This theory was proven when India went to Australia for Bensen & Hedges World Series cup. Since all seven test playing nations were in it, it was like a world cup. India’s first two matches were not telecasted live but the third match, against Australia was shown live. However, since it was a day affair and that my family did not have a color TV yet, it wasn’t the real fun. We were not complaining though, because for once, India was winning and second, the quality of the telecast was amazing. The sound of shattering wickets through stump microphones was mind blowing while the slow-mo replays with white ball flying around was simply mesmerizing. Indian team performed in total contrast to their performance back home against England. Not only India won all their group matches with consummate ease, but also escaped the West Indies in the semi-final.
The semifinal and the final are the most memorable matches of my life. The way Kapil Dev and Vengsarkar won the semi-final was beyond belief. It perpetuated the theory that there exist stages which are beyond batsmen like Shastri and Azharuddin and need a player like Kapil Dev. When he joined Vengsarkar, India needed 100 runs off 18 overs- a tough equation since New Zealand had five seamers and, in those days, it was believed that hitting quick runs against fast blowers was nigh impossible. Hitting boundaries was rare, hitting a six rarer. Footages of that match show how Azharuddin was struggling to put the ball out of the 30-yard circle. India has scored 50 runs after 20 overs.
Just as I write this, I have in my mind that yesterday two batsmen clobbered 45 runs in 2 overs out of possible three to win an IPL game. In those days, most batsmen would surrender in such a state. Men like Kapil Dev would get out trying to hit while batsmen like Gavaskar would bat out the over.
Final was a perfect game for India. It was also an era like today when India played Pakistan and won more than they lost. Kapil Dev’s yorker to Qasim Omar to clean bowled him for first ball duck, is a cherished memory for many Indians. My brother said, “What great thinking!” The sound of Qasim Umar’s disturbed stumps still rings in my ears. Pakistan stuttered to 170 something and India chased that with ease. Ravi Shastri got the Audi and a lot of Indian fans got stories to remember. This was perhaps the last match in which Imran Khan was playing but not captaining Pakistan - a significant fact that would define Pakistan’s cricket for the next seven years and his career, that would end at the same venue.
By now I had known most of the world players. I knew about England, West Indies, Pakistan while now I came to know Australia and New Zealand as well. I had started reading matter on cricket and agreeing or disagreeing on opinions. I would wait for weeklies or biweeklies like Sportstar or Cricket Samrat (Cricket King) to catch up with scores when Indian team wasn’t playing. I followed the 1985 Ashes when David Gower transformed into modern day Bradman. I wondered why Botham and Graham Gooch had not come to India. I marveled at Allan Border who managed to win Lord’s test amidst carnage of his team. Yes, carnage of Australia!
I would dig older magazines from every available source. Sometimes I even bought them from Raddiwallahs. I read about West Indies’ tour of Australia when Michael holding bowled them out for 76 in Perth; Richards’s double hundred at Melbourne and the perennial fury of Marshall and Garner. And yes, I also read about West Indies’ loss against Australia in the dead rubber in Sydney.
I came across one monthly magazine called Cricketer Asia which was a September 1983 edition. It had Richards and Mohinder Amarnath on its cover. I wondered why Amarnath was given space with Richards. But it told me that this man has done something besides the world cup heroics, that had made him significant. The magazine also had a picture of Greenidge with his daughter- probably the same who died during the Antigua test earlier that year. Besides other information, it had a records section where it lined up all West Indies team records in ODIs. There were highest totals, bowling records, Richards’ World cup century and many more. Two of them which I remember vividly are a) West Indies’ only defeat at home- was handed by India and b) Only one hundred was hit against them till then- a remarkable feat- scored by Bruce Laired. I am sure not many have heard his name. Granted not many ODIs had been played till then, but only one hundred in 10 plus years! A similar statistic was to emerge later- only two double hundred were scored against the West Indies in the decades of 80s. One was scored by Sunil Gavaskar; we will know the other person later. This was significant because 80s was the decade of Allan Border, David Gower, Javed Miandad and Martin Crowe – who nearly reached a double against the West Indies.
After the win in Australia, India beat Pakistan in another of the most cherished matches of my early days. India did hold an edge over Pakistan then and eventually prevailed in most games. Here India won despite scoring only 125 in 47 overs. This match was not shown live but later a good highlight package was available. We still debate either Kapil Dev or Azharuddin should have been the man of the match which went to Imran Khan for his six wickets. India won that cup too, after beating Australia in the final. Both Australia and England had sent their B or C teams for this inconsequential tournament. The format too was prepared to ensure at least one India Pakistan match happens.
By April 1985, I was following all the cricket matches around the world. I was collecting records, maintaining them, and memorizing them. Believe it or not, I was following Ranji trophy and Duleep trophy as well – the Indian first-class cricket tournaments.
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