West Indies v India - Series Summary

WEST INDIES WON THE SERIES 3-1
Whilst West Indies eventually took the series at a canter it must be remembered that India gave them a run for their money to begin with, winning the first Test in Jamaica and then holding on heroically for the draw in Trinidad. It was not until Curtly Ambrose came to the fore in the second half of the series that West Indies really asserted their authority, and with Garner and Marshall also finding their form in the latter stages it was a barrage of relenting pace that finally did for the Indians.

The recalled George Headley led the run scoring for the hosts, almost half his runs coming in one innings in Guyana (but what an innings!) and Viv Richards looked to be rediscovering his best form by the end of the series after what had been a somewhat extended slump. The opening positions are still up for grabs though, with neither Greenidge nor new boy Lawrence Rowe able to stake a solid claim, and whilst Dujon continued to provide valuable runs down the order - indeed, he actually topped the batting averages - his displays behind the stumps were somewhat below par.

If truth be told, neither side fielded particularly well, but whilst West Indies were able to compensate the Indians' poor out cricket went a long way to costing them the series. The tourists dropped sixteen catches over the course of the five games and with their bowling, Prasanna apart, lacking any sort of penetration, this was simply unacceptable. Gavaskar's stellar form with the bat papered over the cracks to some extent, but the likes of Pataudi, Manjrekar and Umrigar hit as many lows as they did highs, and the way in which India's batting simply disintegrated in the last two Tests would have been a source of both concern and embarrassment for the selectors.

West Indies' eighth consecutive series win guarantees that they will end Season VI on top of the rankings, whilst India remain in sixth place and are now in danger of being overtaken by perennial basement dwellers, New Zealand. For now though the focus switches to Sri Lanka, where Australia's visit for a one-off Test brings the season to a close.

Series Averages
(click to enlarge)

Players of the Series: CEL Ambrose & SM Gavaskar

West Indies v India - Fifth Test

Antigua Recreation Ground, St John's

West Indies: CG Greenidge, LG Rowe, GA Headley, IVA Richards, CL Walcott, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, AME Roberts, MA Holding, CEL Ambrose.
India: SM Gavaskar, M Prabhakar, DB Vengsarkar, VL Manjrekar, PR Umrigar, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, +SMH Kirmani, J Srinath, EAS Prasanna, BKV Prasad.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: Mahboob Shah (PAK) & RS Dunne (NZL)
Toss: West Indies

Having started the tour so well it all came down to a case of do or die for India in Antigua, but the momentum was now firmly with West Indies, a draw being enough to secure an eighth successive series victory. Injury meant that Worrell, Garner and Griffith all remained in Barbados, but the selectors were able to call on the handy trio of Walcott, Marshall and Roberts as replacements, and Pataudi's incorrect call at the toss allowed Garry Sobers' team first use of a hard, glistening surface at the ARG.

Lawrence Rowe's 80 turned out to be
the highest innings of a low scoring match

The strokemakers were expected to be favoured on such a pitch, but 13 wickets fell on a dramatic first day as West Indies were bowled out for 314 and then responded by reducing the Indians to a precarious 13-3 by the close. The early part of the hosts' innings was built around Lawrence Rowe's first ATG fifty, and when he was out for 80, bowled by one that Prasanna held back a touch, two further fifties from Sobers - his first of the series - and Dujon combined with a boisterous 31 from Roberts to steer the innings past 300.

India's bowlers had performed well although the tail somewhat gifted Prasanna a five wicket haul, but their fielding had again been poor. Both Rowe (on 66 at the time) and Dujon (on 28) were given lives when Prasad and Kirmani respectively grassed a pair of simple catches - Kirmani's fumble off the bowling of Prabhakar was a real howler - and this profligacy was compounded when Marshall removed both Gavasakar and Manjrekar with what turned out to be the last two balls of the day, leaving the tourists deep in the mire. Vengsarkar and Umrigar threatened to stage a recovery on day two, but from the relative heights of 60-3 the innings fell apart as the spin of Sobers picked apart a batting order that was being traumatised by pace from the other end, and West Indies' skipper finished with the eyebrow-raising figures of 5-11 from 9.5 overs as India crumbled to 101 all out, equalling their lowest ever total in the process.

Sobers' bowling came off the sidelines
to devastating effect on the second day

India had batted very poorly and were asked to follow-on some 213 runs in arrears, but led by a confident innings of 79 from Vengsarkar they made a much better fist of things second time round, and had progressed to 174-4 when Vengsarkar lost his middle stump to Marshall late on the second evening. There were no further casualties before the close, but on the third morning the rampaging Marshall simply tore through the lower order like a tornado through Texas, and when hostilities ceased the Indians had been bowled out for 196 to hand West Indies victory by an innings and 17 runs before we had even reached lunch.

Marshall's analysis of 5-12 from 16.3 overs ensured that most onlookers now had both eyebrows firmly elevated, and at the hastily arranged presentation ceremony the Indian players milled around in a near catatonic state as the magnitude of their defeat began to sink in. After starting the series in such positive fashion they had been bowled out for under 200 in each of their last four innings, and the final two Tests were completed in less than five days put together. The four-pronged pace attack fielded by West Indies after their shock defeat in the first Test gradually wore down the Indians' resolve, and the denouement here in Antigua tightens still further West Indies' grip on the number one position in the ATG world.

Malcolm Marshall and Jeff Dujon, two of the main
architects of West Indies' victory in both match and series

Score Summary
WI 1st Inns 314 (Rowe 80, Sobers 62, Dujon 50; Prasanna 5-55)
IND 1st Inns 101 (Sobers 5-11)
IND 2nd Inns 196 (Vengsarkar 79, Gavaskar 46; Marshall 5-12, Ambrose 4-47)

WEST INDIES WON BY AN INNINGS & 17 RUNS

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

Close of play
Day 1 - India 1st innings 13-3 (Vengsarkar 4*; 5 ov)
Day 2 - India 2nd innings 179-5 (Pataudi 18*, Kapil Dev 4*; 48 ov)
Day 3 - India 2nd innings 196 (62.3 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ India's 101 in the first innings equals their lowest ever total
▪ Ambrose passed 100 career wickets
▪ This was the shortest ever completed Test match, both in terms of time (14 hours and 19 minutes) and of overs bowled (189.3)
▪ West Indies have now won eight successive series

Man of the Match: MD Marshall

West Indies v India - Fourth Test

Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados

West Indies: CG Greenidge, LG Rowe, GA Headley, IVA Richards, FMM Worrell, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MA Holding, CC Griffith, CEL Ambrose, J Garner.
India: SM Gavaskar, M Prabhakar, DB Vengsarkar, VL Manjrekar, PR Umrigar, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, +SMH Kirmani, J Srinath, EAS Prasanna, BS Bedi.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: Mahboob Shah (PAK) & DJ Constant (ENG)
Toss: India

Whilst the late withdrawal of Malcolm Marshall with a hamstring strain may have disappointed the local fans, fellow Bajan Charlie Griffith was rushed into the side as a late replacement and the bowling of another favourite son of Barbados, Joel Garner, was to the fore as India's batting was destroyed on a remarkable first day at the Kensington Oval. Pataudi won the toss and batted on a pitch that promised to provide both pace and bounce, but he was soon regretting his decision when Gavaskar played on against Ambrose for just 2 in the sixth over. Garner then proceeded to tear through the middle order and when Prabhakar, who had been promoted to open in place of the axed Engineer, finally departed for 33 after two hours at the crease, India were 56-4 and in distinct trouble.

Fee, fi, fo, fum...Ambrose and Garner tore India apart on the first day

Umrigar dug in to provide a small ray of hope for the tourists, but wickets continued to tumble around him as Ambrose now wrought havoc, and shortly after tea India had been bowled out for just 129, Umrigar top-scoring with 35. Ambrose and Garner picked up five wickets apiece as the Indians emphatically failed to deal with West Indies' two giant fast men, but the hosts quickly stumbled to 75-4 in reply as Prabhakar and Srinath, who was making his first appearance of the series, continued the dominance of ball over bat. The West Indians had also been shaken by the sight of Frank Worrell being stretchered off the field after ducking into a ball from Prabhakar that didn't really get up, and although he is expected to make a full recovery, what was later revealed to be a hairline fracture of the skull means that Worrell will take no further part in the series.

So, with the score effectively 75-5 West Indies were now under unexpected pressure, but an epic innings from Viv Richards shifted the momentum firmly back in favour of the hosts over the course of the next couple of sessions. It could have been a different story had Prabhakar clung on to a sharp slip catch off Srinath before Richards had scored, and Prabhakar's error was to prove enormously costly as Richards set about dismantling an Indian attack that lacked the resources to take full advantage of the conditions in the manner of Ambrose and Garner. Richards was actually outscored initially by Dujon, who contributed a valuable fifty as West Indies moved past India's total before stumps on the first day, but on day two he took over as he blasted his way to a stunning century.

Viv Richards' vintage century scuppered any hopes of an Indian recovery

Richards' partnership with Dujon had been worth 87, and with Holding and Ambrose both contributing useful tail end runs West Indies were finally bowled out for 311 and a lead of 182, Richards remaining undefeated on 153, an innings that included eighteen fours and six sixes. India now had it all to do, but in a repeat of the events of the first day the tourists were pounded with pace and by close of play the scoreboard read a sorry looking 124-6, with only a valiant, unbeaten 80 from Gavaskar preventing total humiliation. He fell early on day three though, Ambrose picking him up for the second time in the match as Dujon reacted brilliantly to grab onto the ball on the rebound after Greenidge failed to hold on at first slip, and although Kirmani delayed the inevitable with a defiant innings of 47, India's final total of 187 meant that West Indies required just six runs to win.

With the match not even having reached its halfway stage, Greenidge and Rowe duly secured an emphatic ten wicket victory and along with it the series lead, and although Ambrose's first ever ten wicket haul gave him the man of the match award, Richards' pyrotechnic century will also live long in the memory. After beginning in such positive fashion India now face the prospect of ending the tour with nothing, and their powers of recovery will be put to the test when the teams meet in Antigua for the final match of what has been a highly entertaining series.

Score Summary
IND 1st Inns 129 (Ambrose 5-24, Garner 5-34)
WI 1st Inns 311 (Richards 153*, Dujon 57)
IND 2nd Inns 187 (Gavaskar 84, Kirmani 47; Ambrose 5-64)
WI 2nd Inns 6-0

WEST INDIES WON BY 10 WICKETS

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

Close of play
Day 1 - West Indies 1st innings 159-4 (Richards 54*, Dujon 54*; 36 ov)
Day 2 - India 2nd innings 124-6 (Gavaskar 80*, Kirmani 8*; 40 ov)
Day 3 - West Indies 2nd innings 6-0 (1.5 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ West Indies recorded their first ever 10 wicket victory
▪ Richards passed 6000 career runs
▪ This was the shortest completed Test in terms of overs bowled (190.2)

Man of the Match: CEL Ambrose

West Indies v India - Tour Match

Barbados XI v Indians
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown
3 Day Game
Umpires: HBD Jordan & LH Barker
Toss: Barbados XI

Barbados XI: G Challenor, SL Campbell, SM Nurse, CA Best, JED Sealy, *JDC Goddard, DAJ Holford, +DA Murray, VA Holder, ST Clarke, WW Daniel.
Indians: SM Gavaskar, M Prabhakar, VL Manjrekar, VS Hazare, DB Vengsarkar, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, +SMH Kirmani, J Srinath, EAS Prasanna, BS Chandrasekhar.

India needed to regroup following their third Test defeat in Guyana, and on a placid strip at the Kensington Oval they played out a tame draw with John Goddard's Barbados XI ahead of the Test here later in the week.

The hosts batted with enterprise on the first day, with Carlisle Best slamming fifty off just 43 balls after the early loss of both openers, and after Best eventually went for 81 out of a stand of 137 with Seymour Nurse, a further 191 runs were piled on for the fourth wicket as Derek Sealy played second fiddle to the increasingly dominant Nurse. India's bowlers toiled in the unhelpful conditions as Nurse made his way to a confident century, but the pace of his scoring slowed somewhat as he approached 200, forcing Goddard to extend the innings almost until lunch on the second day in order for Nurse to reach his milestone.

Nurse's undefeated 200 dominated what
turned out to be a relatively mundane draw

Barbados had reached 412-4 when the declaration came, and in reply the Indians batted on past tea on the third and final day, paying scant regard to the match situation as they simply opted for what amounted to a glorified net session. Clarke, Daniel and Holder struggled to extract any life from what was by now a truly dead wicket, and it was the medium pace of Goddard and Sealy that posed the most telling questions as all bar Hazare of the Indians' top order got some runs under their belts.

Manjrekar's five and a half hour 90 was the most significant contribution for the tourists, whilst Pataudi's quickfire 69 provided the most entertainment as the Indians meandered their way to a final total of 355 in the game's final hour, the match ending as a draw with Barbados reaching 23-1 in their second innings. India would probably be very happy to play the Test on a similar pitch to the one used here, but with the series poised at 1-1 with two to play one can only speculate as to the instructions issued to the ground staff ahead of what promises to be a pivotal fourth Test match.

Score Summary
BAR XI 1st Inns 412-4 dec. (Nurse 200*, Best 81, Sealy 78)
IND 1st Inns 355 (Manjrekar 90, Pataudi 69)
BAR XI 2nd Inns 23-1

MATCH DRAWN

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

Close of Play

Day 1 - Barbados XI 1st innings 348-3 (Nurse 166*, Sealy 70*; 101 ov)
Day 2 - Indians 1st innings 129-4 (Manjrekar 33*, Pataudi 0*; 48.3 ov)
Day 3 - Barbados XI 2nd innings 23-1 (12 ov) - end of match

West Indies v India - Third Test

Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana

West Indies: CG Greenidge, LG Rowe, GA Headley, IVA Richards, FMM Worrell, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, J Garner, CEL Ambrose.
India: SM Gavaskar, +FM Engineer, DB Vengsarkar, VL Manjrekar, PR Umrigar, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, M Prabhakar, EAS Prasanna, BKV Prasad, BS Chandrasekhar.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: Mahboob Shah (PAK) & DJ Constant (ENG)
Toss: West Indies

Following their dramatic escape in Trinidad, the tourists would have no doubt been bracing themselves for a West Indian backlash in Guyana, and so it was to prove as the hosts piled on the runs over the course of the first two days. Sobers won an important toss given the benign nature of the pitch at the Bourda, and George Headley led the rout as West Indies piled up a daunting total of 596, 428 of which came on a breathless first day.

George Headley was in imperious form during his mammoth 285

Greenidge got the ball rolling with a rollicking 96 and Richards blitzed 52 off just 35 balls, the second quickest fifty in ATG history, but it was Headley who was to prove chief executioner. He gave ne'er a chance, and by the time he was finally dismissed by Kapil Dev on the second afternoon he had taken his score to 285, the second highest individual innings in West Indian history. India stumbled their way to 147-4 in reply, but centuries from the inevitable Gavaskar and captain Pataudi, along with a confident fifty from Kapil Dev, enabled the tourists to pick their way to 343-5 by the close on day three, just 54 short of saving the follow-on.

However, the innings crumbled at the hands of Holding and Marshall on the fourth morning, and the last five wickets tumbled for just 14 runs as India's tail succumbed to an inspired spell of hostile pace bowling to leave the tourists 34 runs short of saving the follow-on at 363 all out. Sobers invited the Indians to bat again, and by lunch two further wickets had fallen to make it seven for the session as India looked like they could be ready to hoist the white flag. Gavaskar had other ideas though, and with Manjrekar his willing ally 178 runs were posted for the third wicket as India fought back. Manjrekar went for 95 in the day's last half hour but Gavaskar's defences remained unbreached, and on the final morning he brought up his second century of the match and his third in successive innings as India took the lead.

West Indies must be getting sick of the sight of Sunil Gavaskar

Wickets were falling at the other end though, and the fate of the game had now come down to a delicate equation of runs versus time. By tea India were 335-7, a lead of 102, and another hour's batting would surely be enough to save the game. Ambrose now delivered perhaps the most telling spell of his ATG career though, and in the space of half an hour the final three wickets fell for the addition of only 12 further runs, Ambrose finishing with career best figures of 6-50. Gavaskar had carried his bat for 149 and had batted for an incredible 18 hours over the course of both innings, but if West Indies could knock off 115 runs in the 30 overs that remained then his efforts would have been all for nought.

Greenidge and Rowe provided a solid base with a partnership of 65 off 17 overs, and with Greenidge continuing on to his second fifty of the match the result was never in doubt. The winning runs came with 16 balls and 7 wickets to spare, and India's resolve had finally been broken after two Tests of heroic defence. That said, the series is still only level at 1-1, and after three engrossing Tests we now look forward to the second half of what could go down as a truly classic series.

Score Summary
WI 1st Inns 596 (Headley 285, Greenidge 96, Richards 52, Sobers 42; Prabhakar 4-114)
IND 1st Inns 363 (Pataudi 109, Gavaskar 105, Kapil Dev 61; Holding 4-82)
IND 2nd Inns 347 (Gavaskar 149*, Manjrekar 95; Ambrose 6-50)
WI 2nd Inns 116-3 (Greenidge 51*)

WEST INDIES WON BY 7 WICKETS

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

Close of play
Day 1 - West Indies 1st innings 428-6 (Headley 183*, Marshall 9*; 99 ov)
Day 2 - India 1st innings 100-2 (Gavaskar 56*, Manjrekar 23*; 40 ov)
Day 3 - India 1st innings 343-5 (Pataudi 107*, Kapil Dev 54*; 118 ov)
Day 4 - India 2nd innings 227-4 (Gavaskar 93*, Pataudi 7*; 81 ov)
Day 5 - West Indies 2nd innings 116-3 (27.2 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ Headley's 285 is the second highest individual innings in West Indies' history
▪ Gavaskar is the ninth player, and third Indian, to score two hundreds in a Test and the second player, after JG Wright, to score three consecutive Test hundreds
▪ Gavaskar is the second player, after JB Hobbs, to carry his bat through a completed innings
▪ Sobers passed 5000 career runs
▪ Headley passed 2000 career runs
▪ Gavaskar and Manjrekar's partnership of 178 is India's highest for the third wicket against West Indies
▪ Richards' fifty off 35 balls is the second fastest in ATG history
▪ Dujon became the first wicketkeeper to reach 200 victims when he caught Prabhakar in India's 2nd innings

Man of the Match: GA Headley

West Indies v India - Second Test

Queen's Park Oval, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad

West Indies: CG Greenidge, LG Rowe, GA Headley, IVA Richards, FMM Worrell, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, MA Holding, CEL Ambrose, CA Walsh.
India: SM Gavaskar, +FM Engineer, VL Manjrekar, VS Hazare, PR Umrigar, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, M Prabhakar, EAS Prasanna, BKV Prasad, BS Chandrasekhar.

Debuts: LG Rowe (WI)
Umpires: RS Dunne (NZL) & BC Cooray (SL)
Toss: India

There were changes in both camps for the second Test; India dropped Ghavri in favour of Chandrasekhar, whilst West Indies went for extra pace, with Michael Holding coming in for Gibbs and Curtly Ambrose replacing the injured Garner. Lawrence Rowe would also make his debut in place of the under-performing Haynes.

Neither captain was happy with the surface prepared at the Queen's Park Oval, and it therefore came as no surprise when Pataudi inserted his opponents upon winning the toss. However, by the game's halfway stage it was West Indies that held the advantage, leading by 125 on first innings after India's bowlers failed to take advantage of the conditions. Rowe (43) and Headley (89) put on 101 for the second wicket, and after the innings slumped to 211-7 the eighth wicket pair of Dujon (98*) and Holding (52) contributed a national record 120 as West Indies totalled 362; four dropped catches didn't help the Indians cause either. In reply the tourists advanced to 176-3, but a torrid third afternoon saw the innings subside to 237 all out in the face of an unrelenting pace barrage, and as bravely as most of the Indians batted, Gavaskar's 85 was the only innings to make any significant impact in the runs department.

Headley batted superbly in both innings for West Indies

Greenidge went for a duck in the first over of West Indies' second innings, but Rowe and Headley put together their second hundred partnership of the match, and although Rowe again fell in the forties Headley, who had been dropped on 2, pressed on to complete a deserved century. India's attack simply lacked the necessary firepower to take advantage of the pitch conditions, and Viv Richards took full advantage as he ended his poor run by smashing a brutal, undefeated 124 out of a 203 partnership with Headley for the third wicket. Richards was also dropped, on 83, by Gavaskar in the slips, and when Sobers declared following Headley's dismissal midway through the fourth afternoon, West Indies led by 430 and India looked a tired and dispirited team.

Richards blasted his way back into form on the fourth day

Engineer, Manjrekar and Hazare all departed for single figures as the tourists slumped to 56-3 in their final innings, and although Gavaskar and Umrigar managed to progress the score to 118-3 by stumps, West Indies were still the overwhelming favourites going into the final day. India's fourth wicket pair remained resolute though, batting through the whole morning to take the total to 180-3, and a tempestuous afternoon session ended with the tourists still in with a chance of pulling off the greatest of escapes. Rowe spilled a simple chance to give Umrigar a life on 70, and on 99 Gavaskar survived a hugely confident shout for caught behind off the bowling of Marshall, a decision that allowed him to complete a wonderful hundred in the very next over. Umrigar also reached three figures before finally edging Marshall behind for 102, but his partnership with Gavaskar had spanned almost five and a half hours and had eaten up 72 overs in adding exactly 200 runs.

Umrigar's eighth Test hundred was also one of his finest

India took tea on 264-4 and now needed to survive for just another 35 overs, but Pataudi soon went for 9 and then Walsh claimed the crucial wicket of Gavaskar, caught by Rowe for 149, to leave the Indians on 294-6 with 22 overs remaining. Gavaskar had defied his opponents for more than eight hours, but his efforts now looked like they could all be in vain as West Indies closed in for the kill. Kapil Dev, Prabhakar and Prasanna all clung on gamely, but when the ninth wicket fell on 347 West Indies had sixteen deliveries left to complete the victory. Prasad and Chandrasekhar dug in, but with five balls remaining Ambrose seemed to have trapped Chandra plumb in front. Umpire Cooray remained unmoved though, and after playing and missing at the next three deliveries Chandra got bat on the final ball to secure the draw for India and hero status for himself. It was a suitably dramatic end to what had been one of the greatest of all Test matches, and India's lead in the series remains intact as the teams head to Guyana for the third match of what is proving to be a highly unpredictable series.

Just like a wall, they couldn't out Gavaskar at all...

Score Summary
WI 1st Inns 362 (Dujon 98*, Headley 89, Holding 52, Rowe 43)
IND 1st Inns 237 (Gavaskar 85)
WI 2nd Inns 305-3 dec. (Richards 124*, Headley 123, Rowe 49)
IND 2nd Inns 352-9 (Gavaskar 149, Umrigar 102)

MATCH DRAWN

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

Close of play
Day 1 - West Indies 1st innings 296-7 (Dujon 65*, Holding 37*; 88 ov)
Day 2 - India 1st innings 156-3 (Gavaskar 77*, Umrigar 5*; 49 ov)
Day 3 - West Indies 2nd innings 102-1 (Headley 50*, Rowe 49*; 30 ov)
Day 4 - India 2nd innings 118-3 (Gavaskar 62*, Umrigar 32*; 35 ov)
Day 5 - India 2nd innings 352-9 (125 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ Dujon and Holding's partnership of 120 is West Indies' highest for the eighth wicket
▪ India's 352-9 is their highest ever 4th innings total and the fourth highest overall

Man of the Match: SM Gavaskar

West Indies v India - Tour Match

Trinidad & Tobago XI v Indians
Guaracara Park, Point-a-Pierre
4 Day Game
Umpires: CE Cumberbatch & RG Gosein
Toss: Trinidad & Tobago XI

Trinidad & Tobago XI: CA Roach, MC Carew, CA Davis, HA Gomes, GE Gomez, *GC Grant, BD Julien, +D Williams, IR Bishop, D Ramnarine, AH Gray.
Indians: SM Gavaskar, +FM Engineer, VL Manjrekar, VS Hazare, RJ Shastri, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, M Prabhakar, EAS Prasanna, BKV Prasad, BS Chandrasekhar.

India maintained the momentum they gathered in Jamaica by routing Trinidad & Tobago in little more than two days at Guaracara Park, recording a comprehensive innings victory despite totalling only 274 themselves. Jackie Grant's Trinidad team emulated its national counterpart by batting very poorly in both innings on a pitch that could not be held to blame, and all the tourists' bowlers prospered as a result.

Kapil Dev bowled well in both innings as the
tourists recorded a comprehensive victory

The Trinidadians were bundled out for just 130 on the first day after Grant had won the toss and chosen to bat, Kapil Dev and Prasad picking up three wickets apiece as only a quickfire 40 from Gerry Gomez inconvenienced the visitors to any extent. India trailed by just fifteen by the time stumps were drawn, Gavaskar having made his way to a composed fifty, and a lead had been established when Tony Gray found Gavaskar's outside edge to dismiss him for 72 early on the second morning. Shastri, who had joined the squad as injury cover, and Pataudi followed soon after to leave the tourists rocking somewhat on 163-5, but Hazare's 66 coupled with a pair of bright cameos from Kapil Dev and Prabhakar helped take the total to 274 by the time the innings closed shortly before tea.

Gavaskar's 72 was the highest score
of a match where ball dominated bat

The tourists led by 144, and this was to prove enough as Trinidad & Tobago's second innings fell apart in even more spectacular fashion than its first. Openers Roach (53) and Carew (13) were the only batsmen to reach double figures, and after just forty minutes play on the third morning it was all over, with the hosts scraping together a total of just 110 to hand the Indians victory by an innings with over five sessions to spare, Kapil Dev the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4-18. Attention now turns to the Test in Port-of-Spain, and Pataudi's team will be full of confidence after such a positive start to the tour.

Score Summary
T & T XI 1st Inns 130 (Gomez 40)
IND 1st Inns 274 (Gavaskar 72, Hazare 66)
T & T XI 2nd Inns 110 (Roach 53; Kapil Dev 4-18)

INDIANS WON BY AN INNINGS & 34 RUNS

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

Close of Play

Day 1 - Indians 1st innings 115-2 (Gavaskar 59*, Hazare 11*; 34 ov)
Day 2 - Trinidad & Tobago XI 2nd innings 92-6 (Julien 0*, Williams 0*; 34 ov)
Day 3 - Trinidad & Tobago XI 2nd innings 110 (42.5 ov) - end of match

West Indies v India - First Test

Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica

West Indies: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, GA Headley, IVA Richards, FMM Worrell, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, J Garner, LR Gibbs, CA Walsh.
India: SM Gavaskar, +FM Engineer, VL Manjrekar, VS Hazare, PR Umrigar, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, M Prabhakar, KD Ghavri, EAS Prasanna, BKV Prasad.

Debuts: BKV Prasad (IND)
Umpires: RS Dunne (NZL) & BC Cooray (SL)
Toss: West Indies

India's dressing room looked more like a casualty ward in the build up to the first Test with Vengsarkar, Chandrasekhar, Bedi and Srinath all unavailable for selection, and it was a triumph of sorts for the tourists just to get eleven players on the field. However, India's seamers soon provided some respite as the ball swung on a rain-hit first morning, and after West Indies had won the toss and elected to bat on a flat, unblemished surface they soon found themselves reeling at 60-4 with both Headley and Richards departing for inglorious ducks. Worrell and Dujon fought back gamely with a brace of fifties, but Prasanna's marathon spell enabled Pataudi to maintain control, and with Dujon ninth out for a fighting 92 on his home ground a final total of 269 was a poor return given the batting surface.

Dujon's 92 helped save West Indies from
complete humiliation on the first day

Gavaskar and Engineer then put on 65 for India's first wicket, but with the spin of Sobers and Gibbs playing an unexpectedly prominent role, the tourists slumped to 92-4 by tea on day two. Manjrekar and Pataudi countered the threat by sweeping on sight, and the pair extended their gutsy partnership to 159 before Manjrekar was out hooking at Garner on the third morning just seven short of his century. Pataudi, playing a crucial innings for both himself and the team, managed to grind on to his third ATG hundred - the other two also came against West Indies - and when he finally edged Walsh behind for 126, Kapil Dev took over.

Kapil accumulated a sedate fifty off 107 balls, but following Pataudi's dismissal at 339-6 he scored at a run a ball as the tail all hung around for long enough to allow him to raise a wonderful hundred. West Indies did not field well - Pataudi was dropped on 63 and Dujon missed three possible stumping chances - and with the umpires most certainly favouring the batsmen Sobers led a disgruntled and frustrated team off the pitch when Kapil Dev was last man out for 123 early on the fourth morning. India's total of 456 had given them a lead of 183, but on a wicket that was still playing evenly, the hosts would have been looking to improve on their poor first innings performance with the hope of perhaps being able to put some pressure on the Indian batsmen on the final day.

Contrasting centuries from Pataudi and Kapil Dev
gave India a sizeable first innings advantage

However, West Indies were skittled for just 221 in what was quite frankly an embarrassing attempt at batting to save a Test match, and the Sabina Park faithful made their feelings increasingly clear as the day wore on. Fellow Jamaican George Headley played the only innings of substance, but with his score on 72 he became one of five victims for Prasanna when he clipped a simple catch to Hazare at midwicket, and whereas Manjrekar and Pataudi had played the spinners with aplomb in India's innings, the West Indian batsmen simply could not handle Prasanna. Haynes, Sobers and Dujon all perished to injudicious sweeps, and when last man Walsh holed out to Prasad - who had bowled very well on debut - India were left with a target of just 35 to complete a famous victory.

Gavaskar nearly took India home in the four overs that were possible on what was left of the fourth evening, but frustratingly everyone had to come back on the final morning in order for India to knock off the five remaining runs, everyone that is except the crowd, who stayed away en masse in protest at their team's shocking performance. India's nine wicket victory, one of the greatest shocks in ATG history, was consequently completed in front of empty stands, but Pataudi and his team did not care one jot. The batting frailties that were on show in New Zealand remain a huge problem for the West Indies, and despite their number one status they will now have to look very closely at themselves before the sides reconvene in Trinidad for what could be an explosive second Test.

Score Summary
WI 1st Inns 269 (Dujon 92, Worrell 73; Prasanna 4-60)
IND 1st Inns 456 (Pataudi 126, Kapil Dev 123, Manjrekar 93)
WI 2nd Inns 221 (Headley 72; Prasanna 5-51)
IND 2nd Inns 35-1

INDIA WON BY 9 WICKETS

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

Close of play
Day 1 - West Indies 1st innings 246-8 (Dujon 78*, Gibbs 0*; 79.4 ov)
Day 2 - India 1st innings 192-4 (Manjrekar 60*, Pataudi 57*; 76 ov)
Day 3 - India 1st innings 452-9 (Kapil Dev 122*, Prasad 4*; 160 ov)
Day 4 - India 2nd innings 30-1 (Engineer 6*, Manjrekar 0*; 4 ov)
Day 5 - India 2nd innings 35-1 (7.5 ov) - end of match

Notes
▪ Pataudi passed 1000 career runs
▪ Prasanna passed 100 career wickets
▪ Manjrekar and Pataudi's partnership of 159 is India's highest for the fifth wicket against West Indies
▪ Hazare made his 50th appearance for India

Man of the Match: EAS Prasanna

West Indies v India - Tour Match

Jamaica XI v Indians
Sabina Park, Kingston
4 Day Game
Umpires: D Sang Hue & EA Nicholls
Toss: Indians

Jamaica XI: AF Rae, JKC Holt, LG Rowe, EH Mattis, JC Adams, MLC Foster, +*FCM Alexander, NO Perry, FA Rose, R Gilchrist, BP Patterson.
Indians: SM Gavaskar, +FM Engineer, DB Vengsarkar, VL Manjrekar, PR Umrigar, *MAK Pataudi, Kapil Dev, M Prabhakar, J Srinath, KD Ghavri, BS Bedi.

Batsmen prospered on a featherbed at Sabina Park, and the Indians will not mind in the slightest if the surface prepared for the Test here plays in the same fashion. Gavaskar and Engineer opened up with a partnership of 112 after Pataudi won the toss and elected to bat, and whilst Engineer fell short of his century Gavaskar was not to be denied, advancing to 122 and adding 159 for the second wicket with Vengsarkar, who also reached three figures before stumps on the first day.

Will Dilip Vengsarkar be able to
carry his form into the Test arena?

Maurice Foster's off breaks were given an unusually extended run as Gerry Alexander struggled to exert any control in the field, and with contributions right down the card India's total had swelled to 523-9 when Pataudi declared at tea on day two. India's bowlers had plenty of runs to play with, but the Jamaican innings followed the same script as that of the tourists, with Rae's wonderfully fluent 92 paving the way for a dominant stand of 165 for the fourth wicket between Lawrence Rowe and Everton Mattis. Rowe was caught in the covers off Kapil Dev for 87 but the unheralded Mattis went on to raise a deserved hundred, and with rain twice halting play on day three Jamaica batted on into the fourth and final day before eventually closing on 448 at lunch.

Rae batted as well as anyone in compiling his 92

Ghavri did his chances of Test selection no harm at all by picking up four wickets, but India's fielding was below par, with three catches going to ground over the course of the innings, and this is something that will need to be improved upon ahead of the Tests. India chose to bat out the remainder of the day, Umrigar's undefeated 68 the highlight as they progressed to an inconsequential 180-4, and the tourists' batting looks in good shape ahead of the first Test.

Score Summary
IND 1st Inns 523-9 dec. (Vengsarkar 128, Gavaskar 122, Engineer 74, Manjrekar 40)
JAM XI 1st Inns 448 (Mattis 105, Rae 92, Rowe 87, Adams 48; Ghavri 4-73)
IND 2nd Inns 180-4 (Umrigar 68*)

MATCH DRAWN

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

Close of Play

Day 1 - Indians 1st innings 354-2 (Vengsarkar 128*, Manjrekar 24*; 90 ov)
Day 2 - Jamaica 1st innings 93-1 (Rae 55*, Perry 0*; 25 ov)
Day 3 - Jamaica 1st innings 387-5 (Adams 34*, Foster 8*; 107 ov)
Day 4 - Indians 2nd innings 180-4 (51 ov) - end of match