When India lost the series narrowly but helped uphold tradition

An Indian tour of Australia should not normally attract the attention of the rest of the cricketing world. But the eyes of players and fans - not to mention administrators - were concentrated on the events `Down Under' during the time the third Indian team to tour the country were there in 1977-78. For the Indians were not only carrying the responsibility on behalf of their own country. On them - and the Australians - it seemed lay the future of international cricket as the world had known it for 100 years.

This was the time of the Kerry Packer schism that had led to turmoil around the cricketing world. The Australian TV tycoon had succeeded in contracting about 50 leading players to his World Series Cricket and in a direct challenge to the authorities, had decided to stage his `Super Tests' on the dates the India-Australia Tests were scheduled. It was now up to the Indians and Australians to prove that traditional cricket contests between two nations were more popular than a match between super stars owing allegiance to WSC.

The Indians, not affected by any defections to WSC, were at full strength but the Australians were really hard hit. With about a dozen leading players contracted to Packer the home team virtually had to start from scratch. In desperation, they recalled Bobby Simpson at the age of 41 to lead the side. Simpson had played, in what was expected to be his last Test, against India at Sydney in January 1968. Now he was back at the helm of a new look side which had a host of newcomers. For the first Test at Brisbane, for example Australia had to introduce six players in Clark, Hibbert, Mann, Ogilvie, Rixon and Toohey. Before the five match series concluded, Dyson, Gannon, Callen, Darling, Wood and Yardley had also earned Test caps. Very few of these players were to serve Australian cricket once the established stars returned after WSC was disbanded in two years time and this showed that the Australian team was fairly weak. So if the Indians were confident of winning the series, this optimistic was not unjustified.

Under the circumstances a 3-2 defeat must be reckoned to be a disappointment. The Indians were a well balanced side. The batting with Gavaskar, Chauhan, Vengsarkar, Mohinder Amarnath, Viswanath and Mankad around looked solid, the medium paced attack of Ghavri, Amarnath and Madanlal could be expected to be at least steady if not devastating, the famed spin quartet was still around and Kirmani was then at his peak as a wicketkeeper. How then could this team lose to a badly depleted side, even if they had the home advantage?

Actually, on the events as they unfolded in the series, India were perhaps unlucky to lose the series narrowly. For one thing, while they lost the first two Tests by close margins, they scored emphatic wins in the next two Tests and again went down in a tight finish in a high scoring decider. Then again, the Indians might have lost the series but the players provided a lot of delight to the fans. Gavaskar, Viswanath, Vengsarkar and Amarnath played knocks of vintage value, Kirmani proved to be one of the world's finest 'keepers even in the age of Knott and Marsh and Bedi and Chandrasekhar took 31 and 28 wickets respectively.

One must however give credit to the young and untried Australian side for the manner in which they rose to the occasion. Under the benignly shrewd guidance of Simpson, some of the new players performed above their potential. But the disappointment of losing the series narrowly was somewhat alleviated by the fact that the Indians had succeeded in the bigger mission of upholding the traditions of the game. The fluctuating fortunes of a closely fought series, the spirit of camaraderie in which the teams contested the rubber and the excellent cricket played meant that more spectators were attracted to the India-Australia Tests than the `Super Tests' contested by the WSC stars. To that extent, the tour was a major success from the Indian viewpoint. And yet after it ended, one could not help feeling that several opportunities had been lost and the Indians could have made it a double triumph by winning the series as well. Certainly there were occasions in all the three Tests that they lost when the Indians had chances to win but they squandered away all of them.

And yet India started the first day of the first Test with their morale high. The visitors had a sensational run winning all the four first class games and four other non first class matches prior to the Brisbane Test. They continued the good work by dismissing Australia for 166 on the opening day. Only newcomer Toohey (82) could successfully negotiate Bedi (5 for 55). But the Indians after a third wicket stand of 75 between Vengsarkar (48) and Viswanath (45) slid from 90 for two to 153 all out. In the second innings, Simpson (89) led a resurgence, Ogilvie (46) and Toohey (57) made valuable contributions and a last wicket stand of 50 runs between Thomson (41 not out) and Hurst (26) proved vital in the end. Madanlal took five for 72 but a total of 327 left the Indians with a tough victory target of 341. Gavaskar (113) and Amarnath (47) added 81 runs for the second wicket and then Gavaskar and Viswanath got together for a third wicket partnership of 59 runs. Kirmani kept the challenge going with a gallant 55 and he and Bedi (26 not out) had the Australians worried with a ninth wicket stand of 43 runs. But in the end, India, all out for 324, were beaten by 16 runs.

In the second Test at Perth - the first India had played in the Western Australian city - the visitors led off with 402. The Test was notable from the Indian viewpoint that it was the first match in which Gavaskar and Chauhan opened the batting. Chauhan (88), Amarnath (90) Viswanath (38) and Vengsarkar (49) gave the team a good start and then Kirmani (38), Venkatraghavan (37)and Madanlal (43) made valuable contributions in the latter half of the order. Australia's reply was highlighted by a marathon innings of 176 by Simpson, supported by half centuries from Dyson (53) and Rixon (50). Bedi toiled gallantly to take five for 89. In the Indian second innings Gavaskar (127) and Amarnath (100) added 193 runs for the second wicket and Bedi was able to declare at 330 for nine late on the fourth evening. A victory target of 339 was always going to be tough but Australia received a bonus in the form of Tony Mann who went on to get 105 - the highest score by a nightwatchman in Test cricket. With Ogilvie (47) he put on 139 runs for the second wicket and then Toohey (83) and Simpson (39) brought Australia closer to victory with a fifth wicket stand of 100 runs. There was some excitement as the Indians got a few quick wickets to make Australia 330 for eight. But despite another superb effort from Bedi (5 for 105) Australia squeaked home by two wickets, registering in the process the highest fourth innings total to win a Test at home.

Any other team two down after two Tests might have been disheartened but with the Australian victories far from convincing, the Indians reckoned that it was only a matter of time before the tide turned. And indeed it did in the third Test at Melbourne. So far Bedi had received very little support from the other three spinners but now Chandrasekhar struck. India led off with a modest 256 with Amarnath (72), Viswanath (59), Vengsarkar (37) and Mankad (44) getting most of the runs. A third wicket stand of 104 runs between Cosier (67) and Serjeant (85) was the only note of joy in the Australian reply as the batsmen found it difficult to negotiate Chandrasekhar, who finished with six for 52. India with a lead of 43 quickly consolidated. Gavaskar hit his third successive hundred in Tests and with valuable contributions from Amarnath (41), Viswanath (54) and Mankad (38) the Indians were able to get 343. There was never any chance of the Australians achieving the victory target of 387 and with Chandra again in devastating form (he finished with identical figures of six for 52 again) the home team were skittled out for 164.

Having gained a most emphatic victory by 222 runs - incidentally their first victory in Australia - India, a week later, levelled the series with an even more comfortable win by an innings and two runs in the fourth Test at Sydney. Incidentally, it was the first time since England's tour in 1954-55 that Australia had lost successive home Tests. Australia were shot out for 138 with Chandra (4) and Bedi (3) doing most of the damage. Consistent batting down the order - Gavaskar (49), Chauhan (42), Viswanath (79), Vengsarkar (48), Kirmani (42) and Ghavri (64) - saw India reach 396 for eight declared. An Indian victory was now only a matter of time and all Cosier (68) and Toohey (85) could do was to delay the inevitable. Prasanna (4 for 51) came good for the only time in the series as Australia were all out for 263 early on the final morning.

The momentum had thus shifted and it was conceivable to think in terms of India being the favourites for the decider at Adelaide to be played over six days. Could they come back like Bradman's Australian side which, 41 years ago, had lost the first two Tests and then come back to win the series? The hopes receded when on a perfect batting track, Australia led off with 505 with Simpson (100) and Yallop (121) getting hundreds and supporting knocks coming from Wood (39), Darling (65) and Toohey (60). Chandrasekhar finished with five for 136. India lost three wickets at 23 but Viswanath (89) and Vengsarkar (44) added 136 runs for the fourth wicket and Kirmani bolstered the later half of the batting with a timely 48. But India, all out for 269, finished well behind. Simpson did not enforce the follow on and half centuries by the captain (51) and Darling (56) saw the Australians score 256 in the second innings. India's target was a very difficult 493. But they had time on their hands and approached the task methodically. Amarnath (86) and Viswanath (73) added 131 runs for the third wicket, Vengsarkar contributed 78 and Kirmani 51. There were brief contributions even from the tail but in the end, the daunting target proved a bit too much and India were all out for 445 on the final afternoon - the second highest fourth innings total in Test cricket and the highest by any side in the fourth inings to lose a Test match.