That `Black Saturday' at Old Trafford

SK Gurunathan called it `Black Saturday'. The noted cricket writer was dumbfounded as he witnessed the amazing collapse that day at Old Trafford and wrote a detailed account of it in Indian Cricket almanac, which he edited for several years. The history of Indian cricket has been punctuated by infamous days. But surely, July 19, 1952 stands out as the darkest chapter in the history of these dark days. Yes, we all know that India had once lost four wickets for no runs at Leeds in 1952. And during the 1947-48 series against Australia, India were shot out for 58 and 98 to lose by an innings and 226 runs. And at the Oval in 1952, India lost their first five wickets for only six runs.

The infamous days continued to haunt Indian cricket. At Calcutta in 1958-59, India lost to West Indies by an innings and 336 runs - the second heaviest margin in Test history. Much later, at Lord's in 1974, India were dismissed for 42 - their lowest ever score in Tests. Losing a scheduled five day Test inside three days, losing a Test rubber 5-0 (twice) and losing all Tests in a series (England 1967, England 1974, Australia 1967-68, Australia 1999-2000) are some of the sorry facts that have been chronicled in the history books.

But there is little doubt that what happened at Old Trafford, Manchester 48 years ago to the day, would remain the blackest episode in Indian cricket. The fact that the batting collapse remains unique since then is the clearest testimony to this.

India had not exactly covered themselves with glory on the 1952 tour of England. Prior to the third Test at Old Trafford, the first two games of the four Test series had been lost by seven wickets and eight wickets. There were both batting and bowling problems. Could the Indians at least stage some sort of recovery in the next two Tests?

Over the first two days, the Indian bowlers acquited themselves creditably as England, in between showers, scored 292 for seven. Then dawned that most fateful of days - Saturday, July 19, 1952. England batted for about an hour and took their total to 347 for nine before Len Hutton declared. Vinoo Mankad struck Alec Bedser to the boundary as soon as India began their reply and immediately there were visions of his repeating the Lord's heroics. In the second Test, he had top scored in both innings with 72 and 184. However Tony Lock took a stunning catch at short leg off Bedser to dismiss him for four. Incidentally it was the first time the debutant had touched a ball in a Test match. And then Freddie Trueman just worked havoc. As he himself put in his autobiography `Fast Fury, released years later, ``I really strafed those Indianwallahs in 1952. By the time I had finished with them, I had their curly hair standing up like spikes.''

No exaggeration this. The Indians were absolutely scared of Trueman, who worked up fearsome pace on the wicket freshened by rain. In time to come, Trueman added swing, cut and a lot more variety to his bowling. But in 1952, as a 21-year-old in his first series, Trueman was simply a tearaway. And some of the Indians cut a sorry figure by retreating towards square leg as Trueman approached his delivery stride. Vijay Hazare and Vijay Manjrekar, the two batsmen best equipped technically to tackle Trueman and Bedser in hostile conditions, got 16 and 22 respectively. But the others were just blown away by the Trueman gale and in just 21.4 overs, the Indians were all out for 58, equalling their lowest ever Test score. Trueman finished with the remarkable figures of 8.4-2-31-8.

Predictably, Hutton enforced the follow on and there remained at least the hope that the Indians, 289 runs in arrears, would do better in the second innings. Well, they did better, but not by much. And well before the scheduled draw of stumps, they were all out for 82. This time Hemu Adhikari top scored with 27 while Hazare got 16 and wicketkeeper Sen, at No 10, hit 13 not out. There were three ducks, the same as in the first innings. This time, Trueman was restricted to just one wicket in eight overs. The damage was done by Bedser (5 for 27) and new boy Lock (4 for 36). The Indian innings lasted only 36.3 overs. The first team to be dismissed twice in one day, India went down by an innings and 207 runs. Even today, over 1100 Tests later, this remains unique. But it is not the kind of record that one would like to be associated with.