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Great Indian spells - part 2 Wisden CricInfo staff - July 1, 2002
Below are nominees 11 to 20 for the Indian Bowling Performance of the Century. For nominees 1 to 10, click here. Lahore, January 23 and 24, 1983 India's tour to Pakistan in 1982-83 had been disastrous – they'd lost three of the first four Tests, and Pakistan's batsmen had posted 450-plus scores in the first innings of each Test. The humiliating defeats would have crushed most players, but Kapil refused to say die. In the fifth Test, Kapil ran through the formidable batting line-up on a flat pitch at Lahore to finish with 8 for 85 as Pakistan were bowled out for 323. Rain on the last two days prevented India from pressing home the advantage, but Kapil had at least given Indian fans something to cheer about. Almanack match report
Ahmedabad, November 14 and 16, 1983 West Indies came to India in 1983-84 thirsting for revenge after their loss in the World Cup final. Up 1-0 after two Tests, West Indies looked unstoppable, but Kapil Dev wasn't going to give in without a fight. In the second innings of the third Test at Ahmedabad, he rocked the mighty West Indian batting line-up with a devastating spell of fast bowling. Moving the ball both ways on a pitch which showed increasing signs of disconcerting bounce, Kapil finished with 9 for 83, as the Windies crumbled to 201 all out. The victory target of 242 proved to be too much for the Indians though – they crashed to a 138-run defeat. Almanack match report
Bombay, November 28 and 29, 1984 England's tour to India in 1984-85 saw the emergence of Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, a classical legspinner who had it all – the legbreak, googly, topspinner, and excellent flight and loop. Playing in only his second Test, Siva baffled England's batsmen at Bombay, taking 6 for 64 to bowl them out for 194 in their first innings. He followed up with 6 for 117 in England's second innings, as India swept to an eight-wicket victory. Siva never fulfilled his potential though – his international career lasted just nine Tests and 26 wickets. Almanack match report
Headingley, June 20, 1986 A superb exponent of swing bowling, Roger Binny never found the conditions in India to his liking, but was always a handful in seaming conditions. His medium-paced away-swingers assumed deadly proportions on a seaming track at Headingley in 1986, as Binny run through England's batting, taking 5 for 40. Replying to India's 272, England were bundled out for 102, laying the platform for India's second win of the three-Test series. Almanack match report
Edgbaston, July 7 and 8, 1986 India's tour to England in 1986 was a whopping success primarily due to their seamers. The leader of the pack was the diminutive Chetan Sharma. His best moment came in the third Test which, ironically, was the only one England managed to draw. Chetan took four wickets in the first innings, but he was at his lethal best in the second, taking four of the top five wickets. Moving the ball both ways at a fair pace, he troubled every batsman, finishing with figures of 6 for 58, which gave him a series haul of 16 wickets in two Tests. Almanack match report
Madras, January 15, 1988 Trailing 0-1 in the four-Test series against West Indies, India's only chance of winning the last Test at Madras was to make an under-prepared wicket. They did that, and debutant Narendra Hirwani did the rest. The West Indian batsmen had no answers to his beguiling flight, variations and sharp turn. He took eight wickets in the first innings and then, with West Indies set an impossible target of 415, took eight more. Four of his victims in the second innings were stumped, as the batsmen charged down the track in desperation. India won by a whopping 255 runs, and the series was leveled. Almanack match report
Calcutta, November 27, 1993 Chasing India's 225 in the final of the Hero Cup at Calcutta, West Indies started adequately, reaching 100 for 4 in the 31st over. Then Anil Kumble took over. Bowling with deadly accuracy on a wearing pitch, he scythed through the middle and late order, taking all the remaining wickets to finish with incredible figures of 6 for 12 from 6.1 overs. West Indies crumbled to 123 all out; the floodlit Eden Gardens erupted with joy. Almanack match report
Delhi, February 7, 1999 A wearing fourth-day wicket, a bountiful of runs to play with, and a vociferous, partisan crowd in Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla – the ingredients were perfect for Anil Kumble to do his perfect 10. Pakistan, needing an improbable 420 runs to win, began impressively, their openers adding 101, before Kumble began to work his magic. Finding the rough spots on the wicket with unerring accuracy, Kumble had the batsmen groping at his topspinners and sliders. Pakistan collapsed to 128 for 6, and in spite of some late resistance from Wasim Akram, were dismissed for 207. Kumble's figures read 26.3-9-74-10 – only the second instance in Test cricket when a bowler had taken all 10 wickets in an innings. Almanack match report
Kolkata, February 17 and 18, 1999 Javagal Srinath had often been accused of not fulfilling his potential, but against Pakistan at the Eden Gardens, he bowled with a sustained hostility that was an emphatic answer to his critics. His 5 for 46 was the major contributor in bowling Pakistan out for 185, but he was awesome in the second innings. Pakistan were running away with it at 262 for 3, but Srinath, armed with the second new ball, knifed through the innings, taking six of the last seven wickets to finish with career-best figures of 8 of 86, as Pakistan were bowled out for 316. Srinath's magnificent performance went in vain though, as India lost by 46 runs. Almanack match report
Chennai, March 21 and 22, 2001 India's three-Test series against world champions Australia produced some stirring cricket. Australia had won at Mumbai, but VVS Laxman's epic 281 brought India a famous victory at Kolkata. In the decider at Chennai, offspinner Harbhajan Singh showed his magic. His 7 for 133 in the first innings pegged back Australia, but he was unstoppable in the second innings. Mixing the offspinner cleverly with the straighter one, and varying his pace and flight, Harbhajan had the batsmen floundering. He finished with 8 for 84 – 32 wickets in the series at 17 – and India squeaked home by three wickets to wrap up the series 2-1. Almanack match report Click here for the first 10 nominees for Indian Bowling Performance of the Century. Compiled by S Rajesh.
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