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“I made two mistakes in the Sydney Test in 2008”. Steve Bucknor, in speaking about his career, has said that he made “two mistakes” during the controversial Australia-India Sydney Test in 2008, which made headlines for the “monkeygate” spat between Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh and the contentious umpiring decisions.

In an interview with Mid-Day, Bucknor said: “I made two mistakes in the Sydney Test in 2008. Mistake one, which happened when India were doing well, allowed an Australian batsman to get a hundred. Mistake two, on day five, might have cost India the game. But still, they are two mistakes over five days. Was I the first umpire to make two mistakes in a Test? Still, those two mistakes seem to have haunted me.”

India had reduced the hosts to 134 for 6 on the first day before an unbeaten 162 from Symonds and half-centuries from Brad Hogg and Brett Lee propelled Australia to a commanding 463. The first decision Bucknor refers to was when Symonds, on 30, edged a delivery from Ishant Sharma to MS Dhoni but Bucknor remained unmoved. Replays later showed Snicko had picked up the edge but there was no DRS at the time.

The other decision Bucknor recalls probably refers to Rahul Dravid’s dismissal on the last day when India were set 333 to chase from a possible 72 overs. In the 34th over of the chase, with India fighting for a draw on 115 for 3, Bucknor ruled Dravid caught behind. Dravid’s bat was tucked behind his pad, and replays confirmed the ball had flicked Dravid’s front knee roll on the way. Michael Clarke later picked up the last three India wickets in five balls with about six minutes to spare, and Australia won the match and took a 2-0 series lead.

“You need to know why mistakes are made,” Bucknor said. “You don’t want to make similar mistakes again. I am not giving excuses but there are times when the wind is blowing down the pitch and the sound travels with the wind. The commentators hear the nick from the stump mic but the umpires may not be sure. These are things spectators won’t know.”

The episode became a blot on Bucknor’s otherwise celebrated record, as he was removed by the ICC from officiating in the third Australia-India Test in Perth.

Looking back at happier times from his career, Bucknor recalled two World Cups, starting with 1992 when he had officiated only in a handful international matches but got to stand in the final. He would go on to officiate in four more consecutive finals until the 2007 edition.

“I stood in only four Tests and three ODIs before that [1992 World Cup],” Bucknor recalled. “And I was the only umpire from the Caribbean at that World Cup. So I didn’t know if I was good enough to be there. During the tournament, I was told I was doing very well. The captains had good things to say. My aim was to be among the six umpires for the semi-finals. I would have been happy to even be a reserve umpire. I stood in the New Zealand versus Pakistan semi-final in Auckland. And after the match I was told, ‘Bucknor, you’re doing the final.’

“I remember in 1996, West Indies versus Australia in the semi-final. I was in Delhi and I left my hotel room when Australia were 15 for 4. I went down to the lobby and told them to book my tickets to Jamaica. I then packed my bags and got ready to leave the next morning. That night, West Indies lost. I was sad because I wanted West Indies in the final. But personally, I was happy. Once the game was over, I was told, ‘Bucknor, first flight out to Pakistan for the final.'”

The former umpire also explained his signature style of taking a long pause before declaring a batsman out. “I created replays in my mind,” he said. “Did the ball pitch outside leg? Was it high? Is it missing off? These are the questions I asked myself. I was criticised in my own country when I started out. One commentator said that if there is an appeal in the last over of the day, Bucknor’s finger will go up the next morning.”

Bucknor retired in 2009 after officiating in 128 Tests and 181 ODIs; his Test record of umpiring in most matches was broken by Aleem Dar in December 2019.

Article courtesy – espncricinfo.com

12 years after that India vs Australia Test match in Sydney, which Australia won in dramatic fashion in the dying hours of Day 5, umpire Steve Bucknor agreed that his two mistakes might have cost India dearly.

The India vs Australia Test match at Sydney in 2008 would perhaps go down as one of the most controversial Test matches between the two countries. Cricket took backstage with the Test match revolving around the controversial umpiring decisions by Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson and the ‘monkeygate’ scandal between India’s Harbhajan Singh and Australia’s Andrew Symonds.

12 years after that Test match, which Australia won in dramatic fashion in the dying hours of Day 5, umpire Steve Bucknor agreed that his two mistakes might have cost India the Sydney Test.

“I made two mistakes in the Sydney Test in 2008,” Bucknor told Midday.

“Mistake one, which happened when India were doing well, allowed an Australian batsman to get a hundred. Mistake two, on Day Five, might have cost India the game. But still, they are two mistakes over five days. Was I the first umpire to make two mistakes in a Test? Still, those two mistakes seem to have haunted me,” Bucknor added.

The West Indian umpire was referring to his decision on Day 1 of the Test match that allowed Andrew Symonds a life. Australia were tottering at 135 for six when Symonds and Brad Hogg had just started to build a partnership.

India’s Ishant Sharma found the inside edge of Symond’s bat when the all-rounder was batting at 30 but Bucknor ruled it as not out.

Symonds, later on, survived another stumping appeal which could have gone either way. He rode his luck to slam 160 as Australia posted 463. In reply, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman hit centuries as India took a 69-run lead.

Australia set India 333-run target on Day 5 with only 72 overs of play remaining. India were recovering from a poor start with Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly stitching a good partnership before the former was given out caught for 38 in the 34th over off Andrew Symonds’ bowling by Steve Bucknor. Replays showed there was no bat involved, the ball had actually gone off Dravid’s pads. This Bucknor referred as his ‘second mistake’ which he believed might have ‘cost India the Test match’.

Ganguly too fell to a controversial umpiring decision but MS Dhoni and Anil Kumble had managed to take India deep. After Dhoni’s dismissal, India’s tail could not wag as Michael Clarke took three wickets in one over to seal a 122-run win.

“You need to know why mistakes are made. You don’t want to make similar mistakes again. I am not giving excuses but there are times when the wind is blowing down the pitch and the sound travels with the wind. The commentators hear the nick from the stump mic but the umpires may not be sure. These are things spectators won’t know,” Bucknor added.

Article Courtesy – The Hindustan Times

England has won 49 tests against West Indies prior to the start of the second test. One more test win would fetch England its 50^th win against West Indies. England has carved 110 test wins against Australia and 64 test wins against South Africa.

England would become the second team in the annals of test cricket to win 50 plus tests against three oppositions after Australia. Australia has won 146 tests against England, 52 tests against South Africa and 58 tests against West Indies.

England has won 34 tests against West Indies at home prior to the start of the second test. One more test win would fetch England its 35^th win at home against West Indies. England has carved 53 test wins at home against Australia

England would become the second team in the annals of test cricket to win 35 plus home tests against two oppositions after Australia. Australia has won 95 home tests against England and 37 home tests against West Indies.

JE Root of England has an aggregate of 803 runs against West Indies prior to the start of the second test. He requires 197 runs to total 1000 plus runs against West Indies. If he gets them, then he would become the 17^th England batsman to aggregate 1000 plus runs against West Indies.

JE Root has scored seven fifties against West Indies prior to the start of the second test. Three more fifties in the ensuing series would fetch him ten fifties. If he gets them, then he would become the tenth England batsman to score ten fifties against West Indies.

SCJ Broad has scored six zeroes against West Indies prior to the start of the second test. He needs one more zero to collect his seventh duck against West Indies and share the record for most ducks against West Indies by England batsmen with PI Pollock, JA Snow and DL Underwood

JE Root has led England in 39 tests prior to the start of the second test. One more test would fetch him 40 captaincy assignments. He would then become the seventh captain to lead England in 40 plus tests. Others are – AN Cook {59}, MA Atherton {54}, MP Vaughan {51}, AJ Strauss {50}, N Hussain {45} and PBH May {41}

JE Root has pouched 114 catches as a fieldsman other than wicketkeepers prior to the start of the second test. Eight more catches would fetch him 122 catches and with it the distinction of becoming the second England fieldsman to pouch most catches. AN Cook has the record with 175 catches. JE Root would go past MC Cowdrey {120}, IT Botham {120} and AJ Strauss {121} on his way to occupy the second place.

JE Root has pouched 68 catches at home as a fieldsman other than wicketkeepers prior to the start of the second test. Two more catches would fetch him 70 catches and with it the distinction of becoming the fourth England fieldsman to pouch 70 plus catches at home. Others are – AN Cook {113}, AJ Strauss {83} and MC Cowdrey {70}

JE Root has pouched 13 catches against West Indies as a fieldsman other than wicketkeepers prior to the start of the second test. Two more catches would fetch him 15 catches and with it the distinction of becoming the 19th England fieldsman to pouch 15 or more catches against West Indies.

JO Holder has an aggregate of 1917 runs prior to the start of the second test. He needs 83 more runs for his 2000 test runs. If he gets it, he would then become the 38^th West Indies batsman to total 2000 plus test runs.

JO Holder of West Indies has scored 1537 runs and captured 97 wickets while leading West Indies. Three more wickets would fetch him 100 wickets and with it he would earn the distinction of becoming the second West Indies captain to score 1500 runs and capture 100 wickets. GS Sobers is the other West Indies captain who has scored 3528 runs and captured 117 wickets

JO Holder of West Indies has scored 1537 runs and captured 97 wickets while leading West Indies. Three more wickets would fetch him 100 wickets and with it he would earn the distinction of becoming the fourth captain in the annals of test cricket to score 1500 runs and capture 100 wickets. Others are GS Sobers, Imran Khan and DL Vettori.

No	Player	Team	Mat	Runs	Wkts
1	GS Sobers	Win	39	3528	117
2	Imran Khan	Pak	48	2408	187
3	DL Vettori	NZl	32	1917	116
4	JO Holder	Win	33	1537	097

If JO Holder achieves the captioned double, then West Indies will become the only team in the annals of test cricket to have two captains scoring 1500 runs and 100 wickets.

JO Holder of West Indies has captured 97 wickets while leading West Indies. Three more wickets would fetch him 100 wickets and with it he would earn the distinction of becoming the ninth captain in the annals of test cricket to capture 100 wickets. The following table furnishes the bowlers

No	Player	Team	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	5	10
1	Imran Khan	Pak	48	71	9211	3790	187	12	4
2	R Benaud	Aus	28	56	10720	3559	138	9	0
3	GS Sobers	Win	39	69	10860	3978	117	3	0
4	DL Vettori	NZl	32	54	9275	3873	116	6	0
5	N Kapil Dev	Ind	34	58	6718	2925	111	4	1
6	Wasim Akram	Pak	25	46	5444	2499	107	3	1
7	BS Bedi	Ind	22	39	7279	2631	106	8	1
8	SM Pollock	SAF	26	50	5833	2201	103	4	1
9	JO Holder	Win	33	56	5352	2321	097	7	1

If JO Holder captured 100 wickets, then West Indies will become the third team in the annals of test cricket to have two captains capturing 100 wickets. India and Pakistan are the other two teams.

No	Player	Team	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	5	10
1	N Kapil Dev	Ind	34	58	6718	2925	111	4	1
2	BS Bedi	Ind	22	39	7279	2631	106	8	1
1	Imran Khan	Pak	48	71	9211	3790	187	12	4
2	Wasim Akram	Pak	25	46	5444	2499	107	3	1
1	GS Sobers	Win	39	69	10860	3978	117	3	0
2	JO Holder	Win	32	55	5352	2321	097	6	1

JM Anderson of England has captured 49 wickets at home against West Indies prior to the start of the second test. He needs one more wickets for his 50 wickets. If he gets them, then he would become the sixth bowler in the annals of test cricket to capture 50 plus wickets at home against West Indies. Others are- GD McGrath {60}, FS Trueman {56}, DK Lillee (55}, N Kapil Dev {54} and SM Pollock {50}

JM Anderson of England has captured 49 wickets at home against West Indies prior to the start of the second test. He needs one more wicket for his 50 wickets. If he gets them, then he would become the second England bowler in the annals of test cricket to capture 50 plus wickets at home against West Indies after FS Trueman. FS Trueman has captured 56 wickets.

JM Anderson of England has captured 588 wickets prior to the start of the second test. He needs 12 more wickets for his 600 wickets. If he gets them, then he would become the fourth bowler in the annals of test cricket to capture 600 plus wickets.  Others are- M Muralidharan {800}, SK Warne {708} and A Kumble {619}

Perhaps for the first time, England team will be having two pace bowlers with 300 plus wickets in a home test. JM Anderson has an aggregate of 368 wickets at home and SCJ Broad has an aggregate of 305 wickets at home.

SCJ Broad has an aggregate of 485 wickets prior to the start of the second test. He requires 15 more wickets for his 500 wickets. If he gets them, then he would become the seventh    bowler to capture 500 plus wickets in the annals of test cricket. The following table lists all the bowlers who have captured 500 plus wickets

No	Player	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	5	10
1	M Muralitharan	133	230	44039	18180	800	67	22
2	SK Warne	145	273	40705	17995	708	37	10
3	A Kumble	132	236	40850	18355	619	35	08
4	JM Anderson	151	282	32779	15670	584	28	03
5	GD McGrath	124	243	29248	12186	563	29	03
6	CA Walsh	132	242	30019	12688	519	22	03

If SCJ Broad gets 500 wickets, then England will become the second team to have two bowlers with 500 plus wickets. Australia is the other team with SK Warne {708} and GD McGrath {563}

If SCJ Broad gets 500 wickets England will become the  first team to have two pace bowlers with 500 plus wickets.

SCJ Broad has an aggregate 3211 runs and 485 wickets prior to the start of the second test. He requires 15 more wickets for his 500 wickets. If he gets them, then he would become the second cricketer to score 3000 plus runs and capture 500 wickets in tests. SK Warne has scored 3154 runs and captured 708 wickets

SCJ Broad has an aggregate 3211 runs and 485 wickets prior to the start of the second test. He requires 15 more wickets for his 500 wickets. If he gets them, then he would become the first fast bowler to perform the feat of scoring 3000 plus runs and capture 500 wickets in tests.

JM Anderson has pouched 95 catches prior to the start of the second test apart from scoring 1199 runs and 587 wickets. He needs five more catches for his 100 catches. He is all set to become the second all rounder in the annals of test cricket to score 1000 plus runs, capture 100 plus wicket and pouch 100 plus catches. SK Warne is the other cricketer to perform such a feat. He has scored 3154 runs, captured 708 wickets and pouched 125 catches

JM Anderson has pouched 95 catches prior to the start of the second test He needs seven more catches for his 100 catches. He is all set to become tenth England fieldsman to pouch 100 plus catches. The following table lists the England fieldsmen with 100 plus catches.

No	Player	Span	Mat	Inns	Dis
1	AN Cook	2006-2018	161	300	175
2	AJ Strauss	2004-2012	100	189	121
3	IT Botham	1977-1992	102	179	120
4	MC Cowdrey	1954-1975	114	214	120
5	JE Root	2012-2020	092	174	114
6	WR Hammond	1927-1947	085	154	110
7	GP Thorpe	1993-2005	100	179	105
8	GA Gooch	1975-1995	118	211	103
9	IR Bell	2004-2015	118	223	100

Test cricket has witnessed 82 occasions of a batsman scoring a ninety in  the fourth innings of  test. J Blackwood’s 95 against England in the just concluded test at Southhampton provides the 82^nd occasions.

Out of these 82 occasions, it is interesting to note that 26 occasions are on a winning cause, 38 occasions were in a losing cause, 17 occasions ended in drawn tests and one occasion in a tied test.

The following table lists the batsmen who have scored nineties in the fourth innings of a test in a winning cause.

No	Player	Runs	I	Team	Opp	Ground	Mon/Year
1	AWard	93	4	Eng	Aus	Melbourne	Mar 1895
2	CHill	97	4	Aus	Aus	Adelaide	Jan 1902
3	TWHayward	91	4	Eng	Aus	Sydney	Dec 1903
4	AWNourse	93*	4	SAF	Aus	Jo’burg	Jan 1906
5	JBHobbs	93*	4	Eng	SAF	Jo’burg	Feb 1910
6	FEWoolley	95*	4	Eng	SAF	Leeds	Jul 1929
7	WHPonsford	92*	4	Aus	Win	Adelaide	Dec 1930
8	LHutton	98*	4	Eng	SAF	Manchester	Jul 1951
9	RBSimpson	92	4	Aus	Win	Melbourne	Feb 1961
10	ALWadekar	91*	4	Ind	Aus	Delhi	Nov 1969
11	GAGooch	91*	4	Eng	NZl	The Oval	Jul 1978
12	GSChappell	98*	4	Aus	Aus	Sydney	Jan 1980
13	HAGomes	92*	4	Win	Aus	Lord’s	Jun 1984
14	DCBoon	94*	4	Aus	Aus	Melbourne	Dec 1990
15	KCWessels	95*	4	SAF	Ind	P Elizabeth	Dec 1992
16	CLHooper	94*	4	Win	Aus	Trinidad	Feb 1998
17	MAAtherton	98*	4	Eng	SAF	Nottingham	Jul 1998
18	AJTudor	99*	4	Eng	NZl	Birmingham	Jul 1999
19	SCGanguly	98*	4	Ind	Srl	Kandy	Aug 2001
20	MLHayden	96	4	Aus	SAF	Cape Town	Mar 2002
21	RWTKey	93*	4	Eng	Win	Manchester	Aug 2004
22	AJStrauss	94*	4	Eng	SAF	P Elizabeth	Dec 2004
23	MLHayden	90	4	Aus	SAF	Sydney	Jan 2006
24	SAlHasan	96*	4	Ban	Win	St George’s	Jul 2009
25	KCBrathwaite	95	4	Win	Aus	Leeds	Aug 2017
26	JBlackwood	95	4	Win	Aus	Southampton	Jul 2020

ST Gabriel captured five for 75 in England’s second innings to provide the 95^th occasion of a West Indies bowler capturing five or more wickets in an innings against England. It also provides 60^th occasion of a West Indies bowler capturing five or more wickets against England in England

ST Gabriel captured nine for 137 in this test to provide the ninth occasion of a West Indies bowler capturing exact nine wickets in an test against England. All such occasions are tabulated below

No	Player	Overs	M	Runs	W	Opp	Ground	Date
1	LNConstantine	56.3	23	122	9	Eng	Georgetown	Feb 1930
2	OC Scott	105.2	13	374	9	Eng	Kingston	Apr 1930
3	S Ramadhin	129.0	51	228	9	Eng	Birmingham	May 1957
4	CC Griffith	39.0	10	081	9	Eng	Leeds	Jul 1963
5	CC Griffith	50.0	11	137	9	Eng	The Oval	Aug 1963
6	AME Roberts	32.5	12	059	9	Eng	Manchester	Jul 1976
7	J Garner	38.2	09	108	9	Eng	Birmingham	Jun 1984
8	MD Marshall	27.4	10	041	9	Eng	Manchester	Jun 1988
9	ST Gabriel	36.5	07	137	9	Eng	Southampton	Jul 2020

ST Gabriel captured nine for 137 in this test to provide the seventh occasion of a West Indies bowler capturing exact nine wickets in an test against England in England. All such occasions are tabulated below

No	Player	Overs	M	Runs	W	Opp	Ground	Start Date
1	S Ramadhin	129.0	51	228	9	Eng	Birmingham	May 1957
2	CC Griffith	39.0	10	081	9	Eng	Leeds	Jul 1963
3	CC Griffith	50.0	11	137	9	Eng	The Oval	Aug 1963
4	AME Roberts	32.5	12	059	9	Eng	Manchester	Jul 1976
5	J Garner	38.2	09	108	9	Eng	Birmingham	Jun 1984
6	MD Marshall	27.4	10	041	9	Eng	Manchester	Jun 1988
7	ST Gabriel	36.5	07	137	9	Eng	Southampton	Jul 2020

JM Blackwood became the fifth batsman in the annals of test cricket to score nineties in the  fourth innings of a test on two occasions when he made 95 in the just concluded test. Prior to this he had made a similar score against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi in Oct 3016. SM Gavaskar, JB Hobbs, IVA Richards and Shakib Al Hasan are the other four batsmen who have accomplished this feat.

No	No	Player	Runs	I	Team	Opp	Ground	Mon/Year
1	1	J Blackwood	95	4	Win	Pak	Abu Dhabi	Oct 2016
	2	J Blackwood	95	4	Win	Eng	Southampton	Jul 2020
2	1	SM Gavaskar	90	4	Ind	Aus	Chennai	Sep 1986
	2	SM Gavaskar	96	4	Ind	Pak	Bengaluru	Mar 1987
3	1	JB Hobbs	93*	4	Eng	SAF	Johannesburg	Feb 1910
	2	JB Hobbs	97	4	Enf	SAF	Durban	Feb 1914
4	1	IVA Richards	98	4	Win	Aus	Melbourne	Jan 1976
	2	IVA Richards	92	4	Win	Pak	Bridgetown	Feb 1977
5	1	S Al Hasan	96	4	Ban	Srl	Dhaka	Dec 2008
	2	S Al Hasan	96*	4	Ban	Win	St George’s	Jul 2009

At the end of this test, BA Stokes had an aggregate of 4145 runs and 153 wickets. His 150^th wicket came in this test. He became the sixth cricketer in the annals of test cricket to achieve the double of 4000 runs and 150 wickets. The following table lists all the six cricketers.

No	Player	Team	Mat	Runs	Wkts
1	JH Kallis	SAF	166	13289	292
2	GS Sobers	Win	93	8032	235
3	N Kapil Dev	Ind	131	5248	434
4	IT Botham	Eng	102	5200	383
5	DL Vettori	NZl	113	4531	362
6	BA Stokes	Eng	064	4145	153

West Indies carved its 175^th test win when they beat England by four wickets at Southampton. It also provides its 83^rd win on away soil. West Indies carved its 58th test win against England when they beat England by four wickets at Southampton. It also provides its 31^st win against England in England.

The following are the six pairs of batsmen who have partnered 5000 plus runs in one day games. Two Indian pairs – Kohli-RG Sharma and S Dhawan-RG Sharma are set to join these six pairs.

No	Partners	Team	Inns	NO	Runs	High	Ave	100	50
1	Ganguly/Tendulkar	Ind	176	3	8227	258	47.55	26	29
2	MJaya’dene/Sangakkara	Srl	151	7	5992	179	41.61	15	32
3	Dilshan/Sangakkara	Srl	108	6	5475	210*	53.67	20	19
4	Atapattu/Jayasuriya	Srl	144	5	5462	237	39.29	14	26
5	Gilchrist/Hayden	Aus	117	3	5409	172	47.44	16	29
6	Greenidge/Haynes	Win	103	4	5206	192*	52.58	15	25
1	Kohli/RG Sharma	Ind	080	5	4878	246	65.04	18	15
2	Dhawan/RG Sharma	Ind	109	1	4847	210	44.87	16	14

AC Gilchrist-Hayden have partners 45 fifty plus runs partnerships in the history of one day internationals. Ganguly-Tendulkar have partnered 44 fifty plus runs partnerships. These two pairs are the only two pairs to partner fifty plus runs partnerships on 40 plus occasions.

No	Partners	Team	Inns	NO	Runs	High	Ave	100	50	50+
1	Gilchrist/Hayden	Aus	114	3	5372	172	48.39	16	29	45
2	Ganguly/Tendulkar	Ind	136	2	6609	258	49.32	21	23	44

The following are the three pairs of batsmen who have partnered 5000 plus runs for the first wivket in one day games. Indian pair – S Dhawan-RG Sharma are set to join these three pairs.

No	Partners	Team	Inns	NO	Runs	High	Ave	100	50
1	Ganguly/Tendulkar	Ind	136	2	6609	258	49.32	21	23
2	Gilchrist/Hayden	Aus	114	3	5372	172	48.39	16	29
3	Greenidge/Haynes	Win	102	4	5150	192*	52.55	15	24
1	Dhawan/RG Sharma	Ind	107	1	4802	210	45.30	16	14

The following are the five pairs of batsmen who have partnered fifty plus run partnerships on 40 plus occasions. for the first wicket in one day games. Indian pair – Ganguly-Tendulkar is the only pair to partner fifty plus  runs partnerships on 50 plus occasions – to be exact 55 occasions

No	Partners	Team	Inns	NO	Runs	High	Ave	100	50	50+
1	Ganguly/ Tendulkar	Ind	176	3	8227	258	47.55	26	29	55
2	Jaya’dene/Sangakkara	Srl	151	7	5992	179	41.61	15	32	47
3	Gilchrist/Hayden	Aus	117	3	5409	172	47.44	16	29	45
4	Atapattu/Jayasuriya	Srl	144	5	5462	237	39.29	14	26	40
5	Greenidge/Haynes	Win	103	4	5206	192*	52.58	15	25	40

The following table furnishes the pair of batsmen who have added most runs for each wicket in one day internationals.

Wkt	Partners	Team	Inns	NO	Runs	High	Ave	100	50
1	Ganguly/Tendulkar	Ind	136	2	6609	258	49.32	21	23
2	Dilshan/Sangakkara	Srl	086	3	4730	210*	56.98	19	15
3	Jayawardene,Sangakkara	Srl	097	4	4116	179	44.25	10	23
4	PAde Silva/Ranatunga	Srl	071	3	2542	143	37.38	04	14
5	Dhoni/SK Raina	Ind	054	7	2421	196*	51.51	05	13
6	Dhoni/RA Jadeja	Ind	039	5	1208	127*	35.52	02	04
7	CZ Harris/AC Parore	NZl	033	3	0534	50	17.80	00	02
8	CZ Harris/Vettori	NZl	019	6	0353	72	27.15	00	02
9	A Razzak/M Mortaza	Ban	016	2	0298	53	21.28	00	02
10	M Amir/Saeed Ajmal	Pak	004	1	0186	103	62.00	01	00

The following table furnishes the total partnerships runs scored for each wicket in the history of one day internationals.

Wkt	Inns	NO	Runs	High	Ave	100	50
1	8453	112	299101	365	35.85	634	1488
2	8380	218	299277	372	36.66	637	1497
3	8191	350	300545	258	38.32	613	1589
4	7864	491	264475	275*	35.87	463	1427
5	7377	589	217583	256*	32.05	265	1206
6	6772	655	160452	267*	26.23	122	0774
7	6061	790	117256	177	22.24	048	0504
8	5203	787	078564	138*	17.79	010	0237
9	4296	738	051687	132	14.52	008	0109
10	3345	718	030534	106*	11.62	002	0038

There are twelve pairs of batsmen who have played 100 plus innings and five pairs of batsmen who have played 90 to 99 innings in the history of one day internationals. All such pairs are tabulated below

No	Partners	Team	Inns	NO	Runs	High	Ave	100	50
1	Ganguly/Tendulkar	Ind	176	3	8227	258	47.55	26	29
2	Jaya’dene/Sangakkara	Srl	151	7	5992	179	41.61	15	32
3	Atapattu/Jayasuriya	Srl	144	5	5462	237	39.29	14	26
4	NJ Astle/SP Fleming	NZl	118	3	3814	193	33.16	09	17
5	AC Gilchrist/Hayden	Aus	117	3	5409	172	47.44	16	29
6	Sehwag/Tendulkar	Ind	114	2	4387	182	39.16	13	18
7	Jayasuriya/Kaluwitharana	Srl	112	2	3352	129	30.47	06	19
8	S Dhawan/RG Sharma	Ind	109	1	4847	210	44.87	16	14
9	Dilshan/Sangakkara	Srl	108	6	5475	210*	53.67	20	19
10	PA de Silva/Ranatunga	Srl	105	3	3802	153	37.27	08	18
11	Greenidge/Haynes	Win	103	4	5206	192*	52.58	15	25
12	Haynes/RB Richardson	Win	103	6	3908	167	40.28	09	21
No	Partners	Team	Inns	NO	Runs	High	Ave	100	50
1	Inz-ul-Haq/M Yousuf	Pak	99	7	4082	162	44.36	8	22
2	R Dravid/Tendulkar	Ind	98	5	4117	331	44.26	11	14
3	AC Gilchrist/ME Waugh	Aus	97	1	3992	206	41.58	8	20
4	DC Boon/GR Marsh	Aus	96	1	3807	212	40.07	8	26
5	HM Amla/Q de Kock	RSA	95	3	4300	282*	46.73	11	15

Ganguly-Tendulkar pair own the record for playing most number of innings – 176 – in the history of one day internationals followed by M Jayawardene-KC Sangkkara pair who has played 151 innings. These two pairs are the only two pairs  in the  history of one day internationals to play 150 plus innings.

No	Partners	Team	Inns	NO	Runs	High	Ave	100	50
1	Ganguly/Tendulkar	Ind	176	3	8227	258	47.55	26	29
2	Jaya’ene/Sangakkara	Srl	151	7	5992	179	41.61	15	32

The partnership of 361 runs between DA Warner and M Labuschagne for the second wicket in the test between Australia and Pakistan at Adelaide In Nov 19 provided the 100^th occasion of batsmen posting a triple hundred plus runs partnership in the annals of test cricket. All such occasions are tabulated below

No	Partners	Wkt	Runs	I	Team	Opp	Ground	Date
1	JB Hobbs, W Rhodes	1	323	2	Eng	Aus	Melbourne	09.02.12
2	DG Bradman, WH Ponsford	4	388	2	Aus	Eng	Leeds	20.07.34
3	DG Bradman, WH Ponsford	2	451	1	Aus	Eng	The Oval	18.08.34
4	DG Bradman, JHW Fingleton	6	346	3	Aus	Eng	Melbourne	01.01.37
5	L Hutton, M Leyland	2	382	1	Eng	Aus	The Oval	20.08.38
6	SG Barnes, DG Bradman	5	405	2	Aus	Eng	Sydney	13.12.46
7	A Melville, AD Nourse	3	319	1	SAF	Eng	Nottingham	07.06.47
8	DCS Compton, WJ Edrich	3	370	1	Eng	SAF	Lord’s	21.06.47
9	DG Bradman, AR Morris	2	301	4	Aus	Eng	Leeds	22.07.48
10	L Hutton, C Washbrook	1	359	1	Eng	SAF	Jo’burg	27.12.48
11	ED Weekes, FMM Worrell	3	338	1	Win	Eng	Trinidad	17.03.54
12	DS Atkinson, CC Depeiaza	7	347	2	Win	Aus	Bridgetown	14.05.55
13	Imtiaz Ahmed, Waqar Hasan	7	308	2	Pak	NZl	Lahore	26.10.55
14	MH Mankad, P Roy	1	413	1	Ind	NZl	Chennai	06.01.56
15	MC Cowdrey, PBH.05.	4	411	3	Eng	Win	Birmingham	30.05.57
16	CC Hunte, GS Sobers	2	446	2	Win	Pak	Kingston	26.02.58
17	GS Sobers, FMM Worrell	4	399	2	Win	Eng	Bridgetown	06.01.60
18	EJ Barlow, RG Pollock	3	341	2	SAF	Aus	Adelaide	24.01.64
19	WM Lawry, RB Simpson	1	382	1	Aus	Win	Bridgetown	05.05.65
20	KF Barrington, JH Edrich	2	369	1	Eng	NZl	Leeds	08.07.65
21	WM Lawry, KD Walters	4	336	1	Aus	Win	Sydney	14.02.69
22	TW Jarvis, GM Turner	1	387	2	NZl	Win	Georgetown	06.04.72
23	Asif Iqbal, Mushtaq Mohd	4	350	1	Pak	NZl	Dunedin	07.02.73
24	AI Kallicharran, IVA Richards	3	303	1	Win	Eng	Nottingham	03.06.76
25	SM Gavaskar, DB Vengsarkar	2	344*	3	Ind	Win	Kolkata	29.12.78
26	GR Viswanath, Y Sharma	3	316	1	Ind	Eng	Chennai	13.01.82
27	J Miandad, M Nazar	3	451	1	Pak	Ind	Hyd-Pak	14.01.83
28	IVA Richards, RB Richardson	3	308	2	Win	Aus	St John’s	07.04.84
29	DI Gower, RT Robinson	2	331	2	Eng	Aus	Birmingham	15.08.85
30	GA Gooch, DI Gower	2	351	1	Eng	Aus	The Oval	29.08.85
31	J Miandad, Qasim Umar	3	397	2	Pak	Srl	Faisalabad	16.10.85
32	GR Marsh, MA Taylor	1	329	1	Aus	Eng	Nottingham	10.08.89
33	GA Gooch, AJ Lamb	3	308	1	Eng	Ind	Lord’s	26.07.90
34	MD Crowe, AH Jones	3	467	3	NZl	Srl	Wellington	31.01.91
35	J Miandad, Saleem Malik	4	322	1	Pak	Eng	Birmingham	04.06.92
36	AR Border, SR Waugh	5	332*	1	Aus	Eng	Leeds	22.07.93
37	MA Atherton, RA Smith	3	303	2	Eng	Win	St John’s	16.04.94
38	Saqlain Mushtaq, W Akram	8	313	2	Pak	Zim	Sheikhupura	17.10.96
39	GS Blewett, SR Waugh	5	385	2	Aus	SAF	Jo’burg	28.02.97
40	ST J’suriya, RS Mahanama	2	576	2	Srl	Ind	Col-RPS	02.08.97
41	Aamer Sohail, Inz-ul-Haq	3	323	2	Pak	Win	Rawalpindi	29.11.97
42	HH Gibbs, JH Kallis	2	315*	2	SAF	NZl	Christchurch	11.03.99
43	Ijaz Ahmed, Inz-ul-Haq	3	352*	2	Pak	Srl	Dhaka	12.03.99
44	JC Adams, BC Lara	5	322	2	Win	Aus	Kingston	13.03.99
45	JL Langer, RT Ponting	5	327	2	Aus	Pak	Perth	26.11.99
46	MS Atapattu, ST J’suriya	1	335	1	Srl	Pak	Kandy	28.06.00
47	R Dravid, VVS Laxman	5	376	3	Ind	Aus	Kolkata	11.03.01
48	AC Gilchrist, DR Martyn	6	317	1	Aus	SAF	Jo’burg	22.02.02
49	HH Gibbs, GC Smith	1	368	1	SAF	Pak	Cape Town	02.01.03
50	DS Lehmann, RT Ponting	3	315	1	Aus	Win	Trinidad	19.04.03
51	HH Dippenaar, JA Rudolph	3	429*	2	SAF	Ban	Chattogram	24.04.03
52	HH Gibbs, GC Smith	1	338	1	SAF	Eng	Birmingham	24.07.03
53	R Dravid, VVS Laxman	5	303	2	Ind	Aus	Adelaide	12.12.03
54	VVS Laxman, SR Tendulkar	4	353	1	Ind	Aus	Sydney	02.01.04
55	HH Gibbs, GC Smith	1	301	1	SAF	Win	Centurion	16.01.04
56	V Sehwag, SR Tendulkar	3	336	1	Ind	Pak	Multan	28.03.04
57	MS Atapattu, Sangakkara	2	438	2	Srl	Zim	Bulawayo	14.05.04
58	Inz-ul-Haq, Younis Khan	3	324	1	Pak	Ind	Bengaluru	24.03.05
59	CH Gayle, RR Sarwan	2	331	2	Win	SAF	St John’s	29.04.05
60	Mohd Yousuf, Younis Khan	3	319	1	Pak	Ind	Lahore	13.01.06
61	R Dravid, V Sehwag	1	410	2	Ind	Pak	Lahore	13.01.06
62	JN Gillespie, MEK Hussey	4	320	2	Aus	Ban	Chattogram	16.04.06
63	M J’wardene, Sangakkara	3	624	2	Srl	SAF	Col-SSC	27.07.06
64	Mohd Yousuf, Younis Khan	3	363	2	Pak	Eng	Leeds	04.08.06
65	PD Collingwood, KP Pietersen	4	310	1	Eng	Aus	Adelaide	01.12.06
66	M J’wardene, Sangakkara	3	311	2	Srl	Ban	Kandy	11.07.07
67	HM Amla, JH Kallis	3	330	3	SAF	NZl	Jo’burg	08.11.07
68	SC Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh	5	300	1	Ind	Pak	Bengaluru	08.12.07
69	ND McKenzie, GC Smith	1	415	1	SAF	Ban	Chattogram	29.02.08
70	R Dravid, G Gambhir	2	314	1	Ind	Eng	Mohali	19.12.08
71	M J’wardene, Samaraweera	4	437	1	Srl	Pak	Karachi	21.02.09
72	M J’wardene, P J’wardene	6	351	2	Srl	Ind	Ahmedabad	16.11.09
73	MJ Clarke, RT Ponting	4	352	1	Aus	Pak	Hobart	14.01.10
74	HM Amla, JH Kallis	3	340	1	SAF	Ind	Nagpur	06.02.10
75	MJ Guptill, BB McCullum	6	339	1	NZl	Ban	Hamilton	15.02.10
76	SCJ Broad, IJL Trott	8	332	1	Eng	Pak	Lord’s	26.08.10
77	SR Tendulkar, M Vijay	3	308	2	Ind	Aus	Bengaluru	09.10.10
78	BJ Haddin, MEK Hussey	6	307	2	Aus	Eng	Brisbane	25.11.10
79	AN Cook, IJL Trott	2	329*	3	Eng	Aus	Brisbane	25.11.10
80	IR Bell, KP Pietersen	3	350	1	Eng	Ind	The Oval	18.08.11
81	MJ Clarke, MEK Hussey	5	334*	2	Aus	Ind	Sydney	03.01.12
82	MJ Clarke, RT Ponting	4	386	1	Aus	Ind	Adelaide	24.01.12
83	HM Amla, JH Kallis	3	377*	2	SAF	Eng	The Oval	19.07.12
84	DM Bravo, MN Samuels	3	326	2	Win	Ban	Khulna	21.11.12
85	CA Pujara, M Vijay	2	370	2	Ind	Aus	Hyd-RGS	02.03.13
86	AB de Villiers, GC Smith	5	338	2	SAF	Pak	Dubai-DSC	23.10.13
87	BB McCullum, BJ Watling	6	352	3	NZl	Ind	Wellington	14.02.14
88	HM Amla, AB de Villiers	4	308	1	SAF	Win	Centurion	17.12.14
89	BJ Watling, KS Williamson	6	365*	3	NZl	Srl	Wellington	03.01.15
90	Imrul Kayes, Tamim Iqbal	1	312	3	Ban	Pak	Khulna	28.04.15
91	UT Khawaja, DA Warner	2	302	1	Aus	NZl	Perth	13.11.15
92	SE Marsh, AC Voges	4	449	1	Aus	Win	Hobart	10.12.15
93	JM Bairstow, BA Stokes	6	399	1	Eng	SAF	Cape Town	02.01.16
94	V Kohli, AM Rahane	4	365	1	Ind	NZl	Indore	08.10.16
95	Mush Rahim, S Al Hasan	5	359	1	Ban	NZl	Wellington	12.01.17
96	MR Marsh, SPD Smith	5	301	2	Aus	Eng	Perth	14.12.17
97	DM de Silva, BKG Mendis	2	308	2	Srl	Ban	Chattogram	31.01.18
98	JA Burns, TM Head	4	308	1	Aus	Srl	Canberra	01.02.19
99	MA Agarwal, RG Sharma	1	317	1	Ind	SAF	Vizag	02.10.19
100	MLabuschagne, DA Warner	2	361	1	Aus	Pak	Adelaide	29.11.19

India have always featured prominently in any discussion about spin bowling, but never was this emphasis on spin greater than in the 1960s and 1970s, when four of their most celebrated slow-bowling exponents played together. There were high-quality spinners from India before – Subhash Gupte scalped 149 wickets at 29.55, and was rated better than Shane Warne by no less a player than Garry Sobers; Vinoo Mankad snared 162 at just over 32 and also contributed mightily with the bat; while Bapu Nadkarni was the king of thrift, taking 88 wickets and conceding 1.67 runs per over. However, when Bishan Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Erapalli Prasanna and S Venkataraghavan broke into the team in the 1960s, they established such a hold over the Indian bowling attack that for the next decade and more they became the core of the bowling unit, in all countries and conditions, to such an extent that India’s seam and swing bowlers became almost redundant.

It was a diet by spin for opposition batsmen, and yet there was plenty of variety in the menu to choose from. Bedi was the classical left-arm spinner with a smooth action and fantastic deception; Chandrasekhar was as unorthodox as Bedi was orthodox, bowling sharp topspinners, googlies and legspinners at almost medium pace; Prasanna and Venkataraghavan were both offspinners, but while Prasanna was guileful and crafty, Venkat was accurate and relentless. Together they defined the Indian bowling attack, on turning tracks at home and in seaming conditions abroad.

The overall stats for three of those four spinners are pretty similar: Bedi led in terms of matches played, wickets taken and bowling averages, but Chandrasekhar and Prasanna weren’t far behind. Venkat’s stats suffered in comparison to the other three – he averaged less than three wickets per Test – but his career economy rate of 2.27 shows he was tough to score off.

Chandrasekhar’s average was slightly higher than Bedi’s, but his strike rate was easily the best among them all. At his best he was probably the most unplayable of them, and he was the only one among the four who averaged more than four wickets per Test. India didn’t win too many overseas Tests during that time, but when they did, Chandrasekhar had a significant role to play in each: in five overseas wins he took six in an innings five times, and averaged 17.14.

Career stats of India’s four spinners

BOWLER	TESTS	WKTS	AVE	SR	5/10	W/T
Bishan Bedi	67	266	28.71	80.3	14/ 1	3.97
BS Chandrasekhar	58	242	29.74	65.9	16/ 2	4.17
Erapalli Prasanna	49	189	30.38	75.9	10/ 2	3.86
S Venkataraghavan	57	156	36.11	95.3	03/ 1	2.74

Apart from Venkat, the other spinners did pretty well overseas too. Chandrasekhar, Bedi and Prasanna all averaged less than 34 in away Tests, which is significantly better than India’s top spinner today: Harbhajan Singh’s away average is 38.83. The only bowler among the quartet who didn’t have much success abroad was Venkat, averaging more than 44 and taking only one five-for in 25 Tests.

The four spinners, home and away

BOWLER	HOME	WKTS	AVE	AWAY	WKTS	AVE
Bishan Bedi	30	137	23.99	37	129	33.72
BS Chandrasekhar	32	142	27.69	26	100	32.66
Erapalli Prasanna	22	95	26.94	27	94	33.85
S Venkataraghavan	32	94	30.64	25	62	44.40

Between December 31, 1966 and the end of 1978, India played 68 Tests, of which at least three of these four spinners played in 55. (In one Test, against England at Edgbaston, all four played but India lost by 132 runs.) In the 55 Tests, India’s record read thus: won 14, lost 25, drew 16. It doesn’t look all that imposing, but it’s a whole lot better than India’s Test record before they came along: in the 12 years before these four started playing together, between the beginning of 1955 and the end of 1966, India had won only seven out of 56 and had lost 19. The win-loss ratio thus changed from 0.37 to 0.56, an improvement of 51%.

Among those 14 wins were some pretty significant ones. In 1971, they won a Test in the West Indies for the first time, and followed that with their first win in England. On both occasions they won the series. The win in Port-of-Spain in 1976 is remembered mostly for the run-chase of 403, but the spinners did their job too, with Chandrasekhar taking eight wickets in the match and Bedi five. In Auckland in 1976, Chandrasekhar and Prasanna combined to take 19 wickets in the match as India won by eight wickets. And then there were the two wins in Melbourne and Sydney in 1977-78 – albeit against a depleted Australian team – which brought India back in the series after they lost the first two Tests. Overall, of the 14 Tests that India won, six were overseas.

India, before and during the spin quartet

PERIOD	T	W/L/D	W/L	BLG AVE
Jan 1955 to 30 Dec 1966	56	07/19/30	0.37	36.41
At least 3 of spin quartet	55	14/25/16	0.56	32.86

During this period when the spinners were in full flow, the role of pace in the Indian bowling attack was reduced to a bare minimum. In the 68 Tests between 1967 and 1978, spin contributed 766 wickets, an average of more than 11 per match. No team came close to that average, with Pakistan’s 6.46 being the next best. Spin also contributed almost 78% of the wickets that Indian bowlers took during this period.

Team-wise stats for spinners in Tests between Dec 31, 1966 and Dec 31, 1978

TEAM	T	SPIN W	AVE	Sr	5/10	SPIN W/T	TWKTS
India	68	766	30.58	77.8	42/ 4	11.26	0987
England	112	575	29.10	81.0	26/ 6	05.13	1755
Australia	91	417	34.71	88.0	12/ 1	04.58	1509
West Indies	76	364	39.02	105.6	14/ 0	04.79	1148
Pakistan	46	297	32.09	79.7	11/ 2	06.46	0637
New Zealand	54	204	40.53	101.3	04/ 0	03.78	0725

And in the 55 matches when at least three of them played together, their numbers were pretty identical to those listed above – an average of about 11 wickets per match and 30 runs per wicket.

India’s bowling when at least three from the spin quartet played

T	SPIN W	AVE	SR	5/ 10	SPIN W/T	TWKTS	%AGE
55	635	30.60	76.8	35/ 4	11.54	786	80.79

The four Indian spinners were among the best during this period, but there were a few others who were in that bracket. England’s Derek Underwood led the way in terms of both wickets and averages, taking 264 at an excellent rate of 24.34 runs per wicket. Bedi was next in terms of wickets, but Ashley Mallett, Australia’s offspinner, had excellent numbers too, averaging less than 28 for his 125 wickets. West Indies’ Lance Gibbs was the other offspinner in this list, taking 172 wickets in 47 games.

Spinners in Tests between 31 Dec 1966 and 31 Dec 1978

BOWLER	T	WKTS	AVE	SR	05/10
Derek Underwood	72	264	24.34	70.3	16/ 6
Bishan Bedi	64	259	28.52	80.0	14/ 1
BS Chandrasekhar	46	199	29.39	63.4	15/ 1
Erapalli Prasanna	47	185	30.16	75.3	10/ 2
Lance Gibbs	47	172	33.22	99.6	08/ 0
Ashley Mallett	35	125	27.95	73.0	06/ 1
S Venkataraghavan	35	99	35.39	93.4	02/ 0
Intikhab Alam	30	98	32.63	75.6	05/ 2

Playing four spinners in the same XI wasn’t a luxury India could afford, though, so three in the side was the staple. Here’s a look at how the spinners and the team fared when various combinations of three spinners played.

Bedi, Chandrasekhar and Prasanna

In the 24 Tests that Chandrasekhar, Bedi and Prasanna played together, India won seven and lost 12. Four of these wins were in two five-Test series when India fought back from 0-2 deficits to draw level, only to then lose the final match. The trio helped India beat West Indies in Kolkata and Chennai in the 1974-75 series, before they lost the last match in Mumbai, while that sequence of results was repeated in Australia in 1977-78 – wins in Melbourne and Sydney to draw level, followed by defeat in Adelaide to lose the series.

Among the three bowlers, Chandrasekhar and Bedi had identical numbers, taking just over 100 wickets at excellent averages. Chandrasekhar’s best was in that Melbourne game, when he took figures of 6 for 52 in each innings to finish with match figures of 12 for 104 – his best in his 58-Test career. Bedi took two six-fors as well, but in two matches, and with hugely contrasting results – 6 for 71 against England in Bangalore in 1977 (a match in which Chandrasekhar took six as well), and 6 for 226 in the Lord’s drubbing in 1974.

Among the three, the bowler with the least impressive stats in these 24 Tests was Prasanna, with only 61 wickets at an average of 40. His only five-for was against West Indies in that Chennai Test in 1974-75. And six times he finished wicketless in an innings despite bowling 20 or more overs.

Overall, in the 24 Tests that all these spinners played, they accounted for 266 out of 346 wickets taken by the Indian bowlers – a percentage of 76.88.

Tests that Bedi, Chandrasekhar and Prasanna played together

BOWLER	T	WKTS	AVE	SR	05/10
BS Chandrasekhar	24	103	27.81	060.1	08/01
Bishan Singh Bedi	24	102	28.34	071.7	05/00
Erapalli Prasanna	24	061	40.01	101.8	01/00
Together	24	266	30.62	074.19	14/01

Bedi, Chandrasekhar and Venkataraghavan

Bedi, Chandrasekhar and Venkat played together 18 times, and of those Tests, India won four and lost seven. A couple of those wins were especially famous: in 1971 at The Oval, India won a Test, and a series, for the first time in England; and in Port-of-Spain in 1976, India chased down 403, at the time the highest fourth-innings total in a win.

Among these three, Chandrasekhar was again the bowler who was the most influential in the two wins: at The Oval his 6 for 38 destroyed England in their second innings, while in Trinidad his 6 for 120 kept West Indies down to a manageable 359 in their first innings. Overall, though, Bedi was the most successful in these 18 Tests, with 85 wickets at 24.96. Venkat played a strictly supporting role in most of these matches, taking only 39 wickets at more than 40 each. Overall, these three bowlers took 208 out of 262 wickets taken by all Indian bowlers in the 18 Tests.

Tests that Bedi, Chandrasekhar and Venkataraghavan played together

BOWLER	T	WKTS	AVE	SR	05/10
Bishan Bedi	18	085	24.96	074.2	05/01
BS Chandrasekhar	18	084	29.25	065.3	06/00
S Venkataraghavan	18	039	43.82	118.8	00/00
Together	18	208	30.22	079.01	11/01

Bedi, Prasanna, Venkataraghavan

Prasanna didn’t do too well when he played alongside Bedi and Chandrasekhar, but his performances lifted when Venkataraghavan was around. In 13 Tests that he played with Venkat and Bedi, Prasanna took 61 wickets at less than 28. Venkat himself didn’t do too badly: though he took only 41 wickets, his average was the best among the three. Bedi was relatively less successful in terms of wickets, but his economy rate of 2.04 runs per over was the best among the three.

In these 13 Tests, India won only two and lost seven. One of the wins was against West Indies in Port-of-Spain in 1971 – Sunil Gavaskar’s debut Test. The three bowlers together picked up 145 wickets out of 181 that the Indian bowlers took – a percentage of 80.11.

Tests that Bedi, Prasanna and Venkat played together

BOWLER	T	WKTS	AVE	SR	05/10
S Venkataraghavan	13	041	27.19	068.8	02/00
Erapalli Prasanna	13	061	27.86	067.5	04/01
Bishan Bedi	13	043	34.11	100.0	02/00
Together	13	145	29.53	77.6	08/01

And finally, a look at the batsmen who excelled against India during this period. No one dominated them like Zaheer Abbas on India’s tour to Pakistan in 1977-78. In five innings his scores read thus: 176, 96, 235*, 34*, 42. In fact, that series hastened the end for the three spinners who played in that series: Chandrasekhar averaged 48.12, Bedi 74.83 and Prasanna 125.50. Prasanna didn’t play any Tests after that, Chandrasekhar played five and Bedi six. Venkataraghavan was around for much longer – till 1983, but in his last four series he wasn’t much of a force, averaging more than 50 in each of them. In fact, in his last 14 Tests he managed only 23 wickets.

The era of the four Indian spinners ended with a bit of a whimper, but while it lasted it was glorious.

ARTICLE COURTESY – S RAJESH OF CRICINFO.COM

Bhagwat Subramanya Chandrasekhar (informally Chandra; born 17 May 1945) is an Indian former cricketer who played as a leg spinner. Considered among the top echelon of leg spinners, Chandrasekhar along with E.A.S. Prasanna, Bishen Singh Bedi and Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan constituted the Indian spin quartet that dominated spin bowling during the 1960s and 1970s. At a very young age, polio left his right arm withered. Chandrasekhar played 58 Test matches, capturing 242 wickets at an average of 29.74 in a career that spanned sixteen years. He is one of only two test cricketers in history with more wickets than total runs scored, the other being Chris Martin. He was awarded the Padmashri in 1972

Chandrasekhar was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1972; in 2002 he won Wisden’s award for “Best bowling performance of the century” for India, for his six wickets for 38 runs against England at the Oval in 1971.

Chandrasekhar was born in 1945 in Mysore, where he had his primary education. He developed an early interest in cricket watching the playing styles of Australian leg spinner Richie Benaud. An attack of polio at the age of six left his right arm withered. At the age of 10, his hand had recovered and Chandrasekhar started playing cricket.

By that time his family relocated to Bangalore and he got an opportunity to play for “City Cricketers”. In an interview, Chandrasekhar stated that he joined up mainly to get a chance to play with the leather ball.  While playing on the streets of Bangalore, he had mainly used a rubber ball. While playing for the club, Chandrasekhar tried different bowling styles that also included fast bowling.  It was in 1963 that he decided to play as a leg spin bowler. His idea proved to be right as he was soon selected for the national side.

Making his Test debut for India against England at Bombay in 1964, he collected four wickets in the match. He was named the Indian Cricket Cricketer of the Year the same year. Chandrasekhar was influential in setting up India’s first victory in England when he picked up six wickets for 38 runs at The Oval in 1971; the bowling was named the “Indian Bowling performance of the century” by Wisden in 2002. Wisden noted that, “Chandrasekhar was wonderfully accurate for a bowler of his type, and his extra pace made him a formidable proposition even on the sluggish Oval pitch.” His consistent bowling performances in 1971 earned him being named one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1972.

In a Test against New Zealand in 1976, Chandrasekhar and Prasanna took 19 wickets and were crucial in setting up India’s win. Attributed to him is a famous umpire-directed quote, made during a day of bad decisions in New Zealand after several of his lbw appeals were given not out: “I know he is bowled, but is he out?” Chandrasekhar also played a major role in India’s victory in Australia in 1977–78. During that series he became the first bowler in test history to register the identical figures in a same test (6 for 52 in both innings).

Chandrasekhar had minimal batting skills, finishing with a Test average of 4.07. He was given a special Gray-Nicholls bat during the 1977–78 Australian tour with a hole in it to commemorate the four ducks he scored, and he has 23 Test ducks to his credit. He also holds the dubious distinction of scoring fewer runs (167) off his bat than wickets (242) taken in Test cricket; the only other cricketer with this distinction over a significant Test career is New Zealand fast bowler Chris Martin.

Honours and recognitions

Indian Cricket Cricketer of the Year in 1964

Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1972

Padmashri in 1972[14]

Arjuna Award in 1972[15]