JOIN USDH Flashback - India's tour of Australia, 1977-78: A historic see-saw battle
Down under.
If we decide to dissect the term and analyse the two different words, we can discover a common trait. Throughout history, both words have often been used in one particular context: The act of subjugation, dominance and supremacy.
Australia is known as 'down under' because of its location on the world map. In the universe of cricket, however, the term can be tweaked to describe Australia's astonishing supremacy. In terms of ODI laurels, no other team comes close to their dominance. In Test cricket, very few teams can rival their enviable record. And when it comes to playing in Australia, the degree of toil for visiting teams increases manifold.
India is now in Australia to tackle three ODIs, three T20Is and four Tests in a tour that kicks off on Nov. 27 and ends on Jan. 19, 2021. The 'Men in Blue' are on an international tour after nine months as the global pandemic brought the sport to a standstill for an extended period. It's time for us to look at their past performances in the country.
In India's very first tour of Australia in 1947-48 under the captaincy of Lala Amarnath, they were still learning the ways of the game. Very few expected them to challenge the great Sir Don Bradman-led Australian team. In the first Test, India suffered defeat by an innings and 226 runs in Brisbane. Bradman slammed 185 in Australia's total of 382 and India could only manage to score 58 and 98 in their two innings. The touring side bounced back in Sydney but rain played spoilsport. Australia's domination continued in Melbourne, Adelaide and again in Melbourne. India ended up losing the series 0-4. The story was the same in the 1967-68 tour when Australia blanked an India side ravaged by injuries 4-0. A few brilliant performances from Abid Ali, the Nawab of Pataudi and Ajit Wadekar proved to be insufficient.
For today's flashback, let's now revisit India's 1977-78 tour. India was visiting Australia after 10 years. An exodus of star players, most notably the Chappell brothers (Ian and Greg) and Dennis Lillee to the World Series Cricket tournament from Kerry Packer, meant that Australia had to field a team without their top guns. The situation was so miserable that they had to coax former captain Bob Simpson out of retirement to lead the side. Simpson was 41 at that time and the last Test he played was in 1967. India, on the other hand, boasted of stalwarts like Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohinder Amarnath and Gundappa Viswanath in the batting line-up. The bowling unit had spin wizards Erapalli Prasanna, Bishan Singh Bedi and B Chandrasekhar, supported by the pace bowling of Madan Lal and Amarnath.
Australia, of course, possessed two qualities that have been the hallmark of their cricketing style: Determination and a 'never-say-die' attitude. They were playing in their den, so they were weak but they were certainly not out.
First Test: Brisbane, Dec. 2-6, 1977
Australia came out strong. Batting first, they were bundled out for a paltry 166, with Bedi taking five wickets for 55 runs. India, in reply, managed to put up 153 on the scoreboard. In their second innings, the aged Bob Simpson led Australia from the front, guiding them to 327 by scoring 89 from a long vigil of 269 balls. India needed 340 to win. And they shaped their innings well, with Sunil Gavaskar showing the way. In the end, however, India ended at 324, with Gavaskar scoring a sublime 113 off 264 balls, aided by Syed Kirmani's 55, Amarnath's 47 and Viswanath's 35. Though India lost the Test, one thing was evident: The series was going to be a gruelling battle with neither side willing to cede even an inch.
Second Test: Perth, Dec. 16-21, 1977
It turned out to be a close encounter. India piled up 402 in the first innings, thanks to Amarnath's 90, Chetan Chauhan's 88 and modest contributions from the other batsmen. Australia proved equal to the task and replied with 394. Simpson again steered the ship with a magnificent 176. India declared their second innings at 330, giving Australia 338 to chase. Australia faltered in the chase time and again but Tony Mann's 105, Peter Toohey's 83 and a lower order blitz from Steve Rixon brought them close to victory. At one point, they needed eight runs with two wickets remaining. Wayne Clarke and Jeff Thomson managed to survive against some spirited Indian bowling to see the team home.
Third Test: Melbourne, Dec. 30, 1977-Jan. 4, 1978
It was comeback time. In the first innings, India notched up 256 thanks to Amarnath's gritty 72, Viswanath's 59 and excellent contributions from the middle order. Chandrasekhar then took six wickets for a mere 52 runs as Australia folded for 213. India then rode on Gavaskar's 118 in the second innings to post 343, giving Australia a stiff target of 386. It proved to be too much for the Aussies, especially against a marauding Chandrasekhar and Bedi, who claimed six and four wickets respectively to end Australia's chase at 164. Chandrasekhar ended the match with 12 wickets for 104 runs. India won by a mammoth 222 runs.
Fourth Test: Sydney, Jan. 7-12, 1978
Could India keep the series alive? They started the Test on the best possible note, cleaning up the Australian batting for 131, with Chandrasekhar and Bedi again emerging as heroes with the ball with four and three wickets respectively. India consolidated their position with a brilliant exhibition of batting to post 396 with six batsmen crossing the 40-run mark, with Viswanath top-scoring with 79 and tail-ender Karsan Ghavri providing a late burst with a very useful innings of 64. Trailing by 265 runs, Australia's second innings never took off and they were all out for 263, handing India a win by an innings and two runs.
India had the momentum and Australia were staring at an improbable home series defeat. Humiliation at the hands of India would have compounded Australia's miseries, which began with a confrontation between Packer and the country's cricket authority.
Fifth Test: Adelaide, Jan. 28-Feb. 3, 1978
Australia batted first and posted the highest total of the series: 505. Simpson (100) brought up his second ton of the series and Graham Yallop scored 121. India in the first innings managed only 269, with Viswanath topping the chart with 89. Australia began the second innings with a lead of 236 and increased it to 492. India, chasing an unattainable second-innings target, put up an incredible fight and finished at 445, just 47 runs short of what would have been a record chase. Amarnath (86), Viswanath (73), Vengsarkar (78) and Kirmani (51) had proved that India were not pushovers.
That last innings capped a tour where the team showed indomitable courage, albeit against a weakened Australian side.
Though India lost the series 2-3, that tour marked the beginning of the team's rise to become a force to reckon with in Test cricket. They had sealed the series with a promise - it was a promise of many more unforgettable India-Australia encounters to come in the future.
Will 2020-21 be one of them?