A burial for India at Eden Gardens
By A.C.De Silva
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In full flow...... West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd in full
flow. He makes a fine drive and gets a boundary here during
his knock of 161 not out that helped West Indies to make 377
in their innings against India in Calcutta in December 1983.
West Indies went on to win the match by an innings and 46
runs.
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A fine faster one from Marshall who went on to take 3 for 65
in the first innings and 6 for 37 in the second innings and
that helped West Indies to dismiss India for 241 and shoot
them out for 90 in the second innings that helped West
Indies to win the match by an innings and 46 runs.
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FLASHBACK: Indian cricket hit a new low as a home series was
surrendered to the all-conquering West Indians. The Calcutta Test
brought into focus the inefficiency and the incompetence of the Indian
team to measure up to Test match requirements. It was the very Test
fascinatingly open at the end of the second day which by the end of the
third day had been gift wrapped and made ready of presentation. It was a
burial for India at Eden Gardens by the West Indies.
It was in every way a pathetic showing by India in every department
of the game and primarily in the bowling which allowed a West Indian
recovery to blossom to massive proportions. The inability of the bowling
to dominate the opposing batting had been well recorded in a barren
sequence of winless performances for over two years, but in Calcutta it
was worse because India had stood every chance after effective seam
bowling by Kapil Dev had restored the balance.
Spinners fail
The total failure of spin was reflected in that pace bowlers with no
great claims to batting were allowed to bat on without being pressured
sufficiently and they enabled Clive Lloyd to anchor the innings and take
the match away from India.
Winning the toss on the newly relaid pitch was a mystery to all save
the fact its hardness promised a wicket that would be durable, should
have been the most advantageous. That India collapsed to 63 for 6 on the
first day when there was only minor help for pace bowlers by way of seam
movement was a comment on its team spirit and lack of order in the
ranks.
Irresponsible batting
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A massive six for Andy Roberts as he swings Indian Maninder Singh for a
huge six to long on. Roberts made 68 in the West Indies
total of 377.
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There was immediate disaster for India when Sunil Gavaskar fell to
the first ball of the match playing a peculiar and impractical glide
shot to a wide inswinger from Malcolm Marshall. So, it was 0 for 1
wicket and Gavaskar one and there was disaster to come in heaps.
West Indian paceman Malcolm Marshall exploited the chips with another
sustained showing of controlled pace to return his career best figures
and the Indian challenge had been snuffed out on home soil.
Indian wickets tumbled and six wickets were down for 63 runs in the
fist innings and only the second half of the Indian batting somewhat
gave them hopes of even getting past the hundred-run mark. Kapil Dev
made 69, Binny got 44, Kirmani made 49 and India were out for 241 in the
first innings.
Marshall and Roberts got three wickets each in the first innings and
later on Holding also grabbed three wickets for 59, bowling 20 overs.
When the West Indians batted they too ran into difficulties and five
wickets fell for 88 runs, but there was that master-batsman who made a
cracker-jack knock of 161 not out and with Malcolm Marshall (54)
steadied the West Indian ship with a 87-run partnership for the
sixth-wicket taking the score from 88 for 5 to 175 for 6. Then there was
Andy Roberts who chipped in with 68 and the West Indies made somewhat a
pleasing total of 377 in their first innings.
Kapil Dev was the most successful Indian bowler with 4 91 from 35
overs with five maidens while Yadav had 3 for 80.
Then India had worse to follow and they were shot out for 90 in their
second innings and it was once again Malcolm Marshall (6 for 37) who
caused the early damage and he was supported by Michael Holding 3 for
29.
So, it was a one way passage for the West Indies and they romped home
to win the match by an innings and 46 runs.
SCOREBOARD
INDIA – 1ST INNINGS
S.M. Gavaskar c Dujon b Marshall 00
A.D. Gaekwad b Marshall l2
D.B. Vengsarkar b Holding 23
M. Amarnath c and b Marshall 00
A. Malhotra c Gomes b Davis 20
R.J. Shastri b Holding 12
R. Binny lbw b Roberts 44
Kapil Dev b Holding 69
S.M.H. Kirmani b Roberts 49
Shivalal Yadav c Greenidge b Roberts 10
Maninder Singh not out 00
Extras (lb-6, nb-6) 12
Total 241
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-9, 3-13, 4-41, 5-63, 7-145
8-212, 9-240
Bowling: M.D. Marshall 22-7-65-3
A. Roberts 23.4-9-56-3
W.W. Davis 14-1-39-1
M.A. Holding 20-4-59-3
R. Harper 8-2-16-0
WEST INDIES – 1ST INNINGS
C.G. Greenidge c Yadv b Binny 25
D.L. Haynes lbw b Kapil Dev 05
I.V.A. Richards c Kirmani b Kapil Dev 09
H.A. Gomes b Yadav 18
P.J. Dujon c Gaekwad b Kapil Dev 00
C.J. Lloyd not out 161
M.D. Marshall lbw b Maninder Singh 54
M.A. Holding c Shastri b Maninder Singh 17
H.R. Harper lbw b Kapil Dev 00
A.M.E. Roberts c Amarnath b Yadav 68
W.W. Davis lbw b Yadav 00
Extras (lb-7, b-8, w-1, Nb-4) 20
Total 377
Fall of wickets: 1-32, 2-41, 3-42, 4-42, 5-88, 6-175
7-213, 8-213, 9-374
Bowling: Kapil Dev 36-5-91-4
R. Binny 13-2-62-1
M. Amarnath 7-1-19-0
S. Yadav 27-1-80-3
R.J. Shastri 18-2-56-0
Maninder Singh 28-7-54-2
INDIA – 2ND INNINGS
S.M. Gavaskar c Dujon b Holding 20
A.D. Gaekwad b Holding 04
D.B. Vengsarkar lbw b Marshall 01
M. Amarnath b Holding 00
A. Malhotra c Dujon b Marshall 30
R.J. Shastri b Marshall 02
R. Binny c Harper b Marshall 06
Kapil Dev c Dujon b Marshall 00
S.M.H. Kirmani b Roberts 13
Shivalal Yada b Marshall 04
Maninder Singh not out 00
Extras (b-1, lb-5, nb-4) 10
Total 90
Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-29, 3-29, 4-33, 5-36, 6-50
7-77, 8-77, 9-80
Bowling West Indies: M.D. Marshall 15-4-37-6
A. Roberts 4-1-11-1
W.W. Davis 2-0-7-0
M.A. Holding 9-3-29-3 |
