Kapil Dev makes his final Test appearance
Partab Ramchand - 22 December 2002

At the fag end of the 1993-94 season, the Indian team went on a whirlwind four-week tour of New Zealand to play two first-class games, a Test match and four one-day internationals. Towards the end of what had been a hectic season, neither team was at their best. The first- class matches as well as the Test were all drawn while the four ODI's were split, each side winning two.

When the Indians landed in New Zealand, chief interest centered round Kapil Dev. The peerless Indian all-rounder had only the previous month broken Richard Hadlee's record Test tally of 431 wickets.

When the Indians landed in New Zealand, chief interest centered round Kapil Dev. The peerless Indian all-rounder had only the previous month broken Richard Hadlee's record Test tally of 431 wickets. Kapil received a rousing reception in the only Test at Hamilton and on a pitch that did not give seamers much help he finished with match figures of two for 72. The Test was incidentally Kapil's last and he finished his career with 434 wickets.

The match itself was affected by rain and bad light and a draw was the only possible outcome. India did well in dismissing New Zealand for 187 and then replying with 246. Sachin Tendulkar dazzled while making 43 from 47 balls out of a third wicket partnership of 51 with Nayan Mongia. In the process he passed the 2000-run mark in his 32nd Test a month before his 21st birthday. Skipper Azharuddin too crossed a personal landmark when during his 63, he notched up his 4000th run in his 62nd Test.

In the second innings, New Zealand put up a much better show declaring at 368 for seven. The highlight was a memorable debut by the talented Stephen Fleming. Nine days before his 21st birthday, the dashing left- hander hit a brilliant 92 in three hours with the help of 12 fours. Ken Rutherford's declaration left India a rather improbable target of 310 in 66 overs. Navjot Singh Sidhu, however, used the time well in getting 98 with eight fours and three sixes as India ended at 177 for three.

There were many highlights in the one-day games. In the first ODI at Napier, Danny Morrison took the first hat-trick for New Zealand in such matches. He bowled Kapil Dev and Salil Ankola with the last two balls of his eighth over and Mongia with the first of his ninth as New Zealand won by 28 runs. Fleming, following his fine Test debut, scored 90 in his first one-day game.

A seemingly inconsequential second ODI at Auckland, with the passage of time, has assumed almost historic status. Sidhu was ruled out because of a neck strain and Tendulkar opted to go in as opener. He made a blazing 82 from just 49 balls with 15 fours and two sixes and India achieved a thumping seven-wicket victory in less than half their allocated 50 overs. Tendulkar put on 61 for the first wicket with Ajay Jadeja in nine overs and 56 in six overs with Vinod Kambli for the second wicket.

For the third ODI, Sidhu was back and he got an unbeaten 71 from 78 balls as India took a 2-1 lead with a 12-run victory. But Tendulkar stayed as opener and hit 63 from 75 balls, putting on 105 at five an over with Jadeja for the first wicket. In the final ODI, Tendulkar again scored a brisk 40 out of a first wicket stand of 61 with Jadeja (68) but New Zealand leveled the series by getting the winning hit off the penultimate ball thanks chiefly to an unbroken fifth wicket stand of 88 runs between Shane Thomson (40 off 43 balls) and Adam Parore (47 off 46 balls).

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