da premier bet： Unfortunately, in Indian cricket, not all anniversaries and dates are associated with memorable deeds ornotable triumphs
Partab Ramchand19-Jul-2002Anniversaries and important dates are always fondly remembered.Can anyone even remotely associated with Indian cricket forgetJune 25, for example? That was not just the day India made herdebut in Test cricket in 1932 but by happy coincidence also thedate of the greatest moment in Indian cricket the World Cuptriumph – 51 years later and at the same ground to boot.
Unfortunately, in Indian cricket, not allanniversaries and dates are associated with memorable deeds ornotable triumphs. The setbacks and reverses, the defeats anddisasters associated with the game in India are innumerable, andthough one may not care to remember these, they cannot beignored.
March 10 may not be as easily remembered as June 25, but that wasthe day two very significant triumphs were notched up. First, in1971, India registered her first ever victory against the WestIndies at Port of Spain. Fourteen years later to the day came theunexpected triumph in the World Championship of Cricket final atMelbourne.Indian cricket fans will also vividly recall August 24. Afterall, that was the day in 1971 when India registered her firstTest victory in England and with it claimed the rubber. Doesanyone remember the significance of March 7, 15 years ago? Afterjogging one’s memory for some time, perhaps cricket fans willrecall that was the day in 1987 when Sunil Gavaskar became thefirst batsman in Test cricket to cross the 10,000-run barrier.Old-timers will probably have an easier time recalling thesignificance of February 10, 1952, for that day saw Indiaregister her first victory in Test cricket, against England atMadras.Those over the age of 50 will perhaps remember with a glint intheir eye Christmas Eve in 1959, the day India registered one ofher most significant victories the miracle at Kanpur againstthe redoubtable Australians led by Richie Benaud. More middleaged cricket-lovers on the other hand will probably never forgetthe significance of April 12, the date in 1976 that India scoredarguably their greatest ever Test victory, making 406 for fouragainst West Indies at Port of Spain.Also of considerable importance are January 15, 1962 the dayIndia registered her first rubber victory over England at Madras and February 20, 1968 the day India notched up her first winabroad, against New Zealand at Dunedin. There are some for whomMarch 6, 1971, is also a special date, being the date ofGavaskar’s Test debut; after all, many of the subsequent upswingsin the country’s cricketing fortunes can be traced back to thatdate. The newer generation of Indian cricket followers, Isuppose, will rate November 15, 1989, as significant, beingSachin Tendulkar’s first day in Test cricket. Not very far behindfor them will be February 8, 1994 the day Kapil Dev took his432nd wicket and stood on the pinnacle all by himself.Unfortunately, in Indian cricket, not all anniversaries and datesare associated with memorable deeds or notable triumphs. Thesetbacks and reverses, the defeats and disasters associated withthe game in India are innumerable, and though one may not care toremember these, they cannot be ignored. For example, does anyoneremember the significance of June 24, 1974? Offhand, maybe not,but mention ‘Summer of 42’ and it will jog unhappy memories. Thatwas the day India were shot out for 42 at Lord’s to lose thesecond Test at Old Trafford by an innings and 285 runs, thesecond-heaviest margin of defeat in Indian cricket history. Longmay it remain India’s lowest total in Tests!And what about the significance of June 7, 1952? That was the daywhen, in a batting collapse of the first magnitude, India losttheir first four wickets without a run on the board. Playingagainst England at Leeds, India had started their second inningsmidway through the third day of the first Test only 41 runs inarrears. But in just 14 balls, Freddie Trueman and Alec Bedserhad swung the match irrevocably England’s way. Such was theimpact of the collapse that when a reporter of an evening dailyrang up the desk to give the latest score as a stop-press item,the story goes that the sub-editor, refusing to believe thescore, gave it as, “India in their second innings were four forno loss when reports last came in.”When the seamier aspects of Indian cricket are recalled, July 19,1952, will rank very high, but few will care to recall it, andmost certainly not the survivors of the Indian team that facedEngland at Old Trafford in the third Test of that one-sidedseries. For a Test side to be bowled out once in 58 overs orinside four hours is bad enough. But what can one say when a sideis bowled out TWICE in that time? And yet that was the sickeningexperience of the Indian team on that fateful day.It was the third morning of the match, and England over the firsttwo days had scored 292 for seven in between interruptions forrain and bad light. Resuming, England carried on till Len Huttonapplied closure at 347 for nine. What happened thereafter wasbeyond the belief of even the most cynical Indian cricketfollower. In just 21.4 overs, India were bundled out for 58,equalling their record lowest total registered against Australiaat Brisbane in November 1947. Trueman, striking terror in theIndian ranks, finished with eight for 31. Ten minutes later,India were following on, 289 runs behind.And in just 36.3 overs, they were dismissed in the course of thathideously unforgettable day for a second time for 82. This timethe damage was done by Bedser (5 for 27) and Tony Lock (4 for36), with Trueman being restricted to eight overs and one wicket.It remains the only time that a Test side has been bowled outtwice in a single day an unwanted record that has unfortunatelystood for half a century.