India v Australia - First Test

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

India: SM Gavaskar, M Prabhakar, M Amarnath, GR Viswanath, PR Umrigar, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, +SMH Kirmani, EAS Prasanna, BS Bedi, BS Chandrasekhar.
Australia: WM Woodfull, WM Lawry, GS Chappell, AR Border, SR Waugh, KR Miller, +IA Healy, *R Benaud, AK Davidson, DK Lillee, WJ O'Reilly.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: DM Archer (WI) & CJ Mitchley (SAF)
Toss: India

Much of the talk ahead of this game centered around who would not be playing; India took the bold move of dropping both Hazare and Azharuddin after their poor showing against West Indies, whilst Australia would be without the services of Don Bradman for at least this Test, a back strain relegating the Don to the unaccustomed role of spectator.

When the play finally got under way, a dry and cracked pitch at the Wankhede promised to hand a distinct advantage to the team batting first, but at the halfway stage of the game it was honours very much even with only 19 runs separating the sides. Pataudi won the toss and batted first, and it was erstwhile skipper Sunil Gavaskar who proved to be the mainstay of the innings, batting over eight hours and contributing 141 - his first ATG hundred in his home town - to a final total of 342. Viswanath was the only other player to pass fifty, making 62 out of a 122 run stand for the third wicket, and with O'Reilly and Benaud both proving ineffectual Australia's seam attack performed admirably on a pitch offering them little assistance, forcing the Indians to grind and scrap for every run.

In reply, a gritty century from Lawry and a fluent fifty from Chappell took Australia to the comfort of 151-1 with relative ease, but Chandrasekhar engineered a collapse on the second afternoon that reduced the tourists to 224-7, and it was only thanks to the tail that they got to within touching distance of India's total; the last three wickets added 99 runs, with Dennis Lillee's 37 from number ten the next highest score after the efforts of Lawry and Chappell.

With the game now effectively reduced to a one innings shoot-out, India desperately needed a good start in their second dig, but openers Gavaskar and Prabhakar were both caught in the cordon off Lillee for ducks, and by lunch on day four the hosts had limped to 97-5 and a lead of just 116. O'Reilly then got to work in the afternoon session, and at 126-7 the outlook seemed bleak for India. Mohinder Amarnath was still there though, and in Prasanna he found a partner who could hang around, the pair adding fifty priceless runs for the eighth wicket to push the lead towards the 200 mark. Prasanna was dropped three times during his innings of 23, one a complete sitter by Lawry at midwicket off the furious O'Reilly, but the Tiger eventually got his man and completed his five wicket haul on recall by snaring Bedi in the next over.

With last man Chandrasekhar now at the crease, Amarnath managed to complete a deserved century with a six off Lillee, but India were eventually dismissed for 199 and Australia now had the best part of four sessions to knock off a target of 219 for victory. Lawry made 58 to go with his first innings century as Australia cruised to 130-3 on the final morning, but the 42nd over of the innings, bowled by Chandrasekhar, changed everything. In the space of five balls Chandra turned the game on its head by dismissing Border, Miller and Healy for no addition to the score, and with Benaud following soon after Australia had slumped dramatically to 140-7, six of those wickets having fallen to Chandra's fizzing legbreaks. Steve Waugh was now the last recognized batsman remaining, and the home fans could barely contain themselves.

By lunch Australia had recovered a little to 174-8, but with the pressure mounting Waugh holed out off Bedi for 49 in just the second over of the afternoon, and three overs later it was all over as Kapil Dev trapped O'Reilly lbw to hand India a dramatic victory by the margin of 40 runs. Chandra's magic over had proved the turning point, but India also reaped the benefits of holding onto their catches, and the Australians now have a lot of work to do before the teams meet again in Kanpur.

1st & 2nd innings scorecards
(click to enlarge)

Scores
IND 1st Inns 342 (Gavaskar 141, Viswanath 62, Umrigar 47)
AUS 1st Inns 323 (Lawry 110, Chappell 58; Chandrasekhar 5-73)
IND 2nd Inns 199 (Amarnath 106; O'Reilly 5-55)
AUS 2nd Inns 178 (Lawry 58, Waugh 49; Chandrasekhar 6-61)

INDIA WON BY 40 RUNS


Man of the Match: BS Chandrasekhar