First Test. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
The big news here at the toss is that captain Clive Lloyd didn't come out for the toss and was not in the side, despite being out there for pre-match warm-ups. Viv took his place and immediately lost the toss to Ravi Ashwin and could well be in for a long time out in the Mumbai heat.
Sunil Gavaskar
Virender Sehwag
Rahul Dravid
Sachin Tendulkar
Mohammed Azharuddin
Ravindra Jadeja
MS Dhoni
Kapil Dev
Ravi Ashwin
Jasprit Bumrah
Bishan Bedi
- Gordon Greenidge
- Desmond Haynes
- Clyde Walcott
- Viv Richards
- Brian Lara
- Everton Weekes
- Garry Sobers
- Malcolm Marshall
- Andy Roberts
- Michael Holding
- Lance Gibbs
The big work that the vaunted Windies pacers did on the first morning was to keep India in check, especially Virender Sehwag with a round the wicket bouncer tactic. So much so that when he eventually went trying to sweep Lance Gibbs, he'd only added 31. With Gibbs & Sobers (bowling slow left arm) wheeling away throughout the early part of the afternoon session, things looked in a similar vain with the home side going nowhere fast. Sobers got Gavaskar through the gate and both him and Walcott were convinced that Dravid had got a nick on one that would have had the 100-3. It was a big decision as well with Dravid and Tendulkar both then getting 50's in an exactly 100 partnership before Sobers trapped the wall in front. Tendulkar holed out trying to attack the new ball and the Richards sensed a chance against Jadeja, and thanks to Marshall he was right, only for him to shell it himself, with India surviving until close at 238-4.
Despite Jadeja looking consistently on edge all morning, including taking a fierce blow to his bowling hand, but he was the man to get to 50, with Azharrudin edging Gibbs to first slip on 47. Sobers eventually got the left-hander immediately after he got to the milestone to leave India 311-6. Richards then tried to fire out the lower order with pace. Marshall got Dev cheaply, but Ashwin and Bedi hung around long enough for Dhoni to hit a scintillating 82, with 2 sixes and got India up to 410.
Greenidge and Haynes both led a charmed life, with the former dropped off Ashwin and Haynes dead to rights off a Bumrah no-ball. Ashwin eventually got his man and Dev got under the bat of Greenidge to leave then 67-2 but Walcott and Viv knuckled down to see out Day 2 at 95-2
Richards showed much more intent the next morning, sweeping Bedi for two boundaries in the first three overs of the day but Bedi got his revenge by getting the master blaster lbw shortly afterwards. Bumrah then got Lara in the slips before lunch and had Weekes in all types of trouble with Walcott looking like he was playing a different game at the other end. That was much more like the game that happened after lunch, leading to Ashwin to go straight to the new ball. It did little more than the old one and Dev then screamed at Dhoni after he dropped a simple chance when Walcott feathered one through. It was a similar one to the scream of anguish from Weekes an hour later when he chopped a full ball straight back to Bedi on 48. Walcott was imperious after Tea though and went to a magnificent 100 with Sobers looking chanceless in an undefeated century partnership by close.
Day 4 started with the Windies 351-5 and were still behind when Sobers was caught behind for 55. Walcott got able support from Marshall to take him through to a 150, before looking to increase the scoring and being halfway down the pitch when stumped off Bedi after taking the lead. Richards reaction was to immediately declare just 1 ahead with half-hour left of the fourth morning.
Marshall & Holding started with the same rib-tickling tactic to Sehwag that becalmed in the first innings and although it didn't pay off before lunch, Marshall got him at short-leg for a 22-ball 3 shortly afterwards. Andy Roberts then got Gavaskar caught behind and Sobers immediately turned one that beat Dravid to leave them 47-3. Azharuddin then turned Gibbs straight to short-leg where Greenidge shelled it and he and Tendulkar managed to get them to tea at 101-3. Gibbs got him lbw three balls after the break though and Richards immediately tried to bounce Jadeja out. While Gibbs got Tendulkar at the other end it didn't work and both Jadeja and Dhoni got India through to close at 193-5.
Dhoni pressed on at the start of Day 5 but in the 80th over both Jadeja and Dev both fell to Gibbs to leave the lead at 239. Roberts was handed the new ball and got Dhoni caught behind then two kept low on Ashwin and Bedi and with 30 minutes until lunch, India were bowled out for 262.
All 4 results still possible but it seemed a Windies win was distinctly unlikely when Haynes and Walcott struggled their way out to the Indian captain and had them 36-2 but, as so often, Ivan Vivian Richards changed the feel of the occasion. By an hour to go in the match, the Windies needed 108 to win with eight wickets in hand. Jadeja, whose bowling hand was feeling better managed to get one to beat Richards slog sweep and bowl him, he then got Lara too but Greenidge and Weekes continued the assault and by the time the opener was caught at midwicket by Kapil Dev, it was 32 to win off 28 balls. Jadeja got Sobers first ball and then Bedi got Marshall with the 2nd ball of his over and it had flipped to 3 wickets in 22 balls. Cue Andy Roberts deciding to drop anchor for the draw.
The 2nd test pitch at the New VCA Stadium in Nagpur looks exactly the same as the pitch in Mumbai
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