WEST INDIES v INDIA 1988-89

At Port-of-Spain, April 15, 16, 17, 19, 20. West Indies won by 217 runs. Toss: India. A win that clinched the series was a personal triumph for Marshall who, on what was essentially a spinners' pitch, took eleven wickets in the match for 89 runs, the fourth time he had captured ten wickets in a Test match. West Indies were unchanged from the previous Test, while India were compelled by Azharuddin's lack of fitness to make one alteration. They brought in Raman, who had replaced the injured Srikkanth in the tour party but had batted only once, against the Board XI, and briefly at that.

The true nature of the pitch was camouflaged by a thick mat of green grass which prompted India to put West Indies in. But the dismissal of Greenidge, caught behind, within the first hour was due more to the skill of Kapil Dev than to conditions encouraging fast bowling. By the fourteenth over Arshad Ayub was in action, and in his first over he turned as many as three balls sharply. Haynes countered by attacking the off-spinner and did so effectively, scoring 65 before falling to the other spinner, Shastri. Richardson's attempt to sweep Ayub, however, brought disaster. Richards was bowled, attempting to cut a ball that turned, and after a patient innings of 37, Arthurton was caught at silly point. The rot was stopped by Logie who, coming in just before tea, remained almost until lunch on the second day to score 87 off 179 balls. There was also a significant flourish from the tail.

Having started their reply after lunch, India were 122 for eight by the close and all out after a little more than an hour on the third day. Although some wickets were lost to poor shots, the six dismissals while the score moved from 32 to 89 were due largely to Marshall who, bowling sixteen overs consecutively, finished with five for 34. He inflicted this damage not with pace, but with subtlety and his ability to move the ball. Only Arun Lal had the concentration to resist for long, and he batted 105 minutes for 30 before Marshall claimed him with a ball that ripped away like a fast leg-break. Walsh took the last four wickets, but West Indies encountered stiff resistance from the ninth-wicket pair of Ayub and Chetan Sharma, who put on 49.

India recovered some ground on the third day, but hardly enough to give them a chance of winning. At one stage they had reduced West Indies to 26 for four, Chetan Sharma having sent back Greenidge, Haynes and Richards in a span of seventeen balls. The innings was nursed to health by a stoical 99 from Richardson, who hit only four fours. Having come in at 17 for one, he was ninth out at 250, 352 minutes later. It was at this same venue in 1975-76 that India scored 406 in the last innings to register one of the most remarkable wins in Test history; but Vengsarkar's side had neither the quality nor the spirit even to save the match by batting for 165 overs. Setting out on this task twenty minutes before lunch on the fourth day, they just managed to extend their innings into the fifth thanks to Vengsarkar, who made 62 but with little conviction. The batting was devastated by Marshall with six for 55, his 22nd five-wicket return in Test, and Bishop, who though expensive excelled himself in taking three wickets on a slow pitch.

Man of the Match: M. D. Marshall.

Close of play: First day, West Indies 237-5 (A. L. Logie 63*, P. J. L. Dujon 3*); Second day, India 122-8 (Arshad Ayub 18*, Chetan Sharma 7*); Third day, West Indies 199-7 (R. B. Richardson 77*, C. E. L. Ambrose 13*); Fourth day, India 161-6 (D. B. Vengsarkar 40*, K. S. More 25*).