Now that the upcoming series between India and Australia down under has been confirmed, further COVID outbreaks permitting, it is timely to stroll down memory lane to reminisce about series past here in Australia.
Indian tours to Australia have been anything but sedate, marked by high quality cricket, acrimony and controversy.
1947-48
Newly independent India made its first official tour of Australia. While India was free of the yoke of British imperialism it ran into the imperial majesty of the Don Bradman-led Australians. The Don himself scored four big hundreds in the five-Test series. This was a precursor to Australia’s Invincibles tour of the UK in 1948. The home series against India was won by the hosts four-nil.
1967-68
After a gap of 20 years, India toured Australia but as with the previous series they lost four-nil. India was led with the bat by the regal Nawab Pataudi and Australia was led by Bob Cowper and the young Ian Chappell. Although not necessarily finding the pitches to their liking, India’s spinners performed well.
1977-78
This series, which featured the new, no-name, establishment Australian cricket team, saw a thrilling three-two victory to Australia, with the series not decided until the last day of the last Test. Australia was led by the 42-year-old Bob Simpson, recalled from retirement to fill the leadership void following the defection of its first-choice players. Jeff Thomson remained true to the establishment cause for this series. India’s famed spinners dominated with the ball, as did Sunil Gavaskar with the bat with three centuries in three consecutive Tests.
(PA Images via Getty Images)
For Australia, Simpson’s return was a successful one with a huge hundred in Perth, while a host of newcomers as well as Sheffield Shield veterans were introduced to the national team. With the exception of Kim Hughes and John Dyson, a number of the Australian players did not go onto long Test careers, especially as the reconciliation with the Kerry Packer players occurred two years later. In this series, from being two-nil down, India recovered to level the series at two-all leading into the final Test at Adelaide. Set an imposing 493 to win, India fell short in the last Test by just 46 runs.
1980-81
This three-Test series was tied one-all. It was an early sign of acrimony to follow in later series. Gavaskar, aggrieved by the umpiring throughout the tour, was given out LBW in Melbourne and threatened a walk-off as he summoned his batting partner to accompany him back to the pavilion. The quick-thinking actions of the manager prevented a forfeit of the match and potentially a diplomatic incident. Controversy about the state of the MCG also abounded. Australia was bundled out for 83 at the MCG, allowing India to level the series, on the back of a five-for by Kapil Dev and good bowling by Dilip Doshi. India was however in the process of moving away from its all-spin ethos, especially overseas, realising that on faster tracks, more pace options were required. This was a lesson well learnt decades on as we shall see. Dennis Lillee dominated for Australia through the series, and India was well served by the veteran Gundappa Viswanath and newcomer Sandeep Patil.
1985-86
While this series was a nil-all draw, India was on top for the most part, with bad weather foiling a bid for victory in Melbourne. Australia was in a transition phase following the retirements of its greats two seasons earlier and the defection of players to the South African rebel tours. This was India’s best chance to date for a breakthrough series win in Australia but the history books would not record it that way. India’s batting strengths were displayed in full but the bowling lacked overall menace.
1991-92
A resurgent Australia, fresh from Ashes victories in the previous few years, was again building a team of strength. Led by Allan Border, they had top-order stability, middle-order flair and fast-bowling capability. India lost four-nil. This series was notable for the emergence of two megastars of the future: Sachin Tendulkar, who scored a century in Perth, and the debut of Shane Warne in Sydney. While Warne’s debut did not exactly set the world on fire, it nonetheless was an important introduction to the international arena. By the way, India lost four-nil.
1999-00
Australia was in the midst of a record-breaking winning sequence under Steve Waugh. Australia won three-nil in the three-match series. Tendulkar scored his obligatory century, while the world was given a glimpse of the future stardom of VVS Laxman.
2003-04
This series was drawn one-all. The Indian top-order batsmen had a feast in this series, topping 700 in the first innings of the final Sydney Test. India secured an outstanding come-from-behind victory in Adelaide on the back of marathons by Laxman and Rahul Dravid (reprising their efforts in India two years earlier), while an Australian team weakened by the absence of Warne and Glenn McGrath in this series was highly competitive, highlighting how difficult it is for overseas teams to win in Australia. The Sydney Test was the final in the illustrious career of Steve Waugh, who endeared himself to Indian crowds at home and in India with his willingness to embrace different cultural experiences.
2007-08
Following previous series played with reasonable tranquility, this one was particularly vexatious. Umpiring controversies, especially in the Sydney Test, and a threatened cancellation of the tour by India all reflected and contributed to a series full of rancor. The final day of the Sydney Test was a desperate and at times ugly affair. Australia won the series two-one, but India had a breakthrough win in Perth.
2011-12
This time India was facing a period of transition with the last gasp of its famed veterans, including Tendulkar, Laxman and Dravid. Australia won the series four-nil, and Michael Clarke had a summer-long birthday, which included a triple century. For India, Virat Kohli had his first Test tour down under.
(Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
2014-15
This series was conducted against the sad backdrop of the passing of Phil Hughes, necessitating a delayed start. While the mood was grim, the cricket was stimulating. Despite the two-nil scoreline in favour of Australia, the series was competitive. The world saw Steve Smith’s run-scoring frenzy and Kohli proved he was no slouch either.
2018-19
Australia minus the sandpaper culprits lost its first series at home to India. India’s victory was based on a dominant pace attack, the first time you could say that about an Indian team in Australia. The bowlers were unrelenting, probing weaknesses in temperament and technique. Despite a hiccup in Perth, India won the series two-one and were well and truly on top in the Sydney Test, which was badly rain-affected. The balance of power in world cricket, both on and off the field, was changing.
What will 2020-21 bring?
sheek
Roar Guru
Tigerbill44, Amar Singh was born in 1910 in Rajkot, Gujarat. So perhaps you're right.
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
* quite common
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
When the subcontinent was divided ,the biggest divisions came in the two great provinces, Punjab and Bengal. There were divisions elsewhere, but they were minor in comparison. The Paks were offered one of the two major cities; Lahore (Punjab) or Calcutta (Bengal). Their leaders opted for Lahore. Certainly worked well for their cricket future.
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
Way back in 1947, after learning that Lahore would go to Pakistan, Vijay merchant rightly predicted that India would struggle for pace bowlers for decades.
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
Great comments. But I don't think Amar Singh was Sikh. I am no expert on this subject, but the surname Singh is quite among the Rajputs as well.
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
Excellent read, enjoyed it.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Yep, more consistency and showing a fair bit of grit, which is what you need your #5 & #6 batsmen to be as they'll often come in with the score under 150, sometimes under 100.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
His time is coming. His career trajectory is not too disimilar to Chappelli and Steve Waugh.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Yep, I believe he's turned the corner. The issue was he's getting himself out, NOT the opposition. He consistently makes scores between 30-70 and then gets caught playing a slash outside off. He seems to be more disciplined recently.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I remember the series. Bedi was a fab bowler and ambassador.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I believe Head will grow into this team.
matth
Roar Guru
sometimes a series between two flawed but evenly matched teams provides the better contest than a flogging.
Paul D
Roar Rookie
I'm with you, I think Australia's batting will win us most of the tests the way we usually do at home, 500+ in the first and roll them in their 2nd
Micko
Roar Rookie
Also, we should note an all time weak Australian top 6, with little batting depth without Smith & Warner available. In fact, only Head has survived from that batting lineup, and he still is a work in progress, and no long term guarantee to be in the side for years to come.
Chip
Roar Guru
I think the Indian openers are fairly inexperienced and could expose the middle order to the new ball.
Chip
Roar Guru
Yes the pace attack was pretty innocuous
Chip
Roar Guru
Thanks Sheek. That is great information
sheek
Roar Guru
Chip, The reality is that had the Aussies had their WSC stars, the 1977/78 series would possibly have been a whitewash. Apart from Bedi & Chandra, the Indian bowling was weak. Their batting was stronger, but a pace attack of Lillee & Thomson, with either Pascoe, Walker or Gilmour in support, would have been debilitating for them.
sheek
Roar Guru
DaveJ, I think it's time we stopped calling the Mankad runout controversial. It is still within the rules, & prevents batsmen from taking an unfair advantage advancing down the pitch. The wonder for me is that it took so incredibly long for anyone to dare to do it. Ian Chappell probably saved his test bacon in 1967/68 by scoring 151 in the 2nd test, although he contributed precious little in his remaining innings. It was on the tour of England in 1968 that he secured his place in the team, by topping the runs scored & finishing second in the averages (to Lawry).
sheek
Roar Guru
Chip, Good stuff. There is an irony to India's test history, that before WW2 they possessed their fastest two ever bowlers until Kapil Dev came along. And from what I gather, neither he nor Javagal Srinath were faster than this pair. It may not have been until the new millennium that India found someone who could bowl faster than these two. 70-80 odd years later! I'm talking about the Sikh Amar Singh (b.1910) & the Punjabi Mahommed Nisser (b.1910). Had he been born just a decade later, Nisser would have been a Pakistani. It's worth reading up about these two guys. Not only were they fast, but very talented. The 1947/48 Indian tourists were severely weakened by some key pullouts. The diminutive but brilliant opener Vijay Merchant (b.1911) would certainly have been captain had he been available. But injury & illness conspired for him to withdraw. Middle order batsmen Rusi Modi (b.1924) & Syed Mustaq Ali (b.1914) were top-shelf players & they also withdrew. Two other withdrawals that would have helped the team enormously, decided to wait so they could represent their new country Pakistan. One was the veteran leggie Amir Elahi (b.1908) & the other the young gun pacemen Fazal Mahmood (b.1927). These additions would have made the Indians far more menacing. The Indians asked Australia to double tour them in 1935/36 (as well as going to South Africa), but the ACB declined. Funnily enough, this was precisely what the Aussies did many years later in 1969/70. An Australian team did tour India in 1935/36, but it was made up of many veteran, ex-test players like the imperious Charlie Macartney (then 49), skipper Jack Ryder (then 46), allrounder Stork Hendry (then 40), keeper Hammy Love (then 40), spinner Dainty Ironmonger (then 53), paceman Ron Oxenham (then 44) & quite a few more. For a long time, Australia had India's measure both at home & abroad. But now it mostly seems the home team wins. It's been a fascinating history.