INDIA v. AUSTRALIA

At Kanpur, November 15, 16, 18, 19, 20. Drawn. The Indian selectors made drastic changes, dropping Borde, Sardesai, Surti and Abid Ali and bringing in Solkar, Guha, Gandotra and Viswanath. Solkar and Gandotra had made their début in Test cricket earlier, against New Zealand, while Viswanath was a new cap. The policy paid as Viswanath scored a century on his début and Solkar played a fine knock of 44. Only Guha had to toil on a beautiful pitch in which the batsmen generally dominated. This was the only Test of the series that went the full five days.

Pataudi won a good toss for his side and Engineer and Mankad, promoted to the opening position, showed appreciation of the conditions, starting with a stand of 111; Engineer gave a return catch from a full toss ten minutes before lunch. He was at his gayest and hit twelve 4's. Mankad, batting beautifully after lunch, and Wadekar added 56 runs. Just as he was blossoming, the latter hooked a bouncer from Connolly into the hands of Mallett at deep fine leg. Viswanath, playing his first Test innings, was given a torrid time by Connolly and was dismissed for a duck. Gandotra, too, fell early and the good start was nullified. However, Pataudi, after being missed by Redpath in the slips off McKenzie when he was 23 and Solkar, following a lucky escape also in the slips off the same bowler when he was four, survived till the close, to take the score to 235 for five wickets.

Though McKenzie had the satisfaction of dismissing Pataudi in his second over on the following morning, India pushed the score to 320 runs. Solkar made an exuberant 44 while the tail wagged. Connolly, who kept up a clever attack, got four wickets and Mallett kept his end up with accurate spells. Before the end of the day India did well to dismiss Stackpole ( run out when in his best mood), Lawry and Chappell for 93 runs. Walters, who was unbeaten with 29, along with Redpath resumed in a deadly mood on the next day--the third day was rest day--but a superb delivery from Bedi which straightened to knock back the leg stump cut short his stay. Walters drove with blistering power and hit eight 4's. Then India had to wait nearly three hours for the next wicket, that of Redpath, in which time he and Sheahan added 131 runs. Redpath's splendid knock, characterised by front foot drives, contained eleven 4's. Sheahan completed his maiden Test century. Graceful, delicate of touch and yet making powerful strokes all round, Sheahan hit twenty 4's in a stay of four and a quarter hours. Stumps were drawn with the end of the Australian innings.

Mankad and Viswanath dominated the scene on the fourth day. The former followed his first-innings effort of 64 with 68, showing greater confidence in his approach and more assurance in his strokes. Viswanath impressed everybody by his stroke play. He cut and drove delightfully to reach 69 in the company of Solkar at close of play. The score of 204 for five was raised by the pair to 257 next morning, a stand of 110 runs, when Solkar was out for 35. Viswanath completed a beautiful hundred to become the sixth Indian batsman to achieve the feat on his Test début. In full flow he went on to make 137, with as many as twenty-five 4's in his stay of five hours, fifty-four minutes. Any threat of defeat had been removed. Pataudi declared and in the two hours remaining, Lawry and Stackpole collected 95 runs; Lawry hit 56 with ten 4's.