1991-92 India tour of Australia - The tour that changed how cricket was watched

India's 1991-92 tour of Australia spanned four months

For many cricket loving kids like me born in the 1980’s, India’s tour to Australia in 1991-92 was a tour that strengthened our love for the sport. While the results for Team India on the cricket field were disappointing, there were many other milestones that remain entrenched in our minds. The previous tour by the Indian team to Australia had been very successful with a win in the World Championship of Cricket and Ravi Shastri being crowned the Champion of Champions.

This was also one of the early ODI series where the Indian team played in colored clothing and under lights which made watching it very enjoyable on the colour TVs which had recently come into India. While this series was truly memorable in context of Indian cricket, our generation was too young to understand and enjoy the cricket on view.

Only Australia tour in 14 years – A new-world experience

Unlike now, India touring Australia was a rare occasion – after 1985 the next tour was six years later in 1991 and the next one in 1999! So for the ‘Kids Born in 1980s’ this was the first taste of watching their favourite players play Down Under.

The ODI cricket under lights (at that time day night cricket did not exist in India), beautifully maintained grounds, huge outfields which required swift fielders with a strong arm, beautiful television production, the clear replays, Channel 9’s pre match / post match presentation and a quacking duck when a batsman was dismissed for a zero were brilliant for Indian cricket kids. Add to that the quality of Australian cricketers, especially the quick bowlers and it made for compelling viewing for Indian fans.

Craig McDermott charging in to bowl, looking like a warrior with his white zinc cream had become a hero in local cricket and we actually had lot of the aspiring fast bowlers putting on talcum powders on their faces while bowling just to emulate their idol. We despised David Boon because he never seemed to get out cheaply and longed to see the Waugh brothers about whom we had read much but had seen little of.

Sanjay Manjrekar, on a high after successful tours of West Indies, Pakistan and England was the star batsman everyone was waiting to watch in Australia. He had been recently appointed vice captain and Imran Khan had kind words for him – he was in all likelihood going to be Sunil Gavaskar’s successor as a leader of India’s batting.

Landmarks galore despite defeat

While the ODI’s were shown on TV, the test matches were not telecast and we had to listen to radio commentary to keep track of scores. Kapil Dev’s 400th test wicket, Ravi Shastri’s double century, skipper Azharuddin’s return to form with an attacking century in Adelaide, Manoj Prabhakar’s canny swing bowling were a few highlights of the test series which are still fresh in memory.

Of course, Sydney and Perth were important milestones that made the world admire an 18 year old in a career which eventually lasted for 24 years. The Sydney test also saw the debut of probably the greatest spinner in test cricket – Shane Warne’s debut test was not memorable but he eventually made up for that pretty well.

India did not win a single test in Australia on that tour, barely scrapped through into the finals of the triangular series but the 1991-92 Australia series was a fantastic experience for young cricket fans like yours truly.