India’s first Test victory on English soil came in the wake of a most dramatic turn in fortunes, England being toppled from the commanding position of a 71-run lead in the first innings. Batting again, they were put to flight in a matter of only two and a half hours. The havoc was wrought by Bhagwat Subramaniam Chandrasekhar who, in a spell of 18.1 overs, captured six wickets for only 38 runs.
There is a fairy tale flavour to the story of Chandrasekhar’s career. Born on May 17, 1946 in Bangalore (also the birthplace of Colin Cowdrey), Chandrasekhar suffered an attack of poliomyelitis when he was only five years old. Recovery and convalescence meant his spending three months in hospital, but once he came home his parents encouraged him to live the normal life of a five-year-old. He has never forgotten how much he owes to all around him for the courage and confidence they gave him at that vital stage of his childhood.
India’s sensational first series victory over England in 1971 was a triumph for their spin attack. Leading the way in their win at The Oval was leg-spinner Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1972.
Chandrasekhar’s match-winning effort at The Oval was the climax of a highly successful tour performance. He took 50 wickets in all first-class matches, 13 of them in the Tests. Although such figures were no novelty to Chandrasekhar, his success on this trip will have for him a special significance, for he had spent the four previous years in the backwoods. Even six months earlier, no place could be found for him in the side that toured the West Indies. His selection for England was influenced, one believes, by the view that English batsmen are vulnerable against wrist-spin.
However, the selectors should have realised that Chandrasekhar would be no less a force in the Caribbean. This writer, at least, is convinced that his presence in the West Indies might well have given India a wider margin of victory in the Test series. Furthermore, they would have gone home with more than just one win in the territorial games.
With a tour of East Africa tagged on to the English trip, the domestic season was already upon the Indians when they got home. Thus the Australian tour of 1967/68 was undertaken without any time off cricket. The toils of the West Indies series and the English tour caught up with Chandrasekhar, who was still a fairly slight man. His failures in the early matches were a prelude to a leg injury which, the specialist said, needed rest. So Chandrasakhar was sent home. Recover was retarded by a fall from his motor scooter, on which he commutes from his suburban home to his work in a city bank. Consequently, there was no cricket for him during the 1968/69 domestic season and though he was on the short list, Chandrasakhar did not play against either New Zealand or Australia, in 1969.
In England last summer, Wadekar got the best out of him by using him as sparingly as possible. Test matches entailed just as much bowling as on the previous trip, but his quota for the whole tour was 200 fewer overs. Of course with Prasanna, Venkataraghavan and Bedi having developed so much in the intervening years, Wadekar had more scope to nurse Chandrasakhar than did Pataudi. Division of Labour, no less than a phenomenal improvement in India’s close catching, made for the glorious comeback of this gentle, cheerful sportsman.
Bhagwat Chandrasakhar’s ended back in England in 1979. He played in 58 matches, taking 242 wickets at 29.74
