Time to Tourists Rescue as the third Test between India and New Zealand played at the Brabourne Stadium in Bombay from March 12 to 15, 1965 ended in a draw, like the other two Tests in Madras and Calcutta.
But the four days were so packed with incidents and performances that the match would be remembered as much as India’s victory over Australia at the same venue last October. Two wickets for 31 runs in an hour’s play nullified whatever advantage John Reid had gained by winning the toss and electing to bat on a rust-brown pitch. Desai, bowling sharp in- swingers, claimed both Bevan Congdon and B.W Sinclair. In this hour Dowling, after a cautious start, found his full form. And, joined by Morgan he began the job of recovery in which the batsmen were helped considerably by B.S Chandrasekar.
He offered many short-pitched balls and R.W Morgan, with his strong forearms, took boundaries repeatedly with back-cuts and square-drives. The score was 87 for two at lunch and the stand prospered for two more hours and to 165. The century of the stand came off in an hour’s time. The cricket, bright till then, for the rest of the day slip- ped down badly to inaction. G.T Dowling, flowing and elegant of shot, suddenly lost the touch after reaching 70 and played as if in a dream. With B.S Chandrasekar dropping into his length Morgan found his avenue of scoring shut out; not only that, he even gave his early benefactor his wicket when he edged a googly on to the stumps.
This wicket which fell to the last ball before tea, after an hour’s drudgery, had raised the score by 27 runs and gave some relief to the spectators. It grew into evident joy when Sutcliffe, hesitant in returning to his crease after G.T Dowling had refused a run, was run out. Four for 170. But the success for India came only after 57 runs were added. Meanwhile Dowling reached his first Test century with an off-drive off B.S Chandrasekar.
G.T Dowling and V.T Pollard were intent on keeping their wickets safe for the next day and everybody had resigned themselves to a dull closure. But Pataudi had not. He made the orthodox look askance at him by taking the new ball 20 minutes to go for stumps. His move almost failed for Desai, with still a ball to bowl, did not meet with success. As the bowler slouched back to the top of his run Pataudi made a clever move by posting Durrani at silly mid-off to Pollard, who was obviously unhappy against swing. This did the trick for the batsman showed nis irritation by swishing wildly at the ball and edged it towards slips where Jaisimha caught it with great glee.
When play was resumed the next lunch day within two hours before the rest of the New Zealand batsmen were dismissed for the addition of only 50 runs. It was all due to splendid attacking bowling by Desai, who claimed three more wickets for 19 runs and finished with his best Test figures of six for 56 runs. It was a and a great performance by Desai commentary on his replacement for the Tests against Australia by bowlers who had no claim to open an attack with the new ball.
Dick Motz and Taylor were really at our batsmen from the first ball. Jaisimha was the first victim of pace and tactics based upon speed. He ducked at a kicking ball from B.R Taylor from near good length but the ball flew off his and gloves Ward, wicket-keeper, air and plucked the jumped in the catch. Salim Durani faced a few uncomfortable deliveries from Taylor and when a bumper came at him, he swung without regard to direction, and got such a slight edge that Morgan one of the backward short-legs, had the easiest of catches. Motz had an attacking field for Sardesai but the latter was unhurried in his defense and put the ball down and out of reach of the waiting hands. He even took a beautiful four past point but almost at once Motz made one go away from his bat for Ward to take an expert catch low down.
It was all very exciting and with the visitors on the kill Hanumant Singh managed to stay only 20 minutes and then trod on his wicket in going too far back to defend a ball from Taylor. The latter’s figures were 5-2-11-3. Next India was 23 for four, and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, despite being unwell, came in with all the responsibility on his shoulders. In the midst of a beautiful over from Dick Motz, Taylor was affected by exhaustion and had to leave the field.
There was less hostility with Taylor off the field but Congdon managed to claim Pataudi’s wicket without waste of time. Nadkarni, who has the reputation of a fighter, did stay for half an hour but Congdon beat him with beautiful off-cutter to get him leg be- fore. Six down for 48 and in came Farokh Engineer and survived till tea with Chandu Borde.
Any speculation as to whether India would avoid the follow-on ended with- in half an hour after tea, with the end of the innings at 88. Borde was the first to go, caught off a snick off Taylor, who had come back into the attack. Then Desai lost his head when John Reid posted himself at silly mid-off to Motz’s bowling, hooked at a bumper and offered the New Zealand captain a dolly catch.
Farokh Engineer ran himself out in attempting an impossible second run and after adding 11 runs for the last wicket and Bevan Congdon took a fine chest high catch to dismiss Srinivas Venkatraghavan. This gave Taylor his fifth wicket for 26 runs and he was loudly applauded as he led the New Zealanders back into the Pavilion.
But this was not his last success of the day. He claimed one more wicket. when Reid asked India to bat again. After a catch against Farokh Engineer by disallowed Bevan Congdon in the slips was by umpire Nagendra off Motz, Taylor had him caught by Reid at gully. This brought the tally of wickets for the day to 16. It had never happened in the annals of Test cricket at the Brabourne stadium, where a 25,000 strong crowd spent the afternoon witnessing India’s agony.
Jaisimha, who came in when Salim Durani was out to Taylor without any addition to the overnight score of 16 was concerned in another valuable stand of 91 runs with Sardesai for the third wicket. After an uncertain start he got into his strides quickly. Resuming after lunch with 43 to his credit he took a four with a beautiful off-drive off Pollard. The 50 seemed certain but a brilliantly anticipated catch by wicket-keeper Ward ended his stay. Ward darted across even as the batsman shaped for a glance and snapped up the catch off the bat. Jaisimha paid his tribute by walking away without waiting for the ap peal to be upheld.
India were not safe from defeat at the end of the third and penultimate day inspite of a brilliant century by Borde and a solid unbeaten 97 by Sardesai. With the closing score at 281 for five wickets, the lead was only 82 with only five second innings wickets intact. Faultless to a point Borde’s was really a superb knock. He entered at the fall of Jaisimha’s wicket after lunch, at 107 for three, with India’s fate still in the melting pot. He survived an appeal for a catch by Ward when he flashed at a bumper from Taylor and then found his touch with a springing cover drive off Pollard. From that moment he kept everybody in the 30,000 crowd thrilled with a series of sparkling drives to cover and to straight field and rippling shots off his toes to mid-wicket. Played in a crisis the high tone of his batsmanship lifted heavy labour of recovery to one of great entertainment.
The debt which India owed to Sardesi was no less than. With the Border they added 154 runs for the fourth wicket. He was phlegmatic in sharp contrast to the genuine brilliance of his partner, but in the context his mood did not matter at all. Eternal vigilance was really the keynote of Sardesai approach to his responsible tack. Therefore, 97 runs in 378 minutes! It showed the concentration and restraint that went into his innings but now and again he lighted it with a crisp cover drive or shot to the mid-wicket. Ile erred only once when he snicked a catch off Cong- don to Taylor in the slips. Luckily, it was not accepted.
A good crowd of over 15,000 had gathered at the Stadium as Sardesai and Hanumant Singh walked in to resume India’s innings. Not only was the testing period passed safely but so well did the pair bat that 83 runs in the second hour and 61 in the third were scored. Sardesai completed his long-awaited century and then Hanumant Singh, overnight rest having eased his tension, attacked the bowling with beautiful strokes. He started off with a crashing cover drive off Motz and, when the spinners came on, he hammered them. He reached his half-century with a well- placed hook off Sutcliffe.
With only 210 minutes of the match to go, and with thoughts of defeat having been pushed into the background, the pair resumed their innings with a much fiercer on- slaught. It now became Sardesai’s turn to attack. He was 148 at the break to his partner’s 67 but raced Hanumant to his 200 by the time. Singh had added eight more runs! In the roar that greeted this feat, Pataudi declared the innings at 463 for five.
The interval between the closure and the start of the New Zealand second innings was spent in sweet relaxation and in noting down the statistics born out of Sardesai’s knock. His unbeaten double century was also his first three figure innings in official Tests; it was the fifth double century for India in Tests and the fourth against New took Zealand; his first hundred Sardesai 399 minutes with ten fours and his second only 148 minutes with fifteen fours marking out clearly two phases of his stay; the unbroken sixth wicket stand bet- him and Hanumant (75) realized 193 runs, a record for India against New Zealand.
The crowd were now prepared for a draw when the 148 minutes of commenced batting by New Zealand. But they were given no respite from excitement. The visiting team lost two wickets for no score. G.T Dowling went to Jaisimha and Sinclair to Desai with Srinivas Venkatraghavan taking a splendid overhead catch at third slip. It took New Zealand 35 minutes to register their first run and Morgan, who did it, and Congdon added 17 more. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi switched his spinners into the attack for two overs before tea and off the penultimate ball of his first over Chandrasekar broke through Morgan’s defense with a lovely googly and bowled him.
Eighteen for three was an exciting situation for India but there could be no strong thoughts of victory in the 90 minutes of play left so long as Reid and Sutcliffe were not removed. Twenty minutes of this valuable time were spent when Pataudi surprisingly continued his attack with Desai taking off Chandrasekar after he had bowled the remaining ball of his unfinished over. And only when he brought him back did trouble start for New Zealand. Two minutes past four Borde snapped up a lovely catch at slip to end Reid’s stay. Congdon, who had taken 43 minutes to get his first run, clung on grimly with Sutcliffe for another fifteen minutes when Chandrasekhar struck a blow dismissing the latter. He was caught by Salim Durani at long leg.
After these two vital wickets India indeed smelt victory and Pataudi pressed hard placing an attacking field. Bevan Congdon was locked in a duel with Durani but after he 11 minutes succumbed when Hanumant Singh snapped catch at forward short-leg off a forward prod. He left after being declared out by the umpire. Now, it’s a critical situation 6 for 45 now and one run later Pollard, swinging for a pull off Durani, edged the ball high over slips head where Borde took a catch. Taylor came in with 33 minutes to go and he and B.W Yuile survived against some penetrative bowling from B.S Chandrasekhar.
The former even eased the tension with some flowing drives and with seven minutes only remaining India lost hopes of snatching victory. But Pataudi put Venkatraghavan for Durani and the off spinner bowled Taylor batsman with his first ball. The stood for a trice dazed by the blow. Ward came in with six minutes for leg stumps, survived a couple of and before appeals then amidst great excitement and intense activity and Yuile played out time. The match thus ended in thrilling draw.