This year marks the 30th anniversary of the famous tied Test between Australia and India in Madras (now known as Chennai).
Only one other match in the more than 2,200 matches in the history of Test cricket ever finished in a tie – the 1960 clash between Australia and the West Indies at the Gabba.
The mid-1980s was an era of rebuilding in Australian cricket after the retirement of icons Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh. Several other high-profile Australian players were also banned from Test cricket due to their participation in rebel tours of South Africa, who were banned from international cricket due to their apartheid racial segregation policy at the time.
Allan Border led a relatively inexperienced line-up during this tough period for Australian cricket.
There were several momentous performances from both sides in the 1986 tied Test. None more so than Dean Jones, who scored 210 in the first innings in oppressively hot and humid conditions in just the third Test of his career. Severely dehydrated, he was hospitalised on a drip for heat exhaustion at the end of his eight-hour innings.
David Boon and Allan Border also both scored first innings centuries as Australia racked up an imposing 7/574 before declaring.
India responded with 394, which included a swashbuckling 119 off 138 balls from legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev batting at number seven Off-spinner Greg Matthews took five first innings wickets for Australia, to give his team a comfortable 177 run lead.
Australia declared their second innings at the end of the fourth day at 5/170, setting India an unlikely target of 348 on the final day.
Indian batting maestro Sunil Gavaskar led the way for his team on the fifth day with 90. Matthews bowled largely in tandem with left arm orthodox spinner Ray Bright for most of the day.
The Indians progressed to 6-331, just 17 short of victory with four wickets in hand, before Bright picked up three crucial wickets to leave them teetering at 9/344. Out strode Indian number 11 and noted batting bunny Maninder Singh to join recognised batsman Ravi Shastri, who was 45 not out.
Bowling in his baggy green cap, Matthews began the final over with Shastri on strike and India needing four to win. The first delivery was a dot ball, before Shastri took two runs off the second, and a single on the third to tie the scores and expose Singh to the strike.
A dot ball followed. On the second last ball, Singh was given out leg-before-wicket for a duck by local Indian umpire Vikram Raju, creating history.
Both Bright and Matthews finished with five second -nnings wickets, and Matthews ten for the match.
You can relive the dramatic final ball in the video below.
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