In his enthralling book `The Greatest Test Of All'' Jack Fingleton,
besides giving us a vivid account of the Tied Test at Brisbane in
December 1960 between Australia and West Indies, also expresses the
apprehension that the match would be responsible for giving rise to a
number of bores, who will never get tired of saying `I was there' and
then proceed to relate the events of that historic game to a not
always willing audience.
Similarly a later generation like mine will always be a bore, ever
ready to relate the exciting events that unfolded before my eyes
during Tied Test II. I was fortunate enough not only to be present
during the five days of the match at the MA Chidambaram stadium in
Madras but also lucky enough to report the events for a newspaper and
a magazine of the publishing group I worked for.
Fourteen years have now passed since umpire Vikram Raju raised his
finger to adjudge Maninder Singh leg before to Greg Matthews to bring
the curtain down on a pulsating encounter, surely one of the most
eventful Test matches of all time. But I am able to recall many of the
events as though they happened only yesterday. There are certain
things in life one can never forget and for me, Tied Test II is one of
these. From the first ball bowled by Kapil Dev to David Boon on the
morning of September 18 to the last, sent by Matthews to Maninder at
5.18 pm on September 22, the game held one spellbound.
Sure, since that memorable day the cynics have dismissed the Test as
not holding a candle to the Brisbane Test in excitement and thrills.
Some others have tried to denude the significance of the game by
calling it a contrived finish. Sure, there is always something special
about the first time a certain thing happens and viewed from that
angle, Brisbane will always have a clear edge over Madras. But no one
can deny that in the intense manner that game was fought by two
seemingly equal opponents, for the many outstanding achievements and
for its pulsating finish, Tied Test II will always remain exceptional
for the many thousands who were there at the stadium and for the
millions who watched the unbelievable finish on TV.
As for the cynics who dismiss it as a contrived finish, I can only
laugh derisively at their ignorance. By that, do they mean to say that
the captains and team members planned the whole thing in such a way
that the game should end in a tie? As an eyewitness on all the five
days, I can state with some authority that both captains wanted to win
and neither side hid their disappointment when the match ended in the
manner it did. The Indian captain Kapil Dev, in a television interview
immediately after the game, said it was nice to be part of a
historical event but ``we would have liked to have won the game,'' a
sentiment shared by the Australian camp who were rather upset at being
robbed of victory by some umpiring decisions, as they believed.
No, Allan Border declared on the final morning because he sensed his
side could win. And Kapil Dev, by accepting the challenge of scoring
348 runs in 87 overs, also made it clear that he wanted victory. This
positive approach of the two captains, in a way, led to the memorable
finish. About the only aspect in which Brisbane scored in a big way
over Madras was the sporting manner in which the teams conducted
themselves. At Madras, on the final day, in the heat and humidity of
the cauldron that was the MA Chidambaram stadium and with tension
building up, some players lost their cool and the behaviour of some of
them left much to be desired.
But in every other way, Madras 1986 can be compared favourably with
Brisbane 1960. The fluctuating fortunes, the great performances and
the eschewing of defensive tactics led to a great match. At Brisbane
each team scored 737 runs while 40 wickets fell. At Madras, each team
scored 744 runs while 32 wickets fell. At Brisbane, the game moved
this way and that before ending in a tie. At Madras, Australia
dominated for much of the first four days but the final drama was so
intense that like at Brisbane, it can be said that neither side
deserved to lose.
As far as performances are concerned, Tied Test II had all the heady
ingredients of a brew to match what happened 26 years before. David
Boon led off with 122 on the first day and on the second day Border
followed with 106. But perhaps the innings of the match was played by
Dean Jones. Utterly exhausted in the heat and humidity, Jones was
dehydrated but carried on and on for 503 minutes in compiling 210,
after which he required hospitalisation. Jones' double century might
have been the last word in courage but for sheer brilliance in
strokeplay in adversity, Kapil Dev's knock of 119 was no less
remarkable. The Australian second innings was largely undistinguished
but there were heroes aplenty on the final day with Sunil Gavaskar
leading the way with an unselfishly attractive 90 and then Ravi
Shastri controlling the innings in the climactic stages when it seemed
to flounder against Matthews and Ray Bright, each of whom took five
wickets. Matthews in fact was one of the genuine heroes of the Test
for his indefatigable bowling which saw him take ten wickets in the
match and a start to finish spell of 39.5 overs on the final day.
Oh yes, there were heroes galore and there was place in the list for
the two umpires too - DN Dotiwalla and V Vikramraju. Both not only had
to keep their cool, they also had to calm frayed tempers during the
tense closing stages. Really, Tied Test II had everything. For me, it
will always remain the crowning glory in my long journalistic career.