India v England - Fifth Test

Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

India: SM Gavaskar, RJ Shastri, M Amarnath, VS Hazare, M Azharuddin, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, +SMH Kirmani, M Prabhakar, EAS Prasanna, SP Gupte.
England: JB Hobbs, *L Hutton, WR Hammond, KF Barrington, MC Cowdrey, IT Botham, +LEG Ames, JC Laker, DL Underwood, JB Statham, RGD Willis.

Debuts: SP Gupte (IND)
Umpires: LP Rowan (AUS) & LH Barker (WI)
Toss: England

Did he fall or was he pushed? Rumours were traded like stocks in a frantic marketplace once the news of Sunil Gavaskar's removal from the Indian captaincy came out, but whatever the truth, two crushing defeats and accusations of a self-centred approach had brought a sudden and dramatic end to his reign. Erstwhile skipper Pataudi jr. answered the call to lead the side in this game, and whilst Gavaskar's services as a batsman were retained, Mankad, Umrigar, Engineer and Srinath were all jettisoned, with Shastri, Kirmani and debutant Fergie Gupte all joining Pataudi in the team.

Hutton won his fourth toss out of five - remarkably, his tenth out of his last twelve - and elected to bat once the actual cricket got under way, but with the series already wrapped up, England put in their worst batting display of the tour and were bowled out for just 178 on the first day, with only a pair of 43s from Kent colleagues Cowdrey and Ames providing any sort of meaningful resistance before Gupte removed them both on the way to a handy 3-37 on debut. Pataudi seemed to have the Midas touch with his bowling changes, and although he was only able to contribute 7 runs to India's reply before being run out by Barrington after a poor call from Azharuddin, his team managed to amass a lead approaching 200, with contributions right down the order.

Shastri and Amarnath both contributed fifties to a second wicket partnership of 123 then, following a mid-innings wobble that included Pataudi's run out and left India on 204-6, Kapil Dev's uncharacteristically disciplined 91, coupled with valuable cameos from Kirmani (31) and Prabhakar (41*), allowed India to reach the relative heights of 366 and a lead of 188. Laker bowled well for his 3-68, but with more than half the match still remaining it was now India's spinners who were expected to shine on a surface that was beginning to offer appreciable, if slow, turn.

An opening stand of 79 from Hobbs and Hutton gave the tourists a solid platform though, and a close of play score of 118-2 on the third day was extended to 450-8 by the time stumps were drawn on the fourth evening as England showed their first innings to be an aberration with a dominating display of batting. Hutton just about had the better of a fascinating battle with Gupte on his way to an anchoring 130, but at 317-6, a lead of 129 did not yet provide England with enough insurance against defeat. It was at this point that Les Ames took over though, and whilst his wicket keeping on tour has been consistent only in its inconsistency, his batting down the order has been invaluable for England.

With game support from Laker and Statham, Ames was able to power his way to his second century of the series as India's spinners bowled in a most disappointing fashion, and he finally finished undefeated on 165, the highest score ever by a number seven in ATG Tests, by the time England were finally bowled out for 526 half an hour before lunch on the final morning. Gupte (5-173 off 51 overs) recorded the most expensive five wicket haul in history to complete a mixed debut with the ball, and a target of 339 from 62 overs gave India no realistic chance of snatching a redeeming victory on the final day of the series.

Instead, there would now be a battle for survival for Pataudi's team, and when Gavaskar's roller coaster of a series was brought to an inglorious end by a ball from Willis that cut back to gate him for 4, that battle became all the more difficult. Nevertheless, Amarnath gave the innings some backbone with his second half century of the match, and at tea India looked capable of survival on 96-3. However, within half an hour of the resumption, Azharuddin (1), Pataudi (0) and, crucially, Amarnath (56) had all been trapped in the web woven by Laker and Underwood, and Laker then ripped through the lower order as India capitulated in a most sorry fashion.

Laker spun the ball sharply to finish with career best figures of 7-41 as India slumped from 89-2 to a miserable 130 all out, and with half an hour's play remaining in a remarkable final session, England completed an emphatic 208 run victory to finish the series as equally emphatic 3-0 winners. For the third match in succession England's spinners had beaten their hosts at their own game, and from being slight favourites after two Tests, India had ended the series in a shambles. Laker and Underwood simply outbowled Prasanna, Bedi and co. on helpful wickets in the final three games, and with just one defeat in their last sixteen Tests, England have strengthened their position atop the ATG rankings ahead of the inaugural Test with Sri Lanka, a match which finishes off what has become a highly successful tour for Len Hutton's team.

Scores
England 1st Inns 178 (Ames 43, Cowdrey 43)
India 1st Inns 366 (Kapil Dev 91, Amarnath 70, Shastri 56, Prabhakar 41*)
England 2nd Inns 526 (Ames 165*, Hutton 130, Botham 50, Hobbs 46; Gupte 5-173)
India 2nd Inns 130 (Amarnath 56; Laker 7-41)

ENGLAND WON BY 208 RUNS


Man of the Match: LEG Ames