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Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
The Best of India in England, Part 1: Ajit Wadekar's men script the perfect underdog story
India's first Test on English soil was also their first ever Test, at Lord's in June 1932. For the next 39 years and 20 further Tests, there was no light at the end of the tunnel. In that period, India lost 15 and drew six games, which meant that by the time Ajit Wadekar led his team out in July 1971 for a three-match series, the expectations were mixed. Mixed, because there was a sense of foreboding, given that India had never won a Test in England, but also a feeling of optimism, following the unexpected 1-0 triumph in the Caribbean under the same captain, India's first Test and series victory in the West Indies, a few months previously. There was everything to play for when the teams locked horns at The Oval; the first two outings, at Lord's and Manchester, had ended in stalemates. Despite grabbing a nine-run lead at Lord's in the first Test, India had to hang on by the skin of their teeth to force a draw in the opener, finishing on 145 for eight after being set 183 for victory. At Old Trafford in the next fixture, the weather intervened, and the visitors held on for a comfortable no-result despite conceding a deficit of 164 so that when the carnival shifted to the southeast county of Surrey for the decider, Wadekar's lads were genuinely in with a chance of creating history. Opting to bat, England had the better of the exchanges. Riding on half-centuries from John Jameson, Alan Knott, and No. 8 Richard Hutton, England amassed 355, scoring at a frenetic (in those days) 3.26 runs per over. Even though the bulk of the bowling was marshalled by the spin triumvirate of Bishan Bedi, BS Chandrasekhar and S Venkataraghavan, Eknath Solkar, who bowled left-arm medium-pace and spin with near-equal felicity, was the most successful bowler with three for 28. India lost openers Ashok Mankad and Sunil Gavaskar, who had smashed 774 runs in four Tests on debut in the Caribbean, cheaply but rallied to post 284, thanks to handy knocks from the skipper himself, Dilip Sardesai, Solkar and stumper Farokh Engineer, a seasoned campaigner with Lancashire in the English County Championship. Skipper Ray Illingworth, the off-spinner, took one of only three five-wicket hauls in 61 Tests to ensure his side enjoyed a healthy 71-run advantage, early on day four. It was England's game to dominate from that point, but they ran into tartar in Chandra, the wonderful leg-spinner who defied polio and convention to establish himself as among the greatest spinners of his generation. A dozen years back, Chandra told this writer that he needed only four fielders in specific positions -- at slip, forward short-leg, leg-slip and near the square-leg umpire. 'When I bowled well,' he added, 'they were enough. When I didn't, it didn't matter how many fielders were there.' In England's second innings, the great leggie didn't just bowl well, he was extraordinarily brilliant. The somewhat fortuitous run out of Jameson for the second time in the match, backing up at the non-striker's end when Chandra got his hand to a drive from Brian Luckhurst that smashed the stumps, opened the floodgates and India were then all over their opponents like a bad rash. Solkar held two wonderful catches at short-leg and India's fielding lifted itself to make sure that England were shot out for 101, Chandra ending up with the remarkable figures of six for 38 from 18.1 overs. India needed 173 for a historic victory. Time wasn't a factor – there was a day and a quarter left – but nerves were. Gavaskar fell for a blob to John Snow, and when Mankad followed him to the dressing-room for 11, India were in strife at 37 for two. Fortunately, they had experience and class in the middle order. First-innings heroes Sardesai and Wadekar steadied the ship by adding 39 for the third wicket, after which GR Vishwanath helped the former realise 48 for the next. 'Vishy' was coming off a blob in the first innings and was determined to make amends, battling past defensive bowling and excellent fields set by Illingworth to reach 33 in nearly three hours when he became very part-time left-arm spinner Luckhurst's only Test victim, caught behind. 'The worst shot of my life, to a long hop,' he moaned to me some years ago. India needed only three at the time and Solkar completed a memorable triumph on Ganesh Chaturthi – Indian fans had brought an elephant to the ground to celebrate the occasion! – with a four, triggering a tsunami of delirium and catapulting Wadekar to the cricketing stratosphere. Brief scores: England: 355 all out in 108.4 overs (John Jameson 82, John Edrich 41, Alan Knott 90, Richard Hutton 81; Eknath Solkar 3-28, Bishan Bedi 2-120, BS Chandrasekhar 2-76, S Venkataraghavan 2-63) and 101 all out in 45.1 overs (Brian Luckhurst 33; Venkat 2-44, Chandra 6-38) lost to India: 284 all out in 117.3 overs (Ajit Wadekar 48, Dilip Sardesai 54, Solkar 44, Farokh Engineer 59, Abid Ali 26; John Snow 2-68, Ray Illingworth 5-70) and 174/6 in 101 overs (Wadekar 45, Sardesai 40, GR Vishwanath 33; Derek Underwood 3-72) by four wickets.
India Gazette
17-05-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
"Happy that stands have been named after Wadekar, Rohit, Pawar, Kale": Dilip Vengsarkar hails MCA's tribute at Wankhede
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India] May 17 (ANI): The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) inaugurated four new named spaces at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, paying tribute to legendary figures associated with Mumbai and Indian cricket. The four new spaces inaugurated at the Wankhede stadium were Grand Stand Level 3: Shri Sharad Pawar Stand, Grand Stand Level 4: Ajit Wadekar Stand, and Divecha Pavilion Level 3: Rohit Sharma Stand. In a heartfelt tribute to the Late Amol Kale, the ex-president of the sport's governing body in Mumbai, the match day office at the MCA Pavilion will now be known as the MCA Office Lounge in memory of Amol Kale. Former Indian cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar, present at the ceremony, welcomed the MCA's move to honour these names that have played significant roles in Mumbai's cricketing history. 'I am happy that stands have been named after Ajit Wadekar, Rohit Sharma, Sharad Pawar, and Amol Kale,' Vengsarkar told ANI. He added, 'The history of Mumbai cricket has been very rich,' underlining the city's unmatched legacy in producing cricketing greats and contributing to the national team's success over the decades. Sharad Pawar served as President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from 2005 to 2008 and as President of the International Cricket Council (ICC) from 2010 to 2012. He was also president of the Mumbai Cricket Association from October 2013 to January 2017. The 'Rohit Sharma Stand' at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, named after Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, was also unveiled. The legendary Indian batter was present at the iconic venue with the rest of his family and the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar, and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president Ajinkya Naik. The families of Amol Kale and Ajit Wadekar also expressed deep appreciation for the tributes. While Ajit Wadekar left a legacy by leading India to its first Test series wins in the West Indies and England in 1971, and strengthening India's Test and ODI rankings; Amol Kale, in his role as the President of MCA, helped enrich the sustaining legacy of the Association. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
"Happy that stands have been named after Wadekar, Rohit, Pawar, Kale": Dilip Vengsarkar hails MCA's tribute at Wankhede
Mumbai [India] May 17 : The Mumbai Cricket Association inaugurated four new named spaces at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, paying tribute to legendary figures associated with Mumbai and Indian cricket. The four new spaces inaugurated at the Wankhede stadium were Grand Stand Level 3: Shri Sharad Pawar Stand, Grand Stand Level 4: Ajit Wadekar Stand, and Divecha Pavilion Level 3: Rohit Sharma Stand. In a heartfelt tribute to the Late Amol Kale, the ex-president of the sport's governing body in Mumbai, the match day office at the MCA Pavilion will now be known as the MCA Office Lounge in memory of Amol Kale. Former Indian cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar, present at the ceremony, welcomed the MCA's move to honour these names that have played significant roles in Mumbai's cricketing history. "I am happy that stands have been named after Ajit Wadekar, Rohit Sharma, Sharad Pawar, and Amol Kale," Vengsarkar told ANI. He added, "The history of Mumbai cricket has been very rich," underlining the city's unmatched legacy in producing cricketing greats and contributing to the national team's success over the decades. Sharad Pawar served as President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India from 2005 to 2008 and as President of the International Cricket Council from 2010 to 2012. He was also president of the Mumbai Cricket Association from October 2013 to January 2017. The 'Rohit Sharma Stand' at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, named after Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, was also unveiled. The legendary Indian batter was present at the iconic venue with the rest of his family and the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar, and Mumbai Cricket Association president Ajinkya Naik. The families of Amol Kale and Ajit Wadekar also expressed deep appreciation for the tributes. While Ajit Wadekar left a legacy by leading India to its first Test series wins in the West Indies and England in 1971, and strengthening India's Test and ODI rankings; Amol Kale, in his role as the President of MCA, helped enrich the sustaining legacy of the Association.
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
MCA to inaugurate Rohit Sharma, Ajit Wadekar, Sharad Pawar stands on May 16
Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai MUMBAI: The Mumbai Cricket Association will inaugurate the stands named after India's ODI captain Rohit Sharma , former India captain Ajit Wadekar , and ex-ICC, BCCI and MCA chief Sharad Pawar on May 16, MCA president informed while inviting reporters for the grand event on 4 pm that day. The program was initially supposed to take place on May 13, but had to be postponed due to the heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. The event will also include the dedication of the MCA Office Lounge in memory of the association's former president Amol Kale. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! In its 86th Annual General Meeting on April 15, the MCA had decided to name stands after Rohit, Wadekar, and Pawar. The Divecha Pavilion Level 3 stand will be named after Rohit, who led India to the T20 World Cup title last year in USA & West Indies and the ICC Champions Trophy in UAE in Feb-March. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around in 2025 Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Who's that IPL player? The Grand Stand Level 4 will be named as the Ajit Wadekar Stand, after the ex-India captain, who captained India to maiden Test series victories in West Indies and England in 1971. The significant overseas wins that marked a turning point in Indian cricket's international journey. Wadekar represented India in 37 Test matches and two One Day Internationals between 1966 and 1974. He played 237 first-class matches. His contribution to Indian cricket remains legendary. He passed away in August 2018 at the age of 77. Explained: Why Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket The Grand Stand Level 3 will be named as the Pawar Stand, as the Pawar, regarded as the MCA's 'mentor,' is widely respected for having a highly successful tenure as the MCA president from 2001 to 2013, and then from 2013-16, during which the association hosted the 2011 World Cup final at the revamped Wankhede Stadium .
