This Week That Age

1952: Vinoo Mankad completes the Test double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in his 23rd match as India defeat Pakistan by ten wickets in the third Test at Bombay. This is the fastest Test double until 1979 when Ian Botham achieves the feat in 21 matches.

1955: On the second day of the first Test between India and New Zealand at Hyderabad Polly Umrigar (223) becomes the first Indian to hit a double century in Tests. His partnership of 238 runs with Vijay Manjrekar (118) is India’s third wicket record in all Tests. AG Kripal Singh becomes the third Indian to score a century in his first Test.

1961: The first Test between India and England at Bombay is drawn. Ken Barrington (151 and 52) bats for over nine hours in the match without being dismissed.

1969: The second Test between India and Australia at Kanpur is drawn. Gundappa Viswanath (137) is the sixth batsman to score a hundred in his first Test for India.

1976: In the second Test against New Zealand at Kanpur India hit up 524 for nine declared the highest total in Test cricket in which no batsman has scored a century. It is the eighth instance of all 11 batsmen reaching double figures in a Test innings.

1978: Pakistan defeat India by eight wickets in the third Test at Karachi to complete a 2-0 series triumph. Sunil Gavaskar overtakes Polly Umrigar’s record Indian aggregate of 3631 runs in his 40th Test and becomes only the fourth batsman to score a century in each innings of a Test twice. With 583 runs Zaheer Abbas sets a record aggregate for any three-match series surpassing the 558 by Seymour Nurse for West Indies against New Zealand in 1968-69.

1979: On the first day of the first Test between India and Pakistan at Bangalore play is halted for several minutes when all the players and both umpires throw themselves on the ground face down with their hands over their ears after a swarm of bees invades the stadium.

1981: Australia defeat Pakistan by 286 runs in the first Test at Perth to go one up in three- match series. On the fourth day Dennis Lillee who claims that he has been provoked by abuse from Javed Miandad deliberately impedes and then aims a kick at the visiting captain. Umpire Tony Crafter separates the culprits as Miandad aims to club Lillee with his bat. Lillee’s punishment is to be suspended from two one day matches.

1983: West Indies defeat India by 138 runs in the third Test at Ahmedabad to go 2-0 up in the six-match series. Kapil Dev becomes the tenth bowler to take nine or more wickets in a Test innings, the third to do so and finish on the losing side, the third for India and the first as captain. His figures (nine for 83) are the fifth-best in Test cricket.

1988: India defeat New Zealand by 172 runs in the first Test at Bangalore to go one up in three-match series. Narendra Hirwani has a match haul of eight wickets and this brings his tally of dismissals in his first two Tests to 24.

1989: The first Test between India and Pakistan at Karachi is drawn. This is Kapil Dev’s 100th Test while Sachin Tendulkar who makes his debut is out for 15 in his only innings.