Five of the most thrilling India vs Australia Tests

5. Jasubhai Patel’s 14 wicket haul – 2^nd Test, Kanpur, 1959

This was India’s first ever Test win against Australia, and it came on the back of an embarrassing loss, by an innings and 127 runs, in the first Test at Delhi. Ahmedabad-born off-spinner Jasubhai Patel was the chief architect of the win, as he exploited the newly laid Kanpur pitch to pick up 14 wickets in the match, overshadowing Australian pacer Alan Davidson’s 12-wicket scalp in the same game.

The 67-run lead of the Australians still looked daunting, though. But Nari Contractor and Ramnath Kenny played a couple of crucial knocks to take India to 291. It was Davidson who once again shined with the ball, picking up seven wickets in the second innings.

Chasing 225, Australia looked in control when McDonald and Harvey were at the crease but Patel and Polly Umrigar ran through their batting line-up to bowl them out for just 105 in the end. It took 40 years before another Indian bowler could improve on Patel’s figure of 9/69 in the first innings, however, the off-spinner could not replicate that success in the other six Test matches he played for India, and it turned out to be the last series for him playing for his nation.

Brief scorecard: Australia 428 all out (Watson 126, Paine 92; Zaheer Khan 5/94, Harbhajan Singh 3/114) and 192 all out (Watson 56; Ishant Sharma 3/34; Zaheer Khan 3/43) lost to India 405 all out (Tendulkar 98, Raina 86; Johnson 5/64) and 216/9 (Laxman 73*; Hilfenhaus 4/57, Bollinger 3/32) by 1 wicket.

A fantastic 141-run partnership between Shane Watson and Ponting for the second wicket put the visitors in a comfortable position on the opening day with the former, who was dropped at zero by Virender Sehwag, going on to score a century. Australia were bowled out for 428 though as Zaheer Khan produced a good spell with the old ball to take a five-wicket haul.

The strong Indian batting lineup replied in kind. Nearly everyone contributed – Sehwag took India off to flying start, Dravid solidified in the middle, while Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina made 98 and 86 respectively. Interestingly, Laxman came in at no.10 after struggling with a back injury and was dismissed for 2. In the end, India managed to score 405 as Mitchell Johnson picked up five wickets, and Australia took a crucial lead of 23 runs.

The target was never going to be easy on that track and a couple of fantastic spells from Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger made matters worse for the host. India were down to 124/8 by the 34 over with Ishant Sharma and VVS Laxman, who had still not recovered fully from his injury, at the crease. Laxman was playing on one leg by then, and Suresh Raina was running for him. He had very few options other than to take on the Australian bowlers, and he did so with the style and grace one expects from him.

Ishant Sharma played a defiant knock of 31, surviving 92 deliveries in the process, at the other end as India closed in on an improbable win. There was a final twist in the tale, though. Hilfenhaus dismissed Sharma with India still needing 11 for a win, and Laxman was left with Pragyan Ojha as his last remaining partner to take the hosts home. As the pressure mounted, confusion ensued on the pitch. Ojha survived a run out scare at one point, and we were left with the rare image of Laxman shouting expletives at someone. It was all laughs in the end, though as India reached the target of 216, and Laxman put his arm around Ojha as they walked off the pitch with big smiles on their faces.

Brief scorecard: Australia 320 all out (Peter Burge 80, Barry Jarman 78; B Chandrasekhar 4/50) and 274 all out (Bob Cowper 81, Brian Booth 74; Chandrasekhar 4/73, Bapu Nadkarni 4/33) lost to India 341 all out (Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi 86, Motganhalli Jaisimha 66; Tom Veivers 4/68, Alan Connolly 3/66) and 256/8 (Dilip Sardesai 56, Pataudi 53; Connolly 3/24) by 2 wickets.

After winning the toss and opting to bat first, the visitors were off to a poor start and were stuttering at 53/3 before Peter Burge, Tom Veivers, and Barry Jarman took them to a respectable total of 320. Legendary spinner Bhagwath Chandrasekhar was the chief wicket-taker for India in this innings with a four-wicket scalp.

In reply, India lost early wickets as well, but a couple of crucial partnerships, first between Jaisimha and Vijay Manjrekar and then between the Nawab of Pataudi and Rusi Surti, gave the hosts a crucial 21-run lead.

Chasing 254 for a victory, India were left trembling at 122/6. However, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi played a match-winning knock of 53, and received good support from Manjrekar and Chandu Borde, to take India over the line with just two wickets remaining in hand. That win leveled the series for India, who had suffered a big defeat in the first Test at Chennai.

2. The tie – 1^st Test, Chennai, 1986

Brief scorecard:Australia 574/7 dec (Dean Jones 210, David Boon 122, Allan Border 106; Shivlal Yadav 4/142) and 170/5 dec (Boon 49; Maninder Singh 3/60) tied with India 397 all out (Kapil Dev 119, Ravi Shastri 62; Greg Matthews 5/103) and 347 all out (Sunil Gavaskar 90, Mohinder Amarnath 51; Matthews 5/146, Ray Bright 5/94).

30,000 spectators at the Chepauk Stadium witnessed one of the best finishes to a Test match in the history of the sport in the September of 1986. It was the first Test of that edition of Australia’s tour of India, and it ended up being only the second tied game in the history of cricket. However, for the most part of it, it had appeared the strong Australian side would scamper home to a comfortable win. But, by the time Greg Matthews was bowling the penultimate delivery of the match, all the three results were still in play!

For the most part of their first innings, it seemed like India would have to follow on, but a brilliant counter-attacking knock by Kapil Dev, where he scored 119 runs at a strike rate of 86.23, took India to a total of 397, and Australia were forced to bat again. Australia scored 170 runs in the 49 overs available to them on the fourth day, and Border declared first thing on the final morning, setting India a target of 348 to win from a minimum of 87 overs.

At the start, it felt like India were playing for the draw as Sunil Gavaskar gave them a solid start. However, when they returned for the tea break at 190/2, a chase of 158 runs off 30 overs seemed fairly plausible with eight wickets in hand. Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, and Mohammad Azharuddin departed quickly after, though, and it was Ravi Shastri who played an aggressive knock of 48 runs, from 40 balls and took India within touching distance of an improbable win.

1. The miracle of Eden – 2^nd Test, Kolkata, 2001

It was arguably the strongest Australian side of recent times. Glenn McGrath was tormenting the Indian batsmen. India were 232/4 in their second innings when their captain Sourav Ganguly went back to the pavilion after they were made to follow on. India were still 42 runs behind with six wickets in hand. How do you win from such a situation? Well, you just need India’s highest fifth-wicket partnership, India’s first Test hat-trick, and India’s highest individual score in Test cricket (at that time).

Over the years, Eden Garden had witnessed some of the most special moments in Indian cricket but perhaps the most cherished memories in this ground were formed in the summer of 2001.

India’s reply was off to a terrible start as the Australian pacers, led by McGrath from the front, tore through the Indian batting lineup. India were reduced to 129/9, and it was only a cameo knock of 59 runs by Laxman which took them to 171. Still, it was far from what they needed to avoid the follow-on, and without any hesitancy, Steve Waugh asked them to bat again.

This time, the Indian batsmen gave their team a better start with Laxman being promoted up the order to No.3 after his performance in the first innings. He formed an 117-run partnership with local boy Ganguly before the Prince of Kolkata was dismissed for 48 by McGrath. India were still staring down the barrel when Rahul Dravid joined Laxman at the crease. What followed is arguably the greatest partnership we have witnessed, at least in a long while.

Australia had the task of batting for 75 overs on the final day to manage a draw as the target of 384 seemed out of question. The visitors got off to a good start with Hayden continuing his good form, and Slater providing him good support. At 106/1, it seemed like the match was heading for an inevitable draw. However, once Harbhajan Singh got into his stride, the Australian batting lineup fell like leaves in autumn. The off-spinner took six wickets and Australia were bowled out for 212 with seven overs still remaining for the day.

This was only the second time that a team which was asked to follow-on went on to win the match. Australia were at the receiving end both the times.