A traumatic series for the Indians
Partab Ramchand - 17 April 2002
Riding on a wave of success after their first rubber victory over
England at home in the 1961-62 season, the Indian cricket team
embarked on a tour of the West Indies in a mood of optimism.
Three months later, the squad came back having suffered one of
the most traumatic experiences for any visiting team, both on and
off the field.
The West Indian team, eager in going for the kill, blended professionalism into their apparently carefree approach
thanks chiefly to Frank Worrell's astute leadership and
accomplished their task of completing a clean sweep.
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The five-match series itself was lost 0-5, and as if this were
not disturbing enough, the international career of captain Nari
Contractor came to a sudden and brutal end following a near-fatal
injury in a match against Barbados between the second and third
Tests. Contractor was hit on the head by a ball from the
controversial Charlie Griffith and had to undergo more than one
emergency operation. For days, he lay between life and death
before he pulled through the ordeal. Displaying courage of the
highest order, he came back to first-class cricket at home during
the 1963-64 season, but there was no way he could play for India
again.
A maiden series victory over England even if the visitors were
not at full strength was something to rejoice about, and the
upbeat mood before the tour did not seem out of place. But the
Indians had reckoned without two important factors. As future
events proved, the triumph over England was rather over-rated,
and secondly, the West Indies made for much more formidable
opposition.
On the face of it, there seemed to be many reasons for the
Indians to do well. The batting, manned by Contractor, ML
Jaisimha, Vijay Manjrekar, Polly Umrigar, Dilip Sardesai, MAK
Pataudi, Chandu Borde, Salim Durrani, Farokh Engineer and Budhi
Kunderan seemed strong enough. The bowling in the hands of
Ramakant Desai, Rusi Surti, Borde, Durrani, Nadkarni and Erapalli
Prasanna also looked capable of holding its own, even against the
free-stroking West Indian batsmen.
Certainly there were no indications that the Indians would suffer
a whitewash, including two innings defeats. But this was exactly
what happened. While Contractor's serious injury would have
affected team morale, it must be remembered that India had
already lost both matches before this unfortunate incident.
The West Indian team, eager in going for the kill, blended
professionalism into their apparently carefree approach thanks
chiefly to Frank Worrell's astute leadership and accomplished
their task of completing a clean sweep. The Indians, on their
part, lacked the will to fight back. Teamwork was sadly lacking,
and what was left to savour were just a few gallant individual
performers.
Prominent among these was Polly Umrigar. The Bombay stalwart, who
turned 36 during the tour, did not enjoy the best of health on
the trip. Increased bowling responsibilities, thanks to the
retirement of Ghulam Ahmed, Subhash Gupte, Vinoo Mankad, Dattu
Phadkar and Gulabrai Ramchand in the preceding few years, had
taken its toll on his magnificent physique, and he had back
problems almost throughout the tour.
But still Umrigar sent down 35 overs in the first Test, 49 in the
third and 72 in the fourth, as the Indian bowling resources
proved limited. In addition, he had to shoulder the batting
responsibilities, and he rose to the occasion splendidly,
particularly in the fourth Test at Port-of-Spain, when he came up
with a rare double a century and five wickets in an innings.
Umrigar thus emulated Mankad's feat at Lord's 10 years earlier,
and till today, 40 years later, no other Indian has come anywhere
this feat. In fact, he top-scored in both innings with 56 and 172
not out the highest score by an Indian against the West Indies
besides sending down 56 overs in the first innings to take five
wickets for 107. Umrigar aggregated 445 runs for the series, far
ahead of the next best Durrani's 259 - and retired at the end
of the tour with his cricketing powers still at their zenith.
Besides Umrigar, Durrani was the only other Indian to get a
hundred an electrifying 104 in the same Port-of-Spain Test. By
now, of course, he was also India's leading bowler, and he lived
up to his reputation by taking 17 wickets in the five Tests
even though the cost was on the high side. Nadkarni proved his
obdurate all-round capabilities, while Surti excelled with his
left-handed strokeplay and his outstanding fielding. Indeed,
while the Indians were outclassed in batting and bowling, they
did match the home team in fielding, and in this aspect were
worthy successors to the 1953 squad.
More, however, was expected from Borde, Sardesai, Jaisimha and
Pataudi. Manjrekar, given the fact that he had just set an Indian
record of aggregating 586 runs against England, was the biggest
disappointment. His reputation as the best player of pace bowling in
the side took a deep dent, and he was reduced to just 167 runs at an
average of 16.70. Borde, given his rising stature, was another who was
expected to counter the threat of Wes Hall and Co. But a return of 246
runs at an average of 24.60 was not in keeping with his credentials.
Jaisimha was a failure, too often getting out to an injudicious stroke.
Pataudi, who missed the first two Tests, could not find his bearings
despite his immense talent, while Sardesai, who was tried out as opener, found the going tough. Incidentally Pataudi, suddenly promoted to the captaincy following the injury to Contractor, became the youngest-ever Test captain at the age of 21.
No less disappointing was the bowling. Desai struggled on pitches
that should have helped him, while Vasant Ranjane did reasonably
well in the lone Test he played. The spinners were a letdown,
though. The young Prasanna, then in his maiden international
season, found bowling to Garry Sobers, Rohan Kanhai and Worrell
an awesome proposition. Nadkarni was at most steady, while
Borde's leg-spin failed to trouble the fleet-footed West Indian
batsmen. Durrani was the only bowler to emerge with his
reputation untarnished, while Umrigar trundled on gallantly
despite physical limitations.
For the West Indies, the result was an unexpected bonus. Playing
their first series since the magical tour of Australia in
1960-61, the West Indies had a lot to live up to, and they
proceeded to make mincemeat of India with a performance right out
of the top drawer. Sobers and Kanhai lived up to expectations by
scoring two centuries each, and Sobers chipped in with the ball
too, finishing with 23 wickets. Opening batsman Easton McMorris
proved to be quite difficult to dismiss, while Joe Solomon,
Worrell and Seymour Nurse chipped in with valuable contributions.
Gibbs proved his abilities by taking 24 wickets with his off-
spinners. But not unexpectedly, the wrecker-in-chief was Hall,
who terrorised the Indians time and again to finish with 27
wickets. In addition, Worrell captained the side with a
shrewdness that could not fail to win admiration. The Indian
record abroad had always been woeful, and the West Indians just
rubbed it in.
© CricInfo
Teams
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India,
West Indies.
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Players/Umpires
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Frank Worrell,
Charlie Griffith,
Vijay Manjrekar,
Polly Umrigar,
Rajdeep Sardesai,
Nawab of Pataudi,
Chandu Borde,
Farokh Engineer,
Budhi Kunderan,
Erapalli Prasanna.
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Tours
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India in West Indies
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