India's M.L. Jaisimha batted on all five days against Aussies in 1959-60

By A.C. De Silva

CRICKET: India pulled off a stunning win over Australia to go one-up in the Test series in the present series. India's win was by a massive margin of 320 runs. It was India's biggest win by runs ever, improving on their 280-run mark against South Africa in 1996.

The India-Australia cricket series have occupied a special place in the annals of cricket over the years and of the series played so far, as for the Indians, a special place will be occupied by the former Indian star batsman M.L. Jaisimha who batted all five days of the fifth and final Test against Richie Benaud's Australian team in the 1959 - 60 series in Calcutta.

This is a unique happening and for this achievement, Jaisimha occupies a special place in the annals of cricketing history in India.

The name Jaisimha is a familiar one to the older generation of cricket fans as he played in Sri Lanka with the Hyderabad Blues cricket team in 1967. He made 117 not out and 89 and then playing against the Sri Lanka Board President's XI in a three-day game at the Saravanamuttu Stadium, he took 6 for 125 (his figures of 5 for 65 in the first innings being particularly impressive). He also made 104 and took 4 for 89 against the Central Province and then in the unofficial 'Tests' played against Ceylon in the 1965 series, he scored 72 in Bangalore and 131 at Hyderabad. So, Sri Lanka cricket fans saw Jaisimha in full flight stroking the ball effortlessly and having all the time at his disposal to make his shots.

So quick was he to get into position to play his strokes and his on-side play was superb and he also cut and drove powerfully. It is no wonder that Jaisimha was entertainer in the same class as Pataudi, Surti and Engineer and the Australian cricket enthusiastically got a fine showing from him. Jaisimha can be called a fine cricketer as he has played against England, West Indies, Australia and Pakistan at home.

His clash with Australia in the much talked of 1959-60 series will be remembered for a long, long time as he had batted on all five days of the fifth Test in Calcutta.

He toured England in 1959, West Indies 1961-62, 1970-71, Australia 1967-68.

Test figures of Jaisimha: 39 Tests, 71 innings, 4 not-outs, 2,056 runs, 129 highest, 30.68 average, three 100s, 12 fifties, 17 catches, 2,097 deliveries, 829 runs, 9 wickets with average of 92.11.