India makes it 4-1; 1st player from Jharkhand ... and Aussie tour of 1984

There is no other place that garbage can be, other than the dust bin, said Virat Kohli supporting Indian Prime Minister Modiji’s call ~   Swachhata Hi Seva, Cleanliness is Service..  Team India India skipper Virat Kohli, head coach Ravi Shastri, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane joined hands to support ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ movement. In a video released on BCCI’s official Twitter handle, Team India members pledged to support the movement. 

On field, India completed 4-1, not a sweep though; in case, you were to ask what ? – people like me still carry pains of that ODI home series in 1984 ! Cricket bats impress ~  you perhaps can identify easily Maxwell and Handscomb – not the other man, bat maker Lachlan Dinger – and can you tell what is that he is holding in his hand ?

.. .. all along, if you had thought legend MS Dhoni is first to represent  India hailing from Jharkhand, you are wrong.

In 1984, the  Australian cricket team toured India to play a five-match one day international series against India, set up to  celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Ranji Trophy. Australia won the series 3-0 with two matches abandoned for rain.  India under Captaincy of Sunil Gavaskar (taking over from Kapil dev after WC 1983 triumph and loss to WI at home) tried Surinder Khanna and Ghulam Parkar as openers against the pace of Geoff Lawson and Carl Rackemann.  In 4^th onedayer it was Ravi Shastri and Roger Binny who opened and had a century partnership; in the last Shastri opened with Ghulam Parker.  Ashok Patel, the offie made his debut.

In the 1^st at Delhi, Kepler Wessels (yes playing for Aussies and later for South Africa) scored a century.  Aussie won by 48 runs.  2^nd at Thiruvananthapuram on the same day (1.10.1984) was rained out after India was bundled out for 175.  3^rd at Jamshedpur on 3^rd Oct could not start in time as the player’s gear did not arrive in time !.  in the 4^th at Ahmedabad Oz won by 7 wickets and in the last  at Indore, Indians were beaten again.  Kepler Wessels was the highest run scorer and was named man of the series. Big burly Carl Rackemann was the highest wicket taker. 

Morne Morkel's rocky relationship with the front line continued after the towering South Africa paceman took his 14^th  Test wicket off a no-ball on day four of the first Test against Bangladesh. Already believed to be the world record holder as Test cricket's leading no-ball wicket taker, Morkel was denied yet again after overstepping in Potchefstroom. Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim was the lucky batsman on this occasion, with television replays showing no part of Morkel's front boot behind the popping crease.

SA, however was first to benefit from rule change..    ICC new rule on reviews came into play for the first time on day 3 of the first Test between South Africa and Bangladesh at Potchefstroo.  Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada appealed for lbw against Tamim Iqbal in the fourth over of the day, Bruce Oxenford turned down the appeal, the Proteas asked for a review, which showed the ball clipping the outside of leg stump, in the 'Umpire's Call' zone.  Previously South Africa would have lost one of their two permitted reviews but under new regulations which came into effect on Thursday, they kept the review.  The Proteas did however lose a review in Rabada’s next over when a reverse-swinging yorker struck Tamim on the boot before going off his bat for a run.  SA  challenged Oxenford’s not-out decision but although Tamim was struck in front of the stumps, the ball was swinging so sharply that it was shown to be missing the stumps completely.  South Africa did not ask for a review in the same over when replays showed Mominul Haque’s stumps would have been hit by yet another swinging Rabada delivery.

Back home at Nagpur, India had a convincing 7 wicket victory securing the series 4-1 and the world No.1 ranking.  Australia's below-par score of 9-242 was gobbled up by the home side's star-studded top order, which had been below its exemplary best throughout the series but fired in unison in front of a vocal Nagpur crowd watching its first ODI since 2013.  Score card reads :  India 243 for 3 (Rohit 125, Rahane 61) beat Australia 242 for 9 (Warner 53, Stoinis 46, Axar 3-38) by seven wickets

Australia had a solid start losing Finch at 66 in 11^th over; reached 100 in 19 overs; reduced to 118/4 then to 205/5 and eventually 242/9.  India's spinners pulled back a bolted horse, conceding 134 for 4 in 30 overs between them; Australia's Adam Zampa released all the pressure exerted by the quicks with the new ball, conceding 48 in six insipid overs before getting Rohit out with a long hop when the match was over for all practical purposes.  It was comical to see capt Steve Smith getting out to Kedar Jadhav who added  Smith to the illustrious list of batsmen he has dismissed, that includes Kane Williamson, David Warner, Angelo Mathews and Tamim Iqbal among others.

Randhir Singh  a right arm fast bowler   was one of several surprise choices in the Indian squad which toured England in 1982. He didn't score a run on the entire tour, but in fairness his batting opportunities were restricted to three first-class outings. He made his debut  against England at Ahmedabad in 198, could not take any wicket and returned to play the last onedayer against West Indies in 1983   when regulars Kapil Dev and Madan Lal were absent. He picked up the wicket of Gordon Greenidge, bowling six overs for 30 runs and then faded into oblivion.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

1^st Oct 2017.