Kapil Dev - star performer in India's 10-wkt win over Pakistan

By A.C. De Silva

CRICKET: India under the superb guidance of skipper Sunil Gavaskar won the fifth Test against their traditional rivals - Pakistan by ten wickets at the Chepauk stadium, Madras. The match was played on January 15, 16, 17, 19 and 20 in 1980.

India outplayed their Pakistani rivals in all departments of the game under the able leadership of their batting ace Sunil Gavaskar, who was one of the best batsmen. It was under his able leadership that they beat Pakistan who were led by Imran Khan.

Gavaskar showed remarkable concentration and coolness in his strokeplay in building India's first innings total of 430 after Kapil Dev shook the Pakistan first innings which ended at 272.

Skipper Gavaskar's painstaking century knock (166) had the Pakistanis tied up.

However, the victory at Madras was the result of collective effort of team work, but there was one man who deserves a little bit of special mention and he is Kapil Dev - India's pride medium fast bowler who only in 1979 was awarded the Test cap when he toured with Bishen Bedi's team which was beaten by Pakistan 2-nil in the three-Test series.

Kapil virtually ran through the Pakistan second innings. He bowled superbly on a placid wicket to cause the downfall of Pakistan, especially in the second innings to capture seven wickets for 56 runs and Pakistan were out for 233. Kapil bowled well in the first innings too and took 4 for 90 to have a match haul of 11 for 146. Kapil also batted well to make 84 in the Indian first innings total of 430.

Batting was the strongest point of the touring Pakistan team, but surprisingly it was that which let them down. A side packed with world renowned batsmen like Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal and Majid Khan just could not get going on an easy and placid strip. Pakistan were out for 272 in the first innings and 233 in their second turn. There was one Pakistan player Asif Iqbal who quite rightly confessed that he had no excuse to offer for the Madras defeat as the Pakistanis batted badly. Only Wasim Hasab-Raja, Javed Miandad and Imran Khan batted well to salvage the Pakistan batting image to some extent otherwise, the Madras Test, like Bombay, would have been over inside four days.

Wasim Raja and Miandad batted well under great pressure, though they were not the upper stars then.

The Madras defeat was a pointer in rebuilding the Pakistan team in the same way as India did when Bedi and his men lost the 1978 series against Pakistan. The Indian side went through the changes and it infused new blood. Pakistan, in the current series, faced a vigorous and determined side, a fine mixture of youth and experience.

However, the Madras Test was worth remembering, for the Pakistan team. The spectators were knowledgeable lot. The fans lustily cheered when Imran Khan completed his 100th wicket and also applauded the brave innings of 57 by Wasim Raja and 52 by Javed Miandad in the first innings total of 233. They gave a standing ovation to Sunil Gavaskar for his 23rd century and they stood in admiration when Kapil Dev virtually ran through the Pakistan side.