Chepauk, a traditional India-Eng battle zone

On Friday, India’s first opponents in Test cricket come back to Chepauk, a ground on which they have a chequered history, having won three and lost four of the eight Tests they have played here. No ground in India has produced more results than Chepauk, a tribute to the ground staff which has almost always produced a sporting wicket that has something in it for both batsmen and bowlers.

The first Test was held in February 1934 and predictably England won by 202 runs against the `babes’ of international cricket playing just their fourth Test. The win enabled England to clinch the three-match series 2-0. Legendary left-arm spinner Hedley Verity with match figures of 11 for 153 displayed his artistry in no uncertain terms. Eighteen years later, it was India who emerged victorious defeating a virtual England second XI by an innings and eight runs. It was a historic triumph, their first in 25 matches in Test cricket and one largely scripted by Vinoo Mankad who finished with match figures of 12 for 108 with his left arm spinners.

With the old Nehru stadium hosting Test matches from 1956 to 1965, India and England did not cross swords at Chepauk again till the Pongal week of 1973. The teams came to Chepauk for the third Test with the five-match series tied 1-1 but India nosed ahead with a four-wicket victory, thanks to the spin trio of Bishen Singh Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Erapalli Prasanna who shared 19 of the 20 wickets to fall. Four years later, it was England who romped home by 200 runs, thanks to the bowling of John Lever (7 for 77) and Derek Underwood (6 for 44). In the process they became the only visiting team so far to win the first three Tests of a series in India.

The only drawn game came about in January 1982. Put in to bat, India led off with 481 for four declared. Gundappa Viswanath got 222, Yashpal Sharma 140 and the two added 316 runs for the third wicket – the Indian record for this wicket – in the course of which they batted right through the second day. Only 17 wickets fell while 969 runs were scored in one of the dullest Tests ever in India.

In 1985, England took a 2-1 lead in the series with a nine-wicket victory. This was brought about by the batting of Graeme Fowler and Mike Gatting who each got a double hundred and the pace bowling of Neil Foster who had match figures of eleven for 163. Eight years later India took a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series winning by an innings and 22 runs. Centuries by Navjot Sidhu and Sachin Tendulkar propelled India to 560 for six declared and then the spin trio of Anil Kumble, Venkatpathi Raju and Rajesh Chauhan got to work and England were dismissed for 286 and 252.

In the last test in 2008, India won by six wickets to go ahead in the two-Test series thanks to a storybook finish that had the hosts chasing a formidable target of 387 with Tendulkar finishing with an unbeaten 103 though the charge itself was led by Virender Sehwag’s swashbuckling 83 from 68 balls on the fourth evening. Andrew Strauss had the misfortune of finishing on the losing side despite scoring a century in each innings.

(The writer is a veteran sports

journalist)


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