India and the West Indies have an eloquent history of cricketing encounters against each other, and the "Utsav Zone" celebrates just that. Moments of glory, performances to cherish, matches to remember for a lifetime - we pick them out from the 70 Tests and 66 one-dayers these two teams have fought over. Packaged together, the "Utsav Zone" presents you genuine cause to celebrate the sport's rich and hoary past.

Turning a mountain into a molehill

© ICC

Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, occupies a special place in the heart of an Indian fan, and for good reason too. The Queen's Park Oval is the only ground that has witnessed an Indian victory over the West Indies. The first of the two wins, of course, came in 1971, Sunil Gavaskar's debut series. The second came five years later, and that triumph still shines brilliantly in the annals of cricketing history.

India came to Trinidad a Test down, and their bowling performance after being asked to take the field didn't exactly set their fans' hearts surging with joy. Bishan Singh Bedi took four wickets and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar took six, but they came at a price. Viv Richards smashed 177 runs off the Indian attack, and abetted by Clive Lloyd (68) and Bernard Julien (47), he took West Indies to 359 - a more-than-handy score against a beleaguered Indian side.

Then the Indians died a bit more, but this death was merely whispered rather than brazenly announced. Michael Holding snapped up six wickets and broke the back of the middle order. Gundappa Viswanath (41) and Madan Lal (42) offered token resistance, but when India were bowled out for 228, the writing seemed to be painted in bright neon on the wall.

Matters were not helped, at least from the Indian point of view, by Alvin Kallicharan, who hit an unbeaten 103 to guide his side to 271 in the second innings. The target, thus, was 403, and even a particularly sunny Pollyanna would have hesitated to place her money on the Indian side reaching their target.

But if she had, she would have carted the stuff away by the sackful. Sunil Gavaskar hit a dour 102 and shared in a crucial partnership with Mohinder Amarnath. Once Gavaskar fell, brother- in-law Viswanath took his place, and along with Amarnath added 159 runs for the third wicket. At 336 for two, the West Indies suddenly found themselves being gloriously outplayed.

Viswanath went on to hit 112 before being tragically run out with his team just 11 runs short of the target. But Brijesh Patel's unbeaten 49 safely steered India home. The tourists had just recorded the highest successful fourth-innings run chase in history; moreover, they had done it away from home, in the den of the fearsome West Indians, and against monumental odds. If ever there was a cause for celebration, this was it.

© CricInfo

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