A disastrous tour `Down Under'

By the time India went on their sixth tour of Australia in 1991-92, the scenario was very different from the time of their previous tour. Australia had completed their rebuilding process and now had a very strong team. Over the preceding couple of years, they had beaten England twice, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and with West Indies starting to decline, Australia were very much the top cricketing nation in the world. India on the other hand had slid down the rankings and over roughly the same period had lost to West Indies, New Zealand and England, besides drawing with Pakistan. The odds then were very much in Australia's favour but few could have bargained for what actually happened.

The itinerary was very much to the disadvantage of the Indians for there was no worthwhile fixture before the first Test at Brisbane. The visitors, predictably enough, were woefully short of match practice and went down tamely in the Test. The pace and bounce of McDermott, Hughes and Whitney had the Indian batsmen on the hop. They were six down for 83 and only a timely rearguard action by Kapil Dev (44) and Manoj Prabhakar (54 not out) enabled them to reach 239. But against the strong Australian batting line up of Marsh, Taylor, Boon, Border, Jones and Mark Waugh this was hardly going to be enough. March (47) and Taylor (94) started off with a first wicket partnership of 95 runs and then Taylor and Boon (66) added 83 runs for the second wicket. The lead was taken for the loss of only two wickets and Australia got 340. The Indian batting in the second innings was abject surrender and at 47 for five they faced an innings defeat. Shastri (41), Kapil Dev (25) and Prabhakar (39) prevented that ignominy but the batsmen were plainly uncomfortable against the pace trio of McDermott, Hughes and Whitney. India were all out for 156 and Australian openers Marsh and Taylor hit off the required runs without any fuss to herald victory by the emphatic margin of ten wickets.

The pattern of the second Test at Melbourne followed that of Brisbane. Again the Indians made a bad start and this time the middle order too failed. This time the rearguard action was led by Kiran More. After eight wickets fell for 151, More and Venkatpathi Raju (31) added 77 runs for the ninth wicket. Then More and Srinath increased the score by another 35 runs during a last wicket stand. This time left arm paceman Bruce Reid did most of the damage with six for 66 but McDermott and Hughes got their share of wickets. The Indians hit back by dismissing three batsmen for 55 but Marsh (86) and Jones (59) added 108 runs for the fourth wicket. Mark Waugh (34), Healy (60) and Hughes (36) kept the innings going despite a gallant show by Kapil Dev who took five for 97 and Prabhakar who had four for 84. But the Australian lead of 86 again proved to be too much for the Indians. Half the side was lost by the time the deficit was removed and all that Vengsarkar (54) and Tendulkar (40) could do was to lift the total to 213. Reid was again the wrecker-in-chief taking six for 60. A target of 128 was never going to be a problem, not after Taylor and Boon shared a 106 run partnership for the second wicket and victory by eight wickets followed.

Despite being two down, the Indians must have fancied their chances at Sydney, which traditionally has a slower pitch. Australia batting first were all out for 313, thanks to a gritty unbeaten 129 by David Boon. Taylor (56) and Jones (35) chipped in with useful knocks while the Indian pace trio of Kapil Dev, Prabhakar and Banerjee took three wickets each. On the Sydney wicket, the fangs of McDermott, Hughes and Reid were cut and the Indian batting was in full bloom for the only time in the series. Shastri and Vengsarkar (54) added 111 runs for the third wicket but the stand that really put India in the driver's seat was the 196 run association for the fifth wicket between Shastri and Tendulkar. Shastri was particularly severe on debutant leg spinner Shane Warne and went on to get 206 - the first Test double century by an Indian in Australia. Tendulkar scored 148 not out and India were all out for 483. On the last day, the pitch was taking spin and it was a big struggle for Australia, 170 runs in arrears, to survive. Unfortunately wrong team selection meant that the Indians had only one spinner in Shastri while Raju had been omitted. Shastri however kept taking the wickets from one end and at 114 for six, there was a chance of India pulling off a remarkable victory. However Border, with a typically doughty innings of 53 not out kept the Indians at bay, a partnership of 50 for the seventh wicket with Hughes (21) proving vital. Australia ended the match at 173 for eight and were exceptionally lucky to avoid defeat.

After over two months in Australia - during which they also played several one day games against West Indies and the hosts - the Indians kept improving and they were hopes of them pulling one back on the eve of the fourth Test at Adelaide. This feeling gained momentum as the Australians were shot out for 145 on the opening day. Only Dean Jones (41) put up a semblance of a fight. The Indians made their customary horrid start _ 70 for six - against McDermott, Hughes and Whitney before Kapil Dev (56), Prabhakar (33) and the tail took the score to 225. But the Australians hit back strongly in the second innings, turning a deficit of 80 into a surplus of 371. Taylor (100) and Boon (135) added 221 runs for the second wicket and then Border (91 not out) and Healy (41) put on 71 runs for the sixth wicket. The tail also wagged negating the gallant efforts of Kapil Dev who finished with five for 130 off 51 overs. Now the hunter had become the hunted and the Indians, requiring 372 for victory were up against it. Wickets fell at regular intervals and India were 182 for six. Azharuddin and Prabhakar (64) raised some hopes with a seventh wicket partnership of 101 runs. But once this stand was broken, McDermott ran through the tail to finish with five for 92. Azharuddin's superb 106 was ultimately made in a losing cause as the Indians were all out for 333 to lose the match by 38 runs and with it the series.

For the Indians, there was nothing left to play for in the series but some pride. Any hopes of the visitors salvaging a consolation win was shattered with the final Test being played at Perth, the fastest wicket in Australia. The home team led off with 346 with Boon (107) getting his third hundred of the series. With Border (59) he put on 117 runs for the third wicket. Moody got a valuable 50 and with the tail chipping in, Australia were able to set a challenging total despite the fine effort by Prabhakar (5 for 101). When the Indians batted, McDermott, Hughes and Whitney again worked havoc. India were 159 for eight but Tendulkar (114) and More (43) added 86 runs for the ninth wicket and the final total was a much more respectable 272. The Australians, already enjoying a lead of 74 runs, now rubbed it in. After three wickets had gone for 113 runs, Moody (101) and Jones (150 not out) added 173 runs for the fourth wicket and Border was able to declare at 367 for three. Requiring 442 runs for victory, India were off a good start with openers Srikkanth (38) and Sidhu (35) putting on 82 runs. But then Whitney caused a sharp collapse and ten wickets fell for 59 runs as the Indians were shot out for 141. The left arm seamer, angling the ball away at a rattling speed, finished with seven for 27 off 12.1 overs as Australia were victors by the huge margin of 300 runs.

A 4-0 defeat was something that not even the most incurable pessimist would have predicted when the Indians left the shores. But even after one accepts the fact that the Australians were a superior side, the Indians need not have caved in so meekly. More than anything else, repeated batting failures - both at the top and in the middle order - had the visitors fighting with their backs to the wall every time. Some of the batting figures for the series will illustrate the main reason for the Indian debacle. Manjrekar got 197 runs at an average of 21.88, Azharuddin 192 runs at 21.33, Sidhu 102 runs at 20.40, Vengsarkar 158 at 17.55, Srikkanth 135 runs at 16.87. How can any team win matches with such abject batting failures? Only Shastri and Tendulkar managed to emerge with their reputation unscathed. The bowling too presented problems. Kapil Dev with 25 wickets was the shining star and in the process took his 400th wicket in Tests. But he had precious little support though Prabhakar was a game trier while Srinath, who made his debut in the series, faded away after a promising start. Skipper Azharuddin too must shoulder some of the blame for allowing things to drift and all things considered it was one of the most disastrous tours ever undertaken by an Indian team.