5 unheralded Indian victories in Tests and ODIs

Being a fan of the Indian cricket team isn’t easy. It’s a roller coaster journey, with many highs and many lows. It is exhilarating, really. Better than any drug. The highs, when they come, are powerful and unadulterated. They are so much more than just wins to celebrate for the fans. Rather, they are moments of pride for the entire country to revel in, to puff out their chest, look the world in the eye and say, “We are the champions”.Each generation of fans has their own special set of memories that they relate to on a deeply personal level. Collectively, any given set of Indian fans can check off a string of famous wins on their fingers. The Oval ’71. The 1983 World Cup final. Colombo ’93. Kolkata ’01. Adelaide ’03. And the 2011 World Cup was essentially one long highlight reel for an entirely new generation who weren’t around to see the last World Cup win.And although Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s emphatic six to win the final has already been replayed several times and will be replayed several times in the years to come, it is victories like this that, fortunately or unfortunately, overshadow a number of others.Maybe these other wins weren’t quite as high profile as others. Maybe they came in series India actually lost. Maybe they simply didn’t induce the same level of euphoria Perth ’08 or the 2011 World Cup semi final did. Even though their place in history and the collective memory of Indian cricket fans is slightly obscured, these wins were no less monumental.Here are five such victories.

#5 India beat Pakistan by 4 wickets, Second ODI, National Stadium, Karachi, 30 September 1997

Rajesh Chauhans six won it for India in the last over of a nail biter.

It was perhaps a quirk of the cricketing calendar in 1997 that India made the trip across the border that year to play Pakistan in a standalone ODI series and not as an accompaniment to Test matches.

Pakistan had already beaten India two days previously at Hyderabad (Sind). The Indians could only manage a laborious 170 in 49 overs. That proved to be relatively little trouble for the Pakistanis as they made it home with five and a half overs to spare.

Despite the defeat, Indian fans neednt have worried. For those who thought a bad start would amount to meek surrender were badly mistaken.

Pakistan were missing the services of Wasim Akram for the tournament but otherwise it was a full strength line up that took to the field at the National Stadium in Karachi. Backed by the momentum from the first ODI and the famously partisan crowd, Pakistan were expected to put an end to the floundering tourists.

Indias worst fear reared its ugly head when a young Shahid Afridi opening the innings smashed the Indian bowlers left and right. He finally walked after a barnstorming 72 off 56 balls but his replacement at the crease provided little respite.

The bowlers were, once again, given the run around as Inzamam ul-Haq scored an unbeaten 74 and was ably supported by Moin Khan at the other end. It was an absolutely dominant performance by the home side acutely reflected in the performance of the Indian bowlers in numerical terms. Debasis Mohanty was slammed for 25 runs from his 3 overs, while Abey Kuruvilla and Nilesh Kulkarni gave away 116 runs between them.

There were a few overs still to play when the innings had to be brought to a close. The unruly crowd had resorted to stone throwing for a third time and captain Tendulkar had to take his side off the field of play. A lot of time had already been lost thanks to a multitude of disruptions, and Pakistans innings was declared closed on 265/4 in 47.2 overs.

India had an uphill battle awaiting them. They had 47 overs to get 266 runs and it was essential they did not get bogged down in the early stages. Thankfully for them, the openers ensured this was not the case. Sachin Tendulkar had a brief cameo but it was very much Sourav Gangulys moment.

His 89 runs came from 96 balls with 11 fours (but no sixes) and India were making a fist of the chase when a returning Vinod Kambli walked in at 71-1. Replacing his good friend Tendulkar at the wicket, Kambli weighed in with a much needed 53 from 76 balls.

After a blistering start, Waqar Younis got rid of the menacing Ganguly while Vinod Kambli was run out. Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja were both sent back without disturbing the scoreboard too much and India were suddenly staggering at 195/5.

Robin Singh, soon to be hero of the Independence Cup chase, and Syed Saba Karim then took over, hurrying the innings along without ever going into overdrive.

They almost managed to finish the job. Karim fell to leave India at 257/6, and the target was within reach but time was fast running out. It soon came down to 6 runs from 4 balls with spinner Rajesh Chauhan at the crease.

It was an excruciating moment. The game was on a knife edge and one slight misstep could consign India to defeat. The wily Saqlain Mushtaq was bowling the last over, and he looked capable of anything.

But the off spinner rose magnificently to the occasion. Among all the emphatic, match winning sixes, Rajesh Chauhans has to figure somewhere near the top. The nation waited with bated breath. And one iconic swing of the bat later, they exploded in celebration.

Sadly for India, the series was a bittersweet one. Having so dramatically snatched a win in the closing stages of the game at Karachi, India were given no chance, absolutely none, by Ijaz Ahmeds splendid hundred in the decider at Lahore and were sent back to the drawing board by a delighted home side.

#4 India beat South Africa by 8 wickets, LG Cup second match, Gymkhana Club Ground, Nairobi, 26 September, 1999

Sunil Joshi finished with a stunning 5/6 from his 10 overs.

Oh look. Its South Africa again.

But surely this was an inconsequential match? Or was there something else to it?

The Gymkhana Club Ground at Nairobi was witness to one of the most unusual one day games ever played. It also turned out to be Sunil Joshis finest hour for India.

It was a curio, really. The sort of thing you would file under special. It was the sheer novelty of it all that makes it stand out and yet, it is often overlooked when talking about notable ODI wins.

For starters, Ajay Jadeja was captain of the Indian team. On paper, it looked like his intention of winning all the league games would be fulfilled, given other participants included a decidedly unthreatening Kenya and Zimbabwe. But first, India had to negotiate the test of South Africa.

South Africa chose to bat first on a moody and volatile wicket. Certainly, despite the unhelpfulness of the conditions, it would not have been unreasonable to assume a South African batting line up full of style and substance would put up a competitive total.

It proved to be an ill advised decision. The South African innings coughed and sputtered like a decrepit car engine before giving way completely two overs from the end. Incredibly, despite batting for 48 overs, the South Africans had only managed to put up 117. Jacques Kallis top scored with 38, and he took 110 balls to get that far.

It was clear that India had profited from the toss despite losing it. They realised the conditions were such that the slow bowlers stood the best chance of benefiting.

To that end, Sunil Joshi (a spinning allrounder), Nikhil Chopra (a batsman) and the well regarded debutant Vijay Bharadwaj (a middle order batsman) all completed their quota of 10 overs.

It was a highly unusual gambit that worked wonders. Bharadwaj gave away just 16 runs from his 10 overs (besides dismissing Kallis), while Chopra picked up three wickets. Even opener Sadagoppan Ramesh and Rahul Dravid got a chance to bowl.

The undisputed man of the match, however, was Sunil Joshi. The Karnataka left arm spinner has a number of interesting career highlights but his best figures were recorded here, and they are a sight worth seeing: 10-6-6-5. Yes, you read that right.

The second innings was almost an embarrassing formality. Ramesh (36) and Sourav Ganguly (38) batted with more cut and thrust than their South African counterparts, though managed objectively modest scores. Their runs, however, proved to be enough, while Bharadwaj and Dravid came on to apply the finishing touches. India did not even have to bat half the allotted 50 overs.

#3 India beat South Africa by 35 runs, Titan Cup final, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, 6 November, 1996

Captain Tendulkar holds aloft the Titan Cup.

This was a match that India werent really supposed to win.

Australia and South Africa bookended the 1996 Titan Cup in India with some memorable Test cricket but it was the cup competition which gave us the most unexpected result of the latter half of 1996.

The tri series looked to be heading only one way. Australia, having lost the one off Test in New Delhi, were in very poor form as they tasted defeat in all their preliminary stage games. The South Africans, however, were irresistible on their way to the final.

Spearheaded by man of the series Allan Donald, they were in great form as Australia and India were alternately crushed with minimal effort. They looked certain to claim the final at Mumbai.

New captain Sachin Tendulkar, however, had other ideas.

Aided by a couple of cameos from Mohammad Azharuddin and Rahul Dravid, as well as a very handy late surge by Ajay Jadeja, Tendulkars 67 (the only half century of the game) led India to a total of 220 in the allotted 50 overs.

It looked to be an easy task for a powerful South African line up, but it is unfortunate displays like this that make it difficult for them to shed unwanted tags like chokers.

Certainly, Tendulkars positive and forward thinking leadership should be given its due, but it is difficult to look beyond the showing of the Bengaluru boys on the day/night.

Anil Kumble and Venkatesh Prasad cleaned up the South African batting between them (which could muster just 185 in reply), and it was the only substantial partnership between Dave Richardson and Pat Symcox at the end which ensured a deserved win for the Indians was not an absolute thrashing.

Mumbai got a first look at its golden boy leading the side. Sachin Tendulkars captaincy would oversee a period of some highs, but many more lows. The 1996 Titan Cup final against an in form South Africa was definitely one of those highs.

#2 India beat West Indies by 49 runs, Fourth Test, Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica, 30 June - 2 July, 2006

Skipper Rahul Dravid stepped up once again when his team needed him on a tricky pitch.

Indias tour to the West Indies in mid 2006 brought the usual clichs out of the vault once again. The West Indies were supposedly in decline and apparently a shadow of their former selves. India, we were told, had a big chance to record a significant rubber away from home for the first time in a certain number of years.

The trouble was that the same story had been trotted out on Indias previous two visits to the Caribbean in 1997 and 2002. They were expected to down the struggling hosts on these two occasions as well but succumbed to some shocking defeats.

India were left in tatters and ruing missed opportunities while the West Indies gleefully cartwheeled off into the sunset 1-0 (1997) and 2-1 (2002). For all the joy that Port-of-Spain 02 brought with it, it proved to be but a flash in the pan as India failed to build on that landmark victory under Sourav Ganguly.

The morale heading into this series was pretty low. Coach Greg Chappells propagation of the flexibility mantra for the Indians backfired spectacularly in the ODI series prior to the Test matches.

An unimpressive West Indies side ranked 8th in the world handed the Indians a staggering 4-1 thrashing in the run up to Brian Laras final Test series at home. In retrospect, this is where it all began to go wrong for Chappell before he exited following a dismal World Cup in 2007 he had seemingly hit upon a successful formula in tandem with captain Rahul Dravid, but the ignominious reverse in the Caribbean asked serious questions of the coachs philosophy.

Chappell never really recovered from that ordeal, but to their credit, India managed to bounce back and in some style.

A magnificent second innings batting display in the first Test looked to have pushed the hosts towards certain defeat, but Fidel Edwards and Corey Collymore managed to survive the last 19 balls for a draw.

The West Indies were following on in the second Test at St. Lucia, but rain played spoilsport from an Indian perspective with the West Indies perilously close to defeat once again.

The third Test was drawn as well, so the final Test at Sabina Park, Jamaica assumed greater significance, for everything was on the line.

India won the toss and elected to bat first. An inhospitable pitch meant they only mustered 200 in their first innings Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble offering the only consolation in an otherwise forgettable batting performance.

Jerome Taylor took five wickets, and his spell was a marker of things to come. Neither set of batsmen dominated. Instead, it was the bowlers who took centre stage in Kingston.

The West Indies themselves managed only 103 and Harbhajan Singh ripped through the lower order with ease, finishing with innings figures of 4.3-0-13-5.

Indias second innings was not vastly different from their first. Once again, skipper Dravid reminded fans of his brilliance.

His two knocks in the match (81 and 68) were both classics. Dravid batted with extraordinary patience in both innings, taking his time with the bowling and dictating the flow of proceedings. It was his performance that gave the rest of the team something to build around, and it was moments like this that demonstrated his immense worth to the side in trying conditions away from home.

The Windies were given a target of 269 and they put up more of a fight this time. Ramnaresh Sarwans half century took them past the 100 run mark, but his dismissal left them at 126 for 5.

Denesh Ramdin then gave the chase another firm push (he finished not out on 62) but eventually ran out of partners. Sreesanth took three wickets but the old warhorse Anil Kumble finished with 6/78 to wrap up a win by 49 runs. The whole thing was over in three days.

The game remains strangely forgotten an oddity, surely, given Indias poor record in the Caribbean on their previous tours. It was also their first major series win outside the subcontinent since a 0-2 defeat of England in 1986. India had also recovered superbly from a poor showing in the ODIs, spoiled Laras farewell along the way and one wonders why 2 July 2006 isnt remembered quite as fondly or spoken of with as much reverence as other equally, maybe even less, significant dates in Indian cricket.

#1 India beat New Zealand by 272 runs, Fourth Test, Eden Park, Auckland, 7-12 March, 1968

Erapalli Prasannas eight wicket haul was among severalsuperb displays by the Indians.

When one watches India now, it seems difficult to believe that this side was once vastly different from its current incarnation.

The swagger of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma makes it seem impossible that Indian cricketers once carried a burden upon their backs. The burden of a lack of self belief.

But over six months in 1971, all that self doubt was dispensed with, all those labels were ripped off and all that negativity was contemptuously erased for good.

India had been well beaten 1-3 by Bill Lawrys Australia late in 1969 (the last time the Aussies won a series in India until 2004), and suddenly, back-to-back visits to England and the West Indies in those six months began to look even more ominous.

Then it all changed. India completed two magnificent wins 1-0 wins over both teams in what was a monumental year for India and their fans. Just to prove it hadnt been a fluke, India beat England in the rematch in 1972-73.

Those victories at The Oval and Port-of-Spain were subsequently enshrined in Indian crickets hall of fame. They are now remembered as the first defining away wins in the history of cricket in the country.

Except thats not quite the case. Rightly celebrated as those wins are, they did not contribute to Indias first series win abroad.

That came three years prior. And India were touring New Zealand in early 1968 under the stewardship of the Junior Nawab of Pataudi when it happened.

India got their noses in front in the third Test at Basin Reserve, Wellington. Propelled by Ajit Wadekars only Test hundred, India had achieved something they hadnt achieved before. That win was historic, it was memorable and it was validation for a quietly brewing Indian side only their second Test win away from home.

The significance of the win, however, unfairly obscured the one that followed it.

India were leading, but they were not quite out of the woods yet. New Zealand still had a chance to level the series and pour water all over what had been a promising series so far for the Indians.

India lost the toss and were put in to bat. Captain Pataudi top scored with 51, while Farokh Engineer and Chandu Borde provided crucial support to take India to a first innings total of 252.

New Zealands reply was feeble. All out for 140, they were still trailing by 112 runs when India walked out to bat for a second time. Engineer gave them a solid start at the top of the order, and then Rusi Surti took over. He was on his way to a sensational hundred, but was heartbreakingly dismissed on 99.

Chandu Borde propped up the other side of the innings with an unbeaten 65, and his timely score helped Pataudi declare on the fifth day at 261 for 5. This gave New Zealand a target of 374 to chase.

The hostswere abysmal.They justbarely reached three figures this time, as Indias spin kings bowled them to a victory increasingly obscured by the mists of time.

Six of the ten wicket taking deliveries crashed into the stumps even as spin worked its magic on that final day in March 1968. Bishan Singh Bedi finished with match figures of 34.4-19-35-5, while Erapalli Prasanna was king of the mountain with eight well taken wickets in the game.

And finally, when Dick Motz was caught by Engineer off Bedi, India exploded in celebration of a Test and a series well done.