India and Pakistan in Another Dreary Series 1960-61

India and Pakistan in Another Dreary Series, 1960–61. Pakistan, who won the toss and batted first in four of the five drawn Tests, scored 2,481 runs for 68 wickets in 1,101.5 overs at a rate of 2.25 runs per over. India, who had first use of the wicket in only the last Test, scored 2,178 runs off 1,014 overs at an average of 2.14. The difference is virtually negligible, but Pakistan on four occasions set the tempo. Furthermore, while they scored 140 for 3, 146 for 3 declared, and 59 for no loss in the second innings of the Kanpur, Calcutta, and Madras Tests, respectively, they were completely safe from defeat and were able to bat without a care in the world.

In only two Tests did India get a second innings. In Calcutta, they were in peril of losing the game when they batted a second time, and in the final Test, they went in when only ten minutes remained on the last day. In the first four Tests, one was tempted to condone India's rate of scoring because Pakistan took about two days to put up totals of between 300 and 350, and then it was not worth India's while to take risks and try and force a result in the remaining three days. But when it came to Contractor's turn to call the tune in the last Test on an unimpeachable wicket at Delhi, his outlook was no different from that of his rival. Just over a full day's play was lost in the whole series.

Rain took away four and a half hours from the third test at Calcutta. However, the fourth day's play in the Madras Test was curtailed by 20 minutes due to a fire breaking out in a section of the stands, and the start of the final test was delayed by an hour. After accounting for these curtailments, the two teams aggregated 4,669 runs for an average scoring rate of 194.54 runs per day (of five hours) and 38.85 runs per hour. The 200-mark was topped on only 11 of the 24 days, and on half of these occasions, it was on the last day, when a decisive result was out of the question.

But Pakistan must get credit for the highest number scored in a day. Ironically enough, it was on the opening day of the first Test that they made 241 for 1, with Hanif Muhammed batting in all his glory for the only time in his nine innings. The lowest mark was reached by India on the third day of the second Test, when they put on no more than 149. India, I thought, was the superior side, and it was dropping catches at crucial stages that prevented them from winning the Bombay Test. At Delhi, it was through chances for all three batsmen who made sizeable scores that India built up a huge total, and they let the match slip out of their fingers, dropping no less than five catches.

At Bombay, in the first Test, Pakistan were 300 for 1 at one stage. Then followed a collapse that was a virtual landslide, and they were all out for 350. The fear of a recurrence of such a debacle and Hanif Muhammed's loss of form after his magnificent century must have detracted considerably from their confidence, although Saeed Ahmed did more than take over the role of sheet-anchor in their batting. Increasingly Reliable As the series progressed, the middle of Pakistan's batting became increasingly reliable, but rarely did Pakistan in India exude the air of mastery. The only batsman on the Pakistan side who batted always with the demeanor of one in command was Saeed Ahmed.

Imtiaz Ahmed, who opened with Hanif, accumulated 375 runs for an average of 41.60, including a hectic century; at least the latter part of it was at Madras, but none of his big innings were free of chances. At number four in the batting order, Javed Burki looked like a cultured cricketer. He did not come off in the first Test because he joined the team only a couple of days before the game, having stayed back in Pakistan to appear for a public service examination.

But scoring 79 and 48 not out, he provided a backbone for both the Pakistan innings at Kanpur and in Calcutta; he twice topped the 40 mark. He played no small part in saving the final Test, scoring a valiant 61 in the first innings Half of this inning was played practically one-handed because he had been badly injured. Javed Burki could barely grip the bat in the second, but he kept the ball out of the clutches of five or six close fielders for 45 full minutes and aided Mushtaq-homed in halting a collapse.

Mushtaq Muhammed, at number six, proved as resourceful as Burki, more so when things were going against his side. At the start of the tour, he looked like a rabbit for leg spinners, but he dealt with them competently by stretching fully forward to smother the spin. For a small man, he drove with force on either side of the wicket and hooked and pulled without fear. He was struck more than once in trying to hook Desai's kicking deliveries, but it never stopped him from getting behind the line of the ball; his century, which snatched victory out of India's grasp at Delhi, was a valiant effort. He did not make many runs in the second inning, but without his long vigil, it might have again folded up quickly.

The tail-enders all took their turns at 45 to rise to the occasion. At Kanpur, Nasim-ul-Ghani, the Pakistanis' only left-hander, played an invaluable innings of 70, a real life-saver. At Calcutta, the hard-driving Intikhab Alam made 56 and enabled Pakistan to touch a respectable mark in the first inning. At Madras, the only Test in which Pakistan declared their first innings, no wagging of the tail was called for, and at Delhi, Mahmood Hussain frustrated India's hopes of a victory by saying Pakistan had a varied attack but not one with the potential to run through the Indian batting.

In a team of 17—too large a compliment for so short a tour—they brought out three fast-medium bowlers, Mahmood Hussain, Muhammed Farooq, who had never played for Pakistan before, and Muhammad Munaf, described before the team arrived as the quickest bowler on the other side of the border. Then came Fazal Mahmood, now bowling with a shortened run and a lower arm at just about medium pace. Among the spinners were off-spinner Haseeb Ahsan and left-arm Nasim-ul-Ghani, both found on the tour to the West Indies in early 1958. Leg-spin was served up by the stocky, swarthy all-rounder Intikhab Alam, who, with Richie Benaud as his model, turned out to be a better leg-spinner than we expected.

The terror of Pakistan's new ball attack was obviously on the wane. Mahmood Hussain had lost much of the speed and lift he had when he came here eight years earlier. Before the tour had advanced very far, the other two pace bowlers, Farooq and Muhammad Munaf, went on the invalid list, and Hussain had a lot of work to do. Fazal Mahmood pulled a muscle in the opening game of the tour, an injury that recurred in the match before the first test and again in the first test. As a run-saver, he was effective, bowling steadily at just short of a length, but only the softish, green wicket at Calcutta gave 46 Pakistani players in India the look of a match-winning bowler. This was one test captured at 5 for 26 in which he was a menace.

In the first Test, Mahmood Hussain and Fazal Muhammed were well supported by Muhammed Farooq, who took 4 for 139 in 46 overs. But he got his first three wickets and that of Roy, Baig Contractor, without much cost. An injured muscle after this Test allowed him only two smaller games, but he returned to the side in the fifth Test and once more bowled effectively, bringing the ball in nicely off the wicket. A bowler with a run-up reminiscent of Ray Lindwall, Muhammad Farooq, at 22, is Pakistan's young bowler of the future, provided, of course, he trains up his muscles to withstand the strain and hard work. Nari Contractor and Pankaj Roy opened for India in the first Test.

If Pankaj Roy did not play again in the series, it was because of his unsure fielding and not because he was not impressive while making 23 runs out of an opening stand of 56. Contractor, who aggregated 319 runs for an average of 53.17, was consistently personified, and contrary to the fears of many, his batting remained unaffected by the onus of captaincy. Pankaj Roy was replaced by M.L. Jaisimha, who made a laborious 99 in almost eight hours in the Kanpur Test and remained Nari Contractor's opening partner for the rest of the series. He never made another big score in four more innings, but he always stayed till the shine was off.

Never did he look anything but a batsman of Test match class. Jaisimha, however, does not enjoy opening the innings because it stifles his stroke play, which is as brilliant as that of any contemporary Indian batsman. Nothing was more unfortunate from the Indian angle than Baig's failure to get going. In contrast to his teammates, the little Oxford batsman sought runs from the very moment he arrived at the crease. He did not play even a full over at Bombay, but at Kanpur, he seemed to be seeing the ball very well and provided a few moments of delightful cricket while making 13.

At Calcutta, he started shakily against the spinners and was just settling down when he made an ill-advised pull and was bowled. Faultless Technique Manjrekar returned to the side for the first time since his knee gave way during the tour of England. Faultless technique makes him a sound and solid batsman despite his capless knee, but his stroke play has certainly been affected. Against Pakistan, he played his drives as handsomely as he always did, but less frequently. Umrigar had a most successful series, with his six innings yielding him 382 runs, including three centuries. Chandu Borde always batted in cavalier fashion, and he invariably changed the complexion of the innings.

He failed at Kanpur after a handsome innings of 41 at Bombay, and the selectors wanted his head. Had Milkha Singh not reported ill on the morning of the match, Chandu Borde would not have played at Calcutta, where he saved India with innings of 44 and 23 not out. When Haseeb Ahsan at Madras was threatening to mow down India for a paltry score after Pakistan had put up 448 for 8 declared, their highest total of the series, Chandu Borde played the longest innings of his career, 177 not out, and again proved himself the man for a crisis.

He played another useful inning in Delhi, but this time his touch was unsure. As I have said earlier, India played Surendra Nath in only two Tests, trying to make do with either Surti or Umrigar as the other opening bowler. A great burden therefore fell on Tiny' Desai, and bowling 215.5 overs, more than any other Indian bowler, he captured 21 wickets at an average of 29.76.

Kapil Dev - The Finest All rounder India has Ever Produced

Kapil Dev is the finest all-rounder India has ever produced. His greatest feats were leading India in the 1983 world cup and winning in style.  Kapil Dev was outstanding in his accuracy and ability to swing the ball, usually away from right-handers. And he could hit a ball even more brilliantly than he bowled it, with uncomplicated flair. Kapil Dev was named by Wisden as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002. 

Kapil Dev - Greatest All Rounder in the History of Cricket

India has been blessed with many great batsmen and spin bowlers. But they have often suffered from a shortage of great fast bowlers and all-rounders. So, Kapil Dev had one of each. Kapil Dev Ram Lal Nikhanj was indeed the greatest all rounder in the history of the game. Kapil Dev's father as belonging to Okara district of Pakistan. So, after partition, he moved to Chandigarh.

His pace was in fact never of the express variety. But he had full control on both sides swing bowling, particularly his outswinger was very lethal. The medium pace rather than fast in his early years, and something less than that later. But he had seemingly endless reserves of bustling energy, swung the ball, and knew how to take wickets. Kapil Dev was famous with the nickname of the ‘Haryana Express’.

Even though he lost some nip towards the end of his long career1978-1994). His magical stats remained impressive given the unhelpful bowling conditions in which he was often operating. Only two other fast bowlers have taken 200 Test wickets for India, Zaheer Khan, and Javagal Srinath. Both had averages on the top side of 30’s, whereas Kapil’s 434 wickets – which stood as the world record for a few years – cost 29.64 apiece.

He is one of them Indian players to do the Test double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets, Kapil is the only one who averaged more with the bat than the ball. Above all, though, Kapil Dev earned a place in history as the man who captained India to victory in the 1983 World Cup. An upset result that converted the subcontinent to one-day cricket and amazed cricket pundits who had written off his team as no hopers before the tournament.

By doing his bit as a player – 12 wickets and 303 runs, with a thrilling 175 runs were plundered off Zimbabwe in an afternoon of mayhem at Tunbridge Wells. The innings played in a crucial situation when Indian batting was struggling but Kapil came and mastering the strokes to all parts of the ground. Kapil Dev instilled the belief in his players that they could go all the way, never more so than in the final when they were defending a meager total of 183 against West Indies.

Kapil Dev bowled 12 miserly overs and took a breathtaking running catch on the boundary to dismiss Viv Richards. India cricket being the fickle creature it is, he lost the captaincy within a few months but recuperated it in 1985 and kept it until India’s defense of the World Cup failed at the semi-final stage in 1987.

What also marked him out was his background. Kapil Dev born in Chandigarh and raised in the countryside at a time when most Indian Test cricketers came from middle-class families based in the big cities, he broke the mold. One of the “Big Four” Test all-rounders who dominated in the 1980’s – Ian Botham, Imran Khan and Richard Hadlee was the others. Most cricket legends believe that Kapil was probably the least dangerous bowler. His figures would certainly suggest that.

But he was very effective in his early years, making his Test debut at the age of 19 and being instantly at home on the big stage as effortlessly as Botham. Kapil clocked up the 1,000 run and 100 Test wickets double within 15 months of his first game and the 2,000 run–200 wickets double in four and a half years.

Kapil Dev was just a prodigious natural talent in everything he did. In those days, he did a lot of twisting and turning in his action, but it got him sideways on and in a position to swing the ball. He needed watching very carefully. As a lower-order batsman, Kapil Dev came closest to matching Botham for destructive and entertaining hitting. Like Ian Botham, he was far better than the ‘slogger’ a label that some might have attached to someone who so obviously delighted in finding the boundary.

He could strike the ball in a classical fashion and was sound enough technically to score three hundred against powerful West Indies pace attacks of various vintages. Hence, at one occasion in 1983 seeing off Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner to make a game safe in Trinidad. In all, he scored eight Test hundreds, two more than Imran.

Still people remembering that Quite late in his career, at Port Elizabeth, he halted a rampaging Allan Donald-led South Africa pace attack in its tracks with a superbly measured counter-attacking century. Kapil scored almost entirely with the tail for company. When he went in, India were 27 for five, which soon became 31 for six.

Of India’s eventual 215 all out, Kapil’s share was an excellent 129 runs. Kapil made something of a specialty of making light of a crisis. While others fretted, he coolly went about fixing things with some measured blows. The classic example of this, of course, was at Lord’s in 1990 in an epic Test, which saw Graham Gooch score a triple century in the first innings and a mere single one in the second. One of the silkiest hundreds you could ever wish to see from Mohammad Azhar-ud-din.

Kapil Dev again found himself batting with the tail as India struggles to bat to avoid the follow on. With 24 runs needed and the last man in, Kapil came on strike against Eddie Hemmings and spotted an opportunity few others would have contemplated. He beautifully struck four straight sixes in four balls down towards the Nursery The end, where men in hard hats constructing the Compton and Edrich Stands came under fire, and Kapil Dev did the job in an excellent way.

It was fantastic to watch, and a very brave effort. Imagine if he’d got out attempting one of those shots? Botham gets on very well with him. He loves him because of their shared passion for golf! Kapil has developed into a remarkable player and has numerous business ventures linked to the sport – and their shared approach to cricket.

They played the game in the same uninhibited fashion and I think their desire to outdo each other spurred them on. Both were close to their best in 1982 when England and India faced each other for six Tests in India and three in England. In what was a largely turgid series on the subcontinent, both hit hundreds in Kanpur, Kapil batting in sparkling fashion for 116 off 98 balls.

Then, in England, he hit 89 off just 55 balls at Lord’s – had he reached his hundred it could have been the fastest in Test history to that point – followed by 65 off 55 balls at Old Trafford and 97 off 93 balls at The Oval, where Botham himself scored a rapid double century. He retired from Cricket in 1994, holding the highest Test Wickets were taken in longer version of cricket. The record was broken by Courtney Walsh in 2000.

Kapil Dev was the first bowler in the history of the game, by getting more than 400 test wickets and the first player to get 200 wickets in ODI format. Kapil was known for his graceful action and potent outswinger. For many years, he was India's main strike bowler. As a natural hard-hitting batsman, his skill is to play hook and drive effectively. His ability to counter-attack on opposition always help India in a critical situation. He lives in the heart of cricket lovers who had watched him on TV.  Read More - Subhash Gupte – India’s Greatest Spin Bowler of 1950’s / Nayan Mongia – Most Competent Indian Wicket Keeper / 50,000 Runs in All Forms of Cricket

Sunil Gavasaker The Legend of Indian Cricket

Back in 2007 at Lord's, when England needed 7 wickets to win the Test on Day 5, MS Dhoni fought tooth and nail, scoring an unbeaten 76 (159), before the rain came down to save India.

Back in 2007 at Lord's, when England needed 7 wickets to win the Test on Day 5, MS Dhoni fought tooth and nail, scoring an unbeaten 76 (159), before the rain came down to save India.

England v India, 3rd Investec Test, Ageas Bowl, 27,28,29,30,31 July 2014 (5-day match) 2014

Indian medium pacer Pankaj Singh Set the unwanted record of most runs conceded on debut test Without Taking any Wicket, beating Pakistan Shoail Khan Record at India vs England 3rd Test at Rose Bowl Southampton 27,28,29,30,31 July 2014 (5-day match) Test Match # 2132. His match figure was 146/0 and 33/0.

Pankaj Singh Woeful Test Debut at Rose Bowl @ Getty Images

Mooen Ali became the first English spinner to take a five-wicket haul against India in the fourth innings of a home Test,
With match figures of 8 for 129, Moeen had shaken off the perception of him being a part-time spinner.

Mooen Ali took five-wicket haul against India in the fourth innings of a home Test © Getty Images

Most Catches on Test Debut

England Jos Buttler and Brad Haddin are the only two wicketkeeper in the last fifteen years who have taken six catches in their debut test. However; the record is most catches on debut test is 7 well achieved by four 4 players Allan Knot, Chris Read, Biran Taber and Chamara Dunusinghe. 

Jos Buttler swings down the ground during his thrilling innings, England v India, 3rd Investec Test, Ageas Bowl, 2nd day, July 28, 2014 @ PA Photo

Moreover; Jos Buttler, Adam Gilchrist and Chamara Dunusinghe are the only three wicket keeper batsman who made fifty and taken five catches at least on debut Test.

James Anderson Shines in the Modern Era of No 11.

James Anderson a well composed 81 runs, aside as the highest score by an English No.11 and the third-highest by any in that position. Jimmy Anderson faced 130 balls actually second-most by an English No.11. His partnership with Joe Root produced 198 runs, a world record for the tenth-wicket. They were together for 360 balls, the most by a tenth-wicket pair in Tests, and the only instance of a last wicket pair playing 300 or more deliveries. Moreover; the tenth-wicket pairs from both sides accumulated 309 runs, the most runs scored for the final wicket in a Test. In a rare occurrence, the only other No.11 batsman to score a Test fifty for England is John Snow. He scored an unbeaten 59 against West Indies at The Oval in 1966. John Snow and Ken Higgs shared a final-wicket stand of 128. Jimmy Anderson maiden half-century was only the 2^nd instance of a No.11 batsman reaching the mark against India. Wes Hall had made an unbeaten 50 at Port of Spain in 1962. Wes Hall then also took the first five wickets, reducing India to 30/5.

Wes Hall is the only player other than James Anderson to have scored a fifty against India while batting at No.11. © Getty Images

James Anderson had a great day at Nottingham and shines in the sunny day © Getty Images