#Rewind360 - Chandrasekhar spins India to victory

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  • It was one of India's greatest Test wins on English soil

    As India embarked on their tour of England in 1971, the average cricket fan had no idea that this would turn out to be an immensely significant chapter in the history of Indian sports. The stark contrast between the two teams made the series seem like a cakewalk for the mighty English team who had not lost a Test match for over three years and 26 Tests.

    Although upbeat after their successful tour to the Caribbean islands earlier in the year, the Indians barely appeared to be a threat for England on paper. Predictably, they were pushed to the backfoot on the first two Tests and marginally managed to escape defeats, courtesy climatic intervention.

    As the third Test at The Oval got underway, the English skipper Ray Illingworth won the toss for the third consecutive time and elected to bat first. Opener Brian Luckhurst fell to Eknath Solkar on the second over, before John Jameson and John Edrich took it upon themselves to build a solid foundation for those following them. A seventh wicket partnership of 103 runs between Alan Knott and Richard Hutton took England to 355.

    With Friday being washed out and the Saturday sky promising some downpour some time during the day, the general prediction of a draw seemed to be increasing in popularity. Stubborn resistance from India’s lower middle order that took the score from 125/5 to 278/7 further added reason to that prediction.

    CHANDRASEKHAR SPINS IT IN INDIA’S FAVOR

    It was one of India's greatest Test wins on English soil

    It was one of India’s greatest Test wins on English soil

    Sometimes, all it takes to turn the tables around is a tiny window of opportunity. For a country struggling to register their name among the top teams in international cricket, that window arrived in the form of a man who had suffered from polio at birth leaving him with a weak right arm. Bhagwat Chandrasekhar was suddenly the unlikely hero that India had so desperately needed.

    With only a few minutes to go into the lunch break, Chandrasekhar managed to deflect a straight drive from Luckhurst that eventually found Jameson short of the crease. That was the first over in the third innings for the Indian, and he would go on to torment the home team for 18 more.

    A few minutes after removing Jameson, Chandrasekhar sent down a faster ball to castle Edrich. Later, he would reflect on that delivery fondly: “It was the ball which castled John Edrich that made me aware that things could happen on this wicket. Edrich, a most dangerous batsman, effective, and capable of the long innings, played forward helplessly. It was my fast ball which breached his defense. I realized my legbreak would turn too.”

    On the next delivery, Keith Fletcher was caught by Solkar at short leg. All of a sudden, India found themselves in an advantageous position with England reeling at 24/3, thanks to the phenomenon called Chandrasekhar.

    WRAPPING IT UP CONVINCINGLY

    CHANDRASEKHAR VS ENGLAND IN TESTS

    • Matches: 23
    • Wickets: 95 @ 27.27
    • 5WI: 8
    • BBI: 8/79, BBM: 9/107

    Post lunch, Basil D’Oliveira attempted to resurrect the innings with Luckhurst still at the crease, but he too surrendered to the buoyant Indians after a partnership lasting for 25 runs. Meanwhile, Chandrasekhar was all over the English line-up with his complete artillery of spin. He got the ball to bounce in unpredictable fashion and induced edges every once in a while. On a sluggish surface, his extra pace and meticulous precision made him a formidable opponent.

    Chandrasekhar single-handedly ran through the rest of the English batting order, and by 45.1 overs, all of them had returned to the pavilion. Contrary to what most had anticipated, a result – and India’s first victory on English soil – was now a possibility.

    With the Indian openers at the crease, England cut off the boundaries and strangled the batsmen. Derek Underwood attempted a scare towards the middle of the innings, but the middle order ensured India completed their deserved win without a fuss.

    The legspinner who had given the country a moment to cherish with his 6/38, would later go on to say, “Before this Test there was speculation that I might be the bowler to be left out. I think it was our manager, Hemu Adhikari, who settled the matter. Our skipper, Ajit Wadekar, also had a lot of faith in me.”

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