Mission Three to Zimbabwe

A DRAW on debut (1992) was indeed an impressive one by Zimbabwe. A handful of spectators turned up at the Harare Sports Club to watch their team take on a mighty opposition which boasted of some great names in the game.

Six years later, lesser number of supporters watched Zimbabwe attain glory on an eventful afternoon when India faced humiliation at the hands of a team which had just about begun to realise its potential. The home team won the Test in a sensational manner, opening a new chapter in Zimbabwean cricket history.

In 1992-93, not many were sure of Zimbabwe's calibre of playing a five-day contest even though one had known the team to be an unpredictable combination in limited overs cricket. The contest at Tunbridge Wells in the 1983 World Cup when Zimbabwe had India on the mat at 17 for five was a reminder of the potential of the African nation.

When the Indians arrived at Harare, enroute to South Africa, in October 1992, there was a sense of complacency among Mohammed Azharuddin and his men. The setting was pleasant, weather ideal and the home team very keen to make an impression. It did make an impression.

It was a brave decision by Dave Houghton to bat first. He knew the playing conditions suited his batsmen but he also had high regard for an attack which included Kapil Dev, Manoj Prabhakar, Javagal Srinath, Venkatapathy Raju, Anil Kumble and Ravi Shastri. Houghton led from the front even as almost every recognised batsman who walked up to the crease helped himself to runs, barring Mark Burmester. Grant Flower and Andy Flower hit half- centuries, Kevin Arnott, Andy Pycroft and Alistair Campbell came up with pleasing contributions but the stage was dominated by Houghton, a thorough professional. A total of 456 in its first Test innings was a splendid achievement for Zimbabwe indeed.

The century by Houghton was the inspiration for Zimbabwe which shone in the field by almost forcing India to a follow-on. If the embarrassment was avoided from a position of 101 for five, it was essentially due to the partnership between Sanjay Manjrekar and Kapil and a gutsy knock by Kiran More. The highlight of India's innings was the century by Manjrekar even as Sachin Tendulkar failed to open his account. For Zimbabwe, the star bowler was veteran off-spinner John Traicos, who finished with five wickets to mark a memorable debut.

Zimbabwe was the better team in that match while India showed that even against weak opponents, it did not have the firepower to excel on foreign soil. The Indians did not make any mistake in the one-day match and won comfortably but it was the fact that it conceded the first innings lead in the one-off Test that rankled.

No lessons were learnt when India returned to play three one-day internationals and a Test. Once again Azharuddin was the captain and this time the team suffered an ignominous defeat which left the Zimbabweans of Indian origin livid. ``What a let down,'' they screamed even as the Indian cricketers left the Harare Sports Club in a sorry state.

The Indians began the tour with a win in the first one-dayer at Bulawayo and then wrapped it up with another victory the next day at the same venue. The third one-dayer at Harare was won by the home team but it hardly mattered since the series had been decided.What did matter was the result in the one-off Test, which India lost on a true pitch. Of course the ball was seaming a little but not enough to snare some of the finest batsmen in business into submission.

Zimbabwe had two cricketers who had been drafted into the rank a few days before the Test. Murray Goodwin and Neil Johnson returned to their country of birth from Australia and South Africa respectively. Houghton may have called his side a ``club class'' combination but then it was this very combination which stunned the Indians.

The Zimbaweans made a modest start with not one batsman reaching half century. A century by Rahul Dravid earned India a first innings lead of 59 runs despite some excellent bowling by Henry Olonga who finished with five wickets. The target for India was 235 as Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble ran through the opposition which at one point was very well placed at 209 for one.

India failed to make 235 to win and suffered a 61-run defeat as the batting came apart with the exception of Dravid and Ganguly.

The cheap dismissal of Tendulkar in both the innings was a big blow, as was the poor form of Azharuddin. With openers Nayan Mongia and Navjot Singh Sidhu too failing miserably, India's problems multiplied.

For Zimbabwe, Johnson had a memorable debut. He scalped Tendulkar in both the innings and that was a crucial contribution. ``Incredible,'' he said in reaction as champagne flowed in the Zimbabwean dressing room. The Indians had paid a dear price for trying to get the runs in a hurry, and also for complacency.

India in Zimbabwe (Tests):

1992:

Zimbabwe 456 (Dave Houghton 121, Grant Flower 82, Andy Flower 59, Alistair Campbell 45, Kevin Arnott 40, Andy Pycroft 39, Manoj Prabhakar three for 66, Anil Kumble three for 79, J. Srinath three for 89) and 146 for four (Pycroft 46, Houghton 41 not out, Arnott 32) drew with India 307 (Sanjay Manjrekar 104, Kapil Dev 60, W. V. Raman 43, Kiran More 41, John Traicos five for 86, Mark Burmester three for 78).

1998:

Zimbabwe 221 (Gavin Rennie 47, Murray Goodwin 42, Andy Flower 30, J. Srinath three for 59, Anil Kumble three for 42) and 293 (Gavin Rennie 84, Craig Wishart 63, Murray Goodwin 44, Andy Flower 41 not out, Kumble four for 87, Harbhajan Singh three for 64) beat India 280 (Rahul Dravid 118, Sourav Ganguly 47, Henry Olonga five for 70, Heath Streak three for 62) and 173 (Dravid 44, Ganguly 36, Neil Johnson three for 41).

One-dayers:

1992:

India 239 in 49.4 overs (Manjrekar 70, Tendulkar 39, Pravin Amre 36, Gary Crocker four for 26) beat Zimbabwe 209 in 49.1 overs (Andy Flower 62, Crocker 50, Grant Flower 34, Srinath three for 35).

1998:

Zimbabwe 213 in 50 overs (Alistair Campbell 53, Craig Evans 34, Andy Flower 30, Harbhajan Singh three for 36, Ajit Agarkar three for 42) lost to India 216 for two in 42.3 overs (Tendulkar 127 not out, Dravid 64).

Zimbabwe 235 (Campbell 74, Goodwin 66) lost to India 236 for two in 41.5 overs (Ganguly 107 not out, Azharuddin 72).

Zimbabwe 259 (Craig Wishart 102, Andy Flower 55, Evans 31) beat India 222 (Robin Singh 57, Ganguly 40).

VIJAY LOKAPALLY

New Delhi

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