SOME INTERESTING FACTS - INDIA VS. WEST INDIES TESTS

• India registered their first victory - Against West Indies at their 25th attempt when Sunil Gavaskar made a memorable debut by posting 65 and 67 not out at Port of Spain in March 1971.

• Off-spinner Jack Noreiga - Playing in his second Test match at Port-of Spain in March 1971, became the first bowler to claim 9 wickets in an innings for West Indies.He took 9 for 95 in Indian first innings total of 352 and became the first to achieve the feat in the caribbean.
  

• Sir Garfield Sobers vs. India at Bridgetown, Barbados in April 1971 - When Sobers dismissed Gundappa Viswanath in the first innings, he claimed his 200th wicket in 80 matches and became the second all-rounder after Richie Benaud to aggregate 2000 runs and to claim 200 wickets in Tests.

• A double century and a century in the same Test - When Sunil Gavaskar posted 124 & 220 at Port-of-Spain in April 1971, he became the second batsman after Australia's Doug Walters to register a century and a double century in the same Test. Gavaskar became the second batsman from India after Vijay Hazare to record hundreds in both innings of a Test.

• Three Centuries in successive Test Innings - Having scored 117 not out in the second innings of the previous Test at Bridgetown, Gavaskar became the third Indian after Vijay Hazare and Polly Umrigar to post three centuries in successive Test innings.

• Highest Run-Aggregate in the Maiden Test Rubber - Sunil Gavaskar's 774 runs (ave.154.80) in 4 Tests against West Indies in 1970-71 remains India's record for a rubber vs. West Indies and the World record for any batsman playing in his first rubber.

• Double Double of 2000 Runs + 200 Wickets - Playing in his 50th Test, Kapil Dev became the youngest player at 24 years 68 days to take 200 wickets and complete the 'double double' of 2000 runs + 200 wickets.
  
  
• All 20 First Innings Wickets fell to Catches - In the Bridgetown Test in April 1983, all ten wickets in India's first innings total of 209 and in West indies' first innings of 486, fell to catches - the said instance provided the first occasion in the history of Test cricket when all 20 first innings wickets fell to catches.
  
  
• Test concluded in bizarre fashion - West Indies won the Bridgetown Test in April 1983 by ten wickets in unique bizarre fashion by a no-ball, which was Syed Kirmani's second ball in Test cricket.
  
  
• Second slowest double century in Test Cricket - Navjot Singh Sidhu (201) posted the second slowest double century in Test cricket, having taken 671 minutes at Port-of-Spain in March 1997. Sidhu was associated in two successive century partnerships after losing V.V.S.Laxman at 0 - 171 for the second wicket with Rahul Dravid (57) and 174 for the third wicket with Sachin Tendulkar (88 run out).
  
  
• 120 winning target, still lost the Test - Needing 120 runs for their first victory agtainst West Indies in West Indies since 1975-76, the Indians were bundled out for 81 at Bridgetown in March 1997 - their lowest total in the caribbean and lost the match by 38 runs.
  
  
• The famous Port-Of-Spain Test (APRIL 1976) - The Port-of-Spain Test, scheduled for Georgetown, had to be moved to Trinidad because of incessant rain in Guyana.  Set to score 403 runs for a victory in a minimum of 595 minutes, India accomplished their target with seven of the mandatory last 20 overs to spare.  India's total of 406 for 4, thanks mainly to Sunil Gavaskar 102, Mohinder Amarnath 85, Gundappa Viswanath  112 and Brijesh Patel 49 not out, remains the highest  fourth innings total to win a Test match.
  
  
• Everton Weekes' World record of 5 consecutive Test Centuries - During the 1948-49 Test series in India, Weekes registered a World record of five consecutive Test centuries.  Before his arrival in India, Weekes had posted 141 vs. England at Sabina Parki, Kingston in March 1948, the first of his record run of five centuries in consecutive innings.
  
  The first Test match between India and West Indies at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi in November 1948 was the first ever Test between the two countries where Weekes (128) recorded his second hundred in consecutive Tests, followed by 194 at Brabourne Stadium, Bombay and by scoring a century in each innings - 162 and 101 at Eden Gardens, Calcutta, Weeks extended to five his run of Test centuries in successive Tests.  At Chepauk, Madras, he was run out (90) when just ten runs short of his sixth successive Test centutry.
  
• A century each by Worrell, Weekes & Walcott - In the 1952-53 Kingston Test, Frank Worrell (237), Everton Weekes (109) and Clyde Walcott (118) scored centuries for the first time in the same innings.

   
• Youngest Captain - Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, at 21 years 77 days, became the youngest Test captain when he led India in place of the injured Nari Contractor at Bridgetown, Barbados in March 1962.  Contractor's skull had been fractured by a ball from Charlie Griffith in the tourists' match against Barbados.  He underwent an emergency brain operation and played no further Test cricket.
   
• 5-0 Clean Sweep - When West Indies defeated India 5-0 in 1961-62, they emulated Australia (vs.England in 1920-21 and vs. South Africa in 1931-32) and England (vs. India in 1959).
  
  
• The 1966-67 Calcutta Test - No Play on the second day - The second day's play (January 1, 1967) was abandoned after a riot had prevented it from being started.  The authorities had oversold the seating accommodation and disappointed spectators invaded the ground,  clashed with police and set fire to several stands.
  
  Facts n Figures Home