A traumatic series for the Indians

Riding on a wave of success after their first rubber victory over England at home in the 1961-62 season, the Indian cricket team embarked on a tour of the West Indies in a mood of optimism. Three months later, the squad came back having suffered one of the most traumatic experiences for any visiting team, both on and off the field.

The West Indian team, eager in going for the kill, blended professionalism into their apparently carefree approach ­ thanks chiefly to Frank Worrell's astute leadership ­ and accomplished their task of completing a clean sweep.

The five-match series itself was lost 0-5, and as if this were not disturbing enough, the international career of captain Nari Contractor came to a sudden and brutal end following a near-fatal injury in a match against Barbados between the second and third Tests. Contractor was hit on the head by a ball from the controversial Charlie Griffith and had to undergo more than one emergency operation. For days, he lay between life and death before he pulled through the ordeal. Displaying courage of the highest order, he came back to first-class cricket at home during the 1963-64 season, but there was no way he could play for India again.

A maiden series victory over England ­ even if the visitors were not at full strength ­ was something to rejoice about, and the upbeat mood before the tour did not seem out of place. But the Indians had reckoned without two important factors. As future events proved, the triumph over England was rather over-rated, and secondly, the West Indies made for much more formidable opposition.

On the face of it, there seemed to be many reasons for the Indians to do well. The batting, manned by Contractor, ML Jaisimha, Vijay Manjrekar, Polly Umrigar, Dilip Sardesai, MAK Pataudi, Chandu Borde, Salim Durrani, Farokh Engineer and Budhi Kunderan seemed strong enough. The bowling in the hands of Ramakant Desai, Rusi Surti, Borde, Durrani, Nadkarni and Erapalli Prasanna also looked capable of holding its own, even against the free-stroking West Indian batsmen.

Certainly there were no indications that the Indians would suffer a whitewash, including two innings defeats. But this was exactly what happened. While Contractor's serious injury would have affected team morale, it must be remembered that India had already lost both matches before this unfortunate incident.

The West Indian team, eager in going for the kill, blended professionalism into their apparently carefree approach ­ thanks chiefly to Frank Worrell's astute leadership ­ and accomplished their task of completing a clean sweep. The Indians, on their part, lacked the will to fight back. Teamwork was sadly lacking, and what was left to savour were just a few gallant individual performers.

Prominent among these was Polly Umrigar. The Bombay stalwart, who turned 36 during the tour, did not enjoy the best of health on the trip. Increased bowling responsibilities, thanks to the retirement of Ghulam Ahmed, Subhash Gupte, Vinoo Mankad, Dattu Phadkar and Gulabrai Ramchand in the preceding few years, had taken its toll on his magnificent physique, and he had back problems almost throughout the tour.

But still Umrigar sent down 35 overs in the first Test, 49 in the third and 72 in the fourth, as the Indian bowling resources proved limited. In addition, he had to shoulder the batting responsibilities, and he rose to the occasion splendidly, particularly in the fourth Test at Port-of-Spain, when he came up with a rare double ­ a century and five wickets in an innings.

Umrigar thus emulated Mankad's feat at Lord's 10 years earlier, and till today, 40 years later, no other Indian has come anywhere this feat. In fact, he top-scored in both innings with 56 and 172 not out ­ the highest score by an Indian against the West Indies ­ besides sending down 56 overs in the first innings to take five wickets for 107. Umrigar aggregated 445 runs for the series, far ahead of the next best ­ Durrani's 259 - and retired at the end of the tour with his cricketing powers still at their zenith.

Besides Umrigar, Durrani was the only other Indian to get a hundred ­ an electrifying 104 in the same Port-of-Spain Test. By now, of course, he was also India's leading bowler, and he lived up to his reputation by taking 17 wickets in the five Tests ­ even though the cost was on the high side. Nadkarni proved his obdurate all-round capabilities, while Surti excelled with his left-handed strokeplay and his outstanding fielding. Indeed, while the Indians were outclassed in batting and bowling, they did match the home team in fielding, and in this aspect were worthy successors to the 1953 squad.

More, however, was expected from Borde, Sardesai, Jaisimha and Pataudi. Manjrekar, given the fact that he had just set an Indian record of aggregating 586 runs against England, was the biggest disappointment. His reputation as the best player of pace bowling in the side took a deep dent, and he was reduced to just 167 runs at an average of 16.70. Borde, given his rising stature, was another who was expected to counter the threat of Wes Hall and Co. But a return of 246 runs at an average of 24.60 was not in keeping with his credentials. Jaisimha was a failure, too often getting out to an injudicious stroke. Pataudi, who missed the first two Tests, could not find his bearings despite his immense talent, while Sardesai, who was tried out as opener, found the going tough. Incidentally Pataudi, suddenly promoted to the captaincy following the injury to Contractor, became the youngest-ever Test captain at the age of 21.

No less disappointing was the bowling. Desai struggled on pitches that should have helped him, while Vasant Ranjane did reasonably well in the lone Test he played. The spinners were a letdown, though. The young Prasanna, then in his maiden international season, found bowling to Garry Sobers, Rohan Kanhai and Worrell an awesome proposition. Nadkarni was at most steady, while Borde's leg-spin failed to trouble the fleet-footed West Indian batsmen. Durrani was the only bowler to emerge with his reputation untarnished, while Umrigar trundled on gallantly despite physical limitations.

For the West Indies, the result was an unexpected bonus. Playing their first series since the magical tour of Australia in 1960-61, the West Indies had a lot to live up to, and they proceeded to make mincemeat of India with a performance right out of the top drawer. Sobers and Kanhai lived up to expectations by scoring two centuries each, and Sobers chipped in with the ball too, finishing with 23 wickets. Opening batsman Easton McMorris proved to be quite difficult to dismiss, while Joe Solomon, Worrell and Seymour Nurse chipped in with valuable contributions.

Gibbs proved his abilities by taking 24 wickets with his offspinners. But not unexpectedly, the wrecker-in-chief was Hall, who terrorised the Indians time and again to finish with 27 wickets. In addition, Worrell captained the side with a shrewdness that could not fail to win admiration. The Indian record abroad had always been woeful, and the West Indians just rubbed it in.