India’s Test record against Zimbabwe is very much in keeping with their overall record of doing well at home but performing badly abroad

Partab Ramchand15-May-2001India’s Test record against Zimbabwe is very much in keeping with their overall record of doing well at home but performing badly abroad. Out of the two Tests played between the two countries in Zimbabwe, India have lost one and drawn the other. On the other hand, in this country, out of the three Tests played, India have won two and drawn the other.Just five months after their historic inaugural Test in Harare, Zimbabwe came to India for a short tour comprising of three ODIs and a Test match with no illusions whatsoever. Aware of the fact that India at home were formidable opponents, Zimbabwe’s best hopes were to avoid defeat in the Test and prevent India from making a clean sweep of the one dayers. They failed in both their objectives but this was no surprise. For, India having made a clean sweep of the three Test series against England just prior to the contest against Zimbabwe were confidence personified.And yet Zimbabwe were not disgraced. They lost the ODIs by 67 runs, seven wickets and eight wickets but the second victory was registered with just three balls to spare. And the Indian margin of victory in the Test – an innings and 13 runs – was quite flattering. For Zimbabwe had the scent of a draw in their nostrils till half an hour after lunch on the fourth day before there was a dramatic turnabout in their fortunes.Batting first, India rattled up 536 for seven before declaring on the third day. The late declaration did not come about because of tardy batting – the runs indeed came at the rate of four an over – but because most of the third day was washed out thanks to primitive covers at the Feroz Shah Kotla grounds which a minor shower had penetrated to reach the pitch and render the run ups soggy. The star of the Indian innings was Vinod Kambli. The dashing left hander from Bombay, playing in only his fourth Test, emulated Don Bradman andWalter Hammond in making double centuries in successive Test innings.Only three weeks before, he had scored 224 against England at Bombay.At the Kotla, he improved on this by three more runs but still failedto break Sunil Gavaskar’s unbeaten 236, the highest individual scoreby an Indian in Test matches. He shared in three successive centurystands with Navjot Sidhu, Sachin Tendulkar and Md Azharuddin for thesecond, third and fourth wickets before being fifth out at 434. JohnTraicos, two months short of his 46th birthday, sent down 50 overs totake three for 186.Zimbabwe lost three wickets for 83 but the Flower brothers Andy and Grant not only steadied the boat but also gave the side the opportunity of drawing the match with a fourth wicket stand of 192 runs. At 275 for three, a little after lunch on the penultimate day, a draw was written all over the one off Test. At this juncture, Andy Flower, more aggressive than his brother, had a sudden rush of blood and charged Maninder Singh only to be stumped by Vijay Yadav. A runlater, Maninder had Grant Flower leg before and the complexion of the game had changed. Anil Kumble joined Maninder in the wicket taking act and by tea, Zimbabwe’s first innings had terminated at 322, just 15 runs short of averting the follow on. While Andy scored 115 in 289 minutes from 236 balls, Grant compiled 96 in 425 minutes and off 359 balls. Spinners Rajesh Chauhan (2), Maninder Singh (3) and Kumble (3) shared the wickets.With the pitch now turning, Zimbabwe faced an uphill task to save thematch and sure enough, they were all out for 201 on the finalafternoon. But the visitors did put up a fight, symbolised by AlistairCampbell’s 61 and Andy Flower’s unbeaten 62. This time Maninder (4)and Kumble (5) were the wreckers-in-chief. Kumble’s eight wicket haulin the match pushing his overall figures to 53 from ten Tests – thequickest any Indian bowler had reached 50 wickets.It was not until the 2000-2001 season that Zimbabwe again visited India, this time to play two Tests, two three day games and five ODIs. Zimbabwe had made big strides since the last tour and this time a keen duel for supremacy was predicted in both the Tests and the ODIs. However India again proved that at home they were formidable opposition. They won the ODI series by four matches to one, the lone Zimbabwe win coming by one wicket with one ball to spare. India also took the Test series by winning the first Test at New Delhi by sevenwickets while the second at Nagpur was drawn.The Test series was marked by tall scoring on both sides. Zimbabwe set the tone by hitting 422 in the first innings at New Delhi, Andy Flower again doing well on what must be his favourite ground. Following his scores of 115 and 62 not out in 1993, he came up with 183 not out. The Indians showed their batting prowess by replying with 458 for four declared. Rahul Dravid got an unbeaten 200 and added 213 runs for the third wicket with Sachin Tendulkar (122). Despite another fine knock by Andy Flower (70) Zimbabwe could not proceed beyond 225 in their second knock. Javagal Srinath took five for 60 to finish with a match haul of nine for 141. India, thanks to belligerent batting by Dravid (70 not out), Tendulkar (39) and skipper Sourav Ganguly (65 not out)hit off the requisite runs for the loss of three wickets.At Nagpur, India batted first and made the most of a docile wicket and some amiable bowling to run up 609 for six declared by the second evening. Opener Shiv Sundar Das led off with 110 and he was followed by Rahul Dravid (162) and Sachin Tendulkar who went on to get 201 not out. Das and Dravid put on 155 runs for the second wicket and Dravid and Tendulkar added a further 249 runs for the third. Far from being overawed by the imposing Indian total, Zimbabwe were equal to the task. Thanks in the main to Grant Flower’s unbeaten 106, they made 382 in their first innings. Following on 227 runs behind, Zimbabwe on a pitch that was still full of runs, were never in danger of defeat and when the match ended, they were 503 for six. Alistair Campbell got 102 but the star was again the irrepressible Andy Flower. Following his 55 in the first innings, he scored 232 not out the second time around giving him an aggregate of 540 runs and an average of 270 for the series. Verily, he was the man of the series.