Great bowling performances by Indians against England – Part II

Tags: Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri, England tour of India 2012-13

Published on: Nov 13, 2012

That Laxman Sivaramakrishnan was a genuinely talented leg spin bowler is a given. However, it is equally true that he failed to do justice to his potential, a potential that was amply evident in the first Test of the five match series between India and England at the Wankhede Stadium in Bombay...

Sivaramakrishnan show at Bombay (December 1984)

That Laxman Sivaramakrishnan was a genuinely talented leg spin bowler is a given. However, it is equally true that he failed to do justice to his potential, a potential that was amply evident in the first Test of the five match series between India and England at the Wankhede Stadium in Bombay, now Mumbai. Siva, as he is fondly known in cricketing circles, spun a web around the English batsmen, picking up 12 wickets in the match, as India won the game easily by eight wickets. England fought back well to clinch the series 2-1, but the Wankhede Test would always be remembered for Sivaramakrishnan’s special performance.

Laxman Sivaramakrishnan Like it often happens in India, England won the toss and chose to bat. Sivaramakrishnan was in his elements right from the very start of his spell. After the opening pair of Graeme Fowler and Tim Robinson had added 46, the leggie broke the stand by dismissing Fowler caught and bowled for 28. Very soon, he had Robinson caught behind for 22, and also foxed Mike Gatting for 15. Thanks to Sivaramakrishnan’s exploits, England found themselves in early trouble at 78 for 3. Then, after Kapil Dev dismissed big names like David Gower and Allan Lamb, Sivaramakrishnan returned to dismiss the lower order, and ended with excellent figures of 6 for 64 as England were cleaned up for 195.

After India replied with an impressive 465, England did a much better job in their second innings. However, it was again Sivaramakrishnan who turned the game India’s way, and paved the way for India’s victory. Sivaramakrishnan picked up the key wicket of Fowler, a crucial scalp considering the English side had progressed to 138 by the time Sivaramakrishnan struck. He also dismissed Lamb and Paul Downton in the innings, but his most important scalp was that of Mike Gatting, who registered a hundred. Sivaramakrishnan cleaned up the tail again as England were bowled out for 317. The leg spinner ended with figures of 6 for 117 in their second innings.

Other impressive performances in the Test

India’s first innings of 465 was built around Ravi Shastri’s 142 and a century by Syed Kirmani as well. There were important contributions from the rest as well, Dilip Vengsarkar making 34, Mohinder Amarnath 49 and Kapil Dev 42. In England’s second innings, Gatting slammed 136 to give the visitors a semblance of hope. He was very well supported by Paul Downton, who contributed 62.

Sivaramakrishnan vs England

Sivaramakrishnan featured against England in five Tests. He scalped 23 wickets at an average of 31.43 with three five-wicket hauls. Considering that he picked up 12 wickets in one Test, his overall figures were quite disappointing. He only played four Tests against other teams, and managed only three wickets in those, which effectively ended what began as a promising career.

--By A Cricket Analyst

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