Five very significant Indian triumphs

Is India's victory at the Eden Gardens on Thursday the greatest ever in the country's cricketing history? Going by some of the comments after the triumph, most seem to put it either right there at the top or somewhere near the summit. That may be an emotional reaction but even when considered in rational terms, there is little doubt that the win will feature very high in anyone's list.

Well, what makes a victory special? One supposes there are many factors that one has to consider before terming a triumph as truly great or significant. The opposition is one, alien wicket and weather conditions is another. Then comes the manner in which the victory is achieved against odds. One must also not lose the historic aspect too. And if it is the kind of victory that is only rarely achieved in Test cricket, then this becomes a very important factor in analysing its greatness.

India have notched up 64 victories in 340 Tests from 1932 to date. Obviously some of the wins have been notched up against weak opposition, in familiar home conditions with there being no significant historical aspect to consider too. These can be dismissed straightaway when considering the greatest victories. Narrowing the list down further by elminating some more prosaic wins would cut the list to perhaps a dozen. But choosing the greatest, or even the top five from this list should prove quite a task. But I have decided to stick my neck out and come out with my choice of the five greatest Indian victories - in no particular order I might add.

Port of Spain, 1971: Very significant historically since it was our first victory over West Indies in 25 attempts. There was nothing very alien about the wicket and weather conditions but it was still a rare away triumph. The West Indies were in the midst of a slump, but they still had Sobers and Fredericks, Kanhai and Lloyd. It was also the only decisive result of the rubber, giving India the series.

The Oval, 1971: Again very important historically, since it was India's first victory in 22 Tests in England dating back to 1932. England were also perhaps the best team in the world and India came back after being on deficit by 71 runs on the first innings. Another rare away triumph, it clinched a series victory in England for the first time.

Port of Spain, 1976: Very high in the rare category stakes for only once before had a team chased a victory target of 400 plus and won. The victory was achieved away against a West Indian side which included Lloyd, Richards, Kallicharan, Fredericks, Rowe, Murray and Holding and after India had finished 131 runs behind on the first innings. India's total of 406 for four set a new high for a team's winning score in Test cricket.

Melbourne, 1981: The most notable aspect of this triumph is acheiving it against the odds. Finishing 182 runs behind in an away Test and then coming back to bowl out the Australians, needing only 143 runs for victory, for 83 runs is significant enough. And this was an Australian team that included Greg Chappell, Walters, Border, Hughes, Lillee and Rod Marsh. But the most notable aspect was that the final victory was shaped with one fit bowler in Ghavri and two half fit bowlers in Kapil Dev and Doshi. Truly a miraculous and dramatic triumph.

Kolkata, 2001: Yes, the most recent triumph finds a place in my top five. Duplicating a feat that has been achieved only twice before in some 1500 Tests is very special indeed. Turning a 274 run first innings deficit into victory by 171 runs, winning after following on and against a team on a roll, the kind that no side has achieved in the history of Test cricket - all this is stuff that dreams are made of. Even if the victory is achieved in familiar wicket and weather conditions, it is a notable feat.

Finally one honourable mention - Kanpur, 1959: A totally unexpected triumph registered by a team which had lost eleven out of the last 14 Tests over a team which had won ten out of the last 14 Tests. The opposition included Benaud as captain and all rounder and other stalwarts like Harvey, McDonald, O'Neill, Davidson and Mackay. It was hailed as the miracle at Kanpur and even after more than 40 years, has lost none its lustre.