Mumbai: Spinning tracks in India is the current talk of the town. During the ongoing India-South Africa series – where Tests are finishing within three days – let us remember former India spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan who spun India to a memorable victory against England on this day – December 3, 1984 – at Wankhede Stadium here.
The 18-year-old Sivaramakrishnan from Chennai, playing in his second Test, puzzled the Englishmen with his leg-break and ended up with a match haul of 12 wickets (six in each innings).
Opener Graeme Fowler was his first victim, out caught and bowled, followed by Tim Robinson and Mike Gatting – the big wicket those days.
Later, Sivaramakrishnan cleaned up the tail and England were all out for 195 in the first innings.
Riding on Ravi Shastri (142) and Syed Kirmani’s (102) twin tons, India declared at 465/8.
The tourists kept dancing to Sivaramakrishnan’s odd ones and the tweaker hoodwinked Fowler and Gatting for the second time. Even Allan Lamb could not read the youngster and he ended up with figures that read 77.2-20-181-12.
England were wrapped up for 317 leaving India an easy target of 48 to win the Test.
In between 1981 and 1986, among 42 Tests, this was India’s only victory.
