There have been over 2,400 Tests matches played from 1877 till date. But just two have ended in a tie. The first was in December 1960 between West Indies and Australia at Brisbane and the second was thirty-five years ago at Chepauk, Chennai (then Madras).
Due to the extreme rarity of the result, many who witnessed the match either from the stands or on TV even today refer to it as a draw. Cricket is unique among all sports in
There have been over 2,400 Tests matches played from 1877 till date. But just two have ended in a tie. The first was in December 1960 between West Indies and Australia at Brisbane and the second was thirty-five years ago at Chepauk, Chennai (then Madras).
Due to the extreme rarity of the result, many who witnessed the match either from the stands or on TV even today refer to it as a draw. Cricket is unique among all sports in that (at the first-class level) it can produce a result (win/loss), a draw AND a tie.
One of the recurring myths as propagated by some of the Australian players is that there was a discrepancy between the scorers and that Australia had in fact won the Test. This has been repeated over the years by the late Dean Jones and also by Steve Waugh who in his autobiography claimed there was chaos in the “scorers’ booth” for half an hour as the two ground scorers had different winners in their books.
One wonders how Waugh celebrating out on the field could know what was happening up in the stands with the scorers. Being in the press box myself I can categorically state there was no such chaos. Jones’ version is that the two score-boards on the ground, the giant electronic one at one end of the ground and the smaller one did not tally. Certainly the press scorer, the late KS Mani was meticulous and had it as a tie. Sadly, the original scorebook is not available since the BCCI has never been known for its efficiency when it comes to maintaining records and preserving history. Australia’s manager Alan Crompton however has been quoted as saying the support staff in the pavilion knew it was a tie as they were keeping a close tab on the scores.
Wicket-keeper Tim Zoehrer weaves a ludicrous story in his controversial autobiography The Gloves are Off. His claim that with the scores level in the final over umpire V. Vikram Raju left the field for 10 minutes to check with the scorers is absurd. No such thing happened. No reporter present in the press box, none of the players on the field nor Raju himself give any validity to this and nor does footage of the match which includes the complete final over. In the book Zoehrer also writes that Raju grabbed three stumps as souvenirs. This too is not borne out in the video footage. But Zoehrer certainly did not have any doubts about the tie.
The very fact that Ravi Shastri took a single from the third delivery to ensure India could not lose shows he was aware the scores were tied. This claim by Jones and Waugh among others is not backed up in any of the reports dispatched by the six Australian journalists present nor by the numerous Indian pressmen.
India’s first innings of 397 all out in reply to Australia’s 574 for 7 declared meant Border’s men held all the aces. The first two days of the match was dominated by Jones’ batting even as he was wilting dangerously in the intense heat and humidity, requiring emergency hospitalization after a heroic 210.
The word ‘thrilling’ always precedes a tie in cricket. In fact the match far from thrilling at least till Border’s second declaration at the overnight 170 for 5 to set India 348 to win on the fifth and final day from 87 overs
Such was the excitement on the final day that even the overpowering weather that had the spectators and media gasping for breath in the stands and the players being roasted in the middle was largely forgotten.
Gavaskar had etched his own place in the history books as the first cricketer to play 100 consecutive Tests and he looked to be cruising to his 33rd century with a series of gorgeous drives all round the wicket when he fell for 90 at 204 for three. When the mandatory 20 overs count began India needed 118 runs with only three wickets down.
The tumble of wickets that ensued was as much due to the left arm spin of Bright and Matthews’ off spin—the duo took five wickets apiece—as the tigerish Australian fielding and Border’s meticulous field placing and also some panicky shots by the Indians.
So what of the dramatic denouement? Shastri has always maintained the single he took in the final over, exposing Maninder to three deliveries was the right thing to do. After all, a defeat was to be avoided at all cost.
Maninder for his part has always maintained he got an edge and was not out and Raju who made the call is adamant he made the right decision.
Shastri and some of the Australians were convinced the umpire gave his quicksilver decision as he wanted to be part of cricket history. But Raju rubbished this. He told me that as umpires they are too busy supervising the match to keep track of the scores.
Whether right or wrong, it would now be well nigh impossible for visiting teams and their accompanying media to complain about the bias of Indian umpiring after this historic match.
But who took the call for the daring declaration on the final morning of the match? Initially the credit went to skipper Allan Border. However later manager Bob Simpson went on record to state he had convinced a reluctant Border to close the innings at the overnight fourth day’s score as they knew the pitch was beginning to break up and take spin.
The last word though must go to local favourite K. Srikkanth. The day after the match as the Indian team was flying to Hyderabad for the fourth ODI the swashbuckling opener summed things up perfectly. “Hey guys, forget the win; we have become a part of history.”
(From Myth-Busting: Indian Cricket Behind the Headlines by Gulu Ezekiel. Extract published with permission from Rupa Publications.)
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