With West Indies and India renewing hostilities in Barbados, we delve into the Wisden Almanack archive to pick out a memorable Test match between the sides. Here we go back to the last time the teams met at Bridgetown, on India's 1996-97 tour of the Caribbean West Indies have suffered just three defeats in 72 years at Barbados, two of which came in successive seasons in the early 1990s. But, even allowing for that, India's record at Bridgetown is gruesome. Since 1952-53 they have played seven matches, lost six of them, and scraped just the one draw, a nervy, backs-to-the-wall affair on Ajit Wadekar's triumphant tour of 1970-71.

For the most part, the margins of defeat have been equally emphatic: an innings and 97 runs in 1975-76, ten wickets in 1982-83. But, it is the one that got away - in 1996-97 - that hurts and haunts the most.

India, led by Sachin Tendulkar, entered the third Test on level terms after two intriguing encounters in Jamaica and Trinidad. Navjot Sidhu's marathon 201 at Port-of-Spain had given the Indians the upper hand in the second Test, but they had lacked the conviction to push home their advantage. It was a sign of things to come.

When West Indies, led for the first time by Brian Lara, crumbled to 140 all out in their second innings at Bridgetown, India required just 120 to win their first match in the Caribbean for 21 years. Curtly Ambrose and friends, as usual, had other ideas.

Almanack report
Scorecard

Andrew Miller is editorial assistant of Wisden.com.

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