It's been 54 years since the first India-West Indies battle took place in Delhi. In a new series, Wisden.com looks back on some memorable matches played between the sides in India. Fifth Test, Bombay, 1948-49
Match drawn

Despite similar beginnings – learning the game as a consequence of colonialism and playing their first Test within four years of each other – West Indies and India began entirely differently. West Indies had beaten England and Australia in the 1930s, while India had still not won a Test at the time of this series. Neither did they look likely to against a West Indies team boasting batsmen of the calibre of Everton Weekes, Clyde Walcott, Allan Rae and Jeff Stollmeyer. The first three Tests were high-scoring draws dominated by West Indies, and they won the fourth by an innings.

Weekes, who already had four hundreds and a 90 in the series, began the fifth Test well, smashing India's seam-bowling allrounder, Dattu Phadkar, out of the attack. He raced to his half-century, but was out slashing at Ghulam Ahmed, the offspinner. Stollmeyer, with 85, played anchor as West Indies reached 286.

India then limped to 193. Vijay Hazare played with much resolve - but little support - for his 40. West Indies, riding on Rae's 97 and 48 more from the indefatigable Weekes, finished their second innings on 267. Left 361 to win, it came down to India needing 186 in three hours on the final day, with seven wickets in hand. When Rusi Modi and Mankad were dismissed in quick succession, it looked quite tight.

That is when John Goddard, on the advice of Gerry Gomez, decided to enforce leg-theory. "It was negative tactics, but we were quite entitled to use negative tactics," Gomez is quoted as saying in Mihir Bose's A History of Indian Cricket. Things soon turned hostile: Hazare was hit on the head by a bouncer after he reached his century. Groggy from the blow, he was out for 122, and Hemu Adhikari joined Phadkar. They took the score to 303 before Adhikari was out, and Shute Banerjee followed at 321. Forty to win. And with wicketkeeper Probir Sen injured, only one wicket left. Ghulam Ahmed joined Phadkar at the crease.

Phadkar smashed the bowling around until India needed 11 off two overs. In the penultimate over, Ghulam took a single, Phadkar hit a cover-drive for four, then refused a couple of singles to keep the strike. With one ball left in the over, seven in the match, and a minute-and-a-half left on the clock, umpire AR Joshi, miscalculating in the heat of the moment, took off the bails and called an end to the match with India six runs short. The crowds rushed onto the field and lifted a bewildered Phadkar on their shoulders. The match was drawn, and India remained winless in Test cricket.

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