the 80s - Shane Warne.

I've not watched the Windies of that era, but the same question came in my mind too, while reading your post: how would the great batsmen of their team have survived the three great spinners in last 15 years--Warne, Murali and Kumble? Kumble and Murali didn't have any support from other end, but Warne's team would certainly have ripped through them.

[vvvslaxman]

One thing not many know was Arshad Ayub bowled just as well. Ball was turning square.. if i may exaggerate ball turned almost came back to Ayub. They were randomly poking the bat at the balls from him.

[Prakat]

Awesome match that. Some cockney flourish in the OP as well.

[Khalpat]

Hirwani had taken many wickets against WI in a tour match in same series which prompted his selection. He did not last long but in few series he played he was unplayable.

I will carry this great feeling througout my life that I have hit a boundary on the bowling of Narendra Hirwani when I was 12 year of age. The bowler who clean bowled the great Viv Richards. :yay:

[saneindian]

Brillinat test match indeed. One thing that I have always wondered about is why was Shastri overlooked for the captaincy once Vengsarkar stepped down after the 1989 WI tour? Srikanth wasn't even a part of the WI bound test squad (played the ODIs though) but was made the national captain for the Pakistan series overlooking Shastri's credentials.

[putrevus]

That pitch was a rank turner and this was not the best West Indies side, its best side was in 1983 when Indians toured there under Clive Lloyd.That side had very good players of spin bowling too. Even Indians who are best players of spin when playing on pitches similar to that collapsed like in Sunil Gavaskar's last match in Bangalore against Pakistan. Still even if all matches were played on similar pitches that West Indies 1983 side would win the series against Aussies XI of early 2000s.

[Sid]

There should be videos of all these matches so that youngsters like me can also contribute in these kinds of threads :hitler: :P

[Sachin=GOD]

There should be videos of all these matches so that youngsters like me can also contribute in these kinds of threads :hitler: :P

:dito:

[The Outsider]

Brillinat test match indeed. One thing that I have always wondered about is why was Shastri overlooked for the captaincy once Vengsarkar stepped down after the 1989 WI tour? Srikanth wasn't even a part of the WI bound test squad (played the ODIs though) but was made the national captain for the Pakistan series overlooking Shastri's credentials.

I think Srikanth did a very good job in the Pakistan tour, though he hardly scored any runs. He was discarded because of the pay dispute, IIRC, rather than an actual captaincy fault. You've got to keep in mind that during those times a split ODI/Test captaincy was unheard of and Shasrti's form running into the Pakistan tour and thereafter did not do him any favors. On the other hand, Azhar made a splendid hundred at Faisalabad with his spot on the line (he played only because Raman Lamba got injured). And following that he had terific tours as a batsman in NZ and England - was one of Wisden's cricketers of the year that season.

[Cricket Tragic]

Yes, it wasn't the best WI side but they still had a few great players. The WI batsmen and leg spin has been the talk for years.

[The Outsider]

There should be videos of all these matches so that youngsters like me can also contribute in these kinds of threads :hitler: :P

I tried searching on youtube, but couldn't find anything for this particular test.

[Sachin=GOD]

There should be videos of all these matches so that youngsters like me can also contribute in these kinds of threads :hitler: :P

Time to ask Robelinda to go through his collection and see if he has this match.

[Cricket Tragic]

I think Srikanth did a very good job in the Pakistan tour, though he hardly scored any runs. He was discarded because of the pay dispute, IIRC, rather than an actual captaincy fault. You've got to keep in mind that during those times a split ODI/Test captaincy was unheard of and Shasrti's form running into the Pakistan tour and thereafter did not do him any favors. On the other hand, Azhar made a splendid hundred at Faisalabad with his spot on the line (he played only because Raman Lamba got injured). And following that he had terific tours as a batsman in NZ and England - was one of Wisden's cricketers of the year that season.

3 hundreds in 3 tests after this I think. Two of those hundreds were among his very best (192 at Auckland and 121 at Lord's).

[ravishingravi]

Brilliant OP Outty.

[ravishingravi]

9. This and the Faislabad test are reasons why I believe the Australian XI of the early 00s would have beaten the WI from the 80s - Shane Warne.

Subject to the Pitch conditions. Although, there is nothing to suggest that Australian side would have been able to handle the pace of tht quality. Tbh, the bowling quality was in shambles during the Aussie era.

[Sid]

I tried searching on youtube' date=' but couldn't find anything for this particular test.[/quote'] I also tried but found nothing.I want to watch highlights of many of our home matches of 80's but I find nothing :mad:,except for tied test of 1986 :hatsoff: Definately.

[The Outsider]

3 hundreds in 3 tests after this I think. Two of those hundreds were among his very best (192 at Auckland and 121 at Lord's).

Don't mean to digress the thread to Azhar, because I've realized that having a cricketing discussion on his batting is futile as hyper charged teenagers inevitably trash the thread with irrelevant match fixing stuff, but here is one thread discussing his batting, with some posts from me : http://indiancricketfans.com/showthread.php?t=146903

[Khalpat]

One thing noticeable in this match was Kapil Paaji batting in first innning 109 of 124 balls, What a Player he was. Just have a feeling that if he was playing in todays time he would have been the most valuable player of IPL. :hatsoff: BTW if I remember was this the series in which the bowler of West Indies Patrick Peterson was unplayable.