A beautiful vintage memory of India vs Australia 2nd Test at Bombay 1964–65. The cheers of the crowd echoed around the ground as the players came off the field. One could easily have thought the match was over and that India had won. Well—almost. India needed only 39 more runs to win, with Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and Vijay Manjrekar both well set. Chandu Borde was the next man in. But why him? Surely the magnificent pair could knock off the remaining runs and bring their outstanding effort to a successful conclusion. But this was cricket, and fate had a different idea. Another remarkable twist soon followed. Immediately after the break, Vijay Manjrekar edged Connolly to slip. Simpson was not prepared to let this opportunity go, and India were now 215 for seven.
The interval was likely to prove crucial, particularly for the batting side, because the batsmen had to resume their innings after a break in concentration. That was exactly what happened in Manjrekar’s case. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi then produced a superb piece of fielding. He struck a powerful square cut at Connolly, and as his eyes followed the ball towards the boundary, its progress was halted at backward point. Burge initially made the catch and then, taking it in his stride, moved to his left and secured the ball, which had been travelling at tremendous speed. India were now 224 for eight.
Indrajitsinhji joined Chandu Borde, with only Chandrasekhar remaining in the pavilion. The atmosphere was charged with tension and excitement, and the crowd suddenly fell silent. They somehow hoped that Chandu Borde would rise to the occasion. But it takes two batsmen to build a partnership, and it seemed that Indrajitsinhji was simply not the right partner for him. He was playing in only his second Test, against opponents who were now breathing down his neck. McKenzie and Connolly were putting everything into their deliveries, and two good balls could seal India’s fate, for Chandrasekhar could hardly be expected to survive even one ball in such an atmosphere.
It was Chandu Borde who took complete control of the situation. India’s most experienced cricketer did not allow the critical circumstances to restrict his strokeplay. Instead, he astonished everybody by playing his shots with complete freedom. Indrajitsinhji was encouraged. He knew Chandu Borde would get the runs if only he could stay with him. So he simply held his ground, content to defend. At the other end, Chandu Borde continued to make runs, and at a healthy rate, too. Simpson finally realized that McKenzie and Connolly had endured enough, and so he brought Tom Veivers back into the attack.
Chandu Borde now turned the final screw. The score edged towards the magic number of 254. The crowd, unable to contain itself any longer, shouted wildly. Tom Veivers had already bowled more than 40 overs in the same innings and 90 in the match itself, and he was clearly tiring. Borde was obviously master of the situation. With the total at 244, a delivery from Tom Veivers went through and, after beating Chandu Borde, also beat Barry Jarman for four byes, taking the score to 248. Tom Veivers, refusing to give up, began another over shortly afterwards. It was his 44th over. Chandu Borde, on 22, gently defended the first two balls. The third was slightly short of a length, and he quickly moved into position, driving it beautifully to the boundary. India were now on 252, with just two runs required.
Tom Veivers, his thick, glossy hair now completely disheveled, walked slowly back to his bowling mark. Then he turned, ambled up to the wicket, and delivered. The ball was pitched up on the leg stump. In an instant, Chandu Borde was out of his crease. His bat came down in a lovely arc, he struck the ball firmly, and it raced away to mid-on for the winning runs.
Pandemonium broke out. The crowd surged onto the field, mobbed Chandu Borde and Prince Indrajitsinhji, and cheered them all the way back to the pavilion. They called for the entire Indian team. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and his men appeared on the pavilion balcony to receive the unbroken applause. Long after the match had ended, spectators remained on the ground, happily humming songs and trying to relive the events of the fantastic contest. It had been a great match—one of the finest in the history of Indian cricket. For one, I would still have included this match in the current list, even if India had lost. This was one of the most dramatic finishes in Indian cricket history.
