India had beaten England in the third Test at the Oval in 1971 by four wickets which turned out to be a series-clinching one – India’s first-ever England – as the first two Tests had ended in draws.
Sunil Gavaskar Believes India Will Clinch The Series In Oval Just Like 1971
Sunil Gavaskar said the current Virat Kohli-led side will win the next two Tests in Headingley and Oval to seal the series. India is currently leading the five-match series 1-0. The first Test had ended in a draw due to rain on the 5th day. India won the second Test by 151 runs.
“So now this time around too, at The Oval, India will clinch the series just like we did way back in 1971. Be rest assured of that. This team will repeat what 1971 Wadekar’s team did,” Gavaskar said in a video on his official Instagram handle.
India went into the third Test unchanged. England has a couple of changes in their team as they bring in Dawid Malan and Craig Overton in place of opener Dominic Sibley and injured Mark Wood. James Anderson struck in his first over by removing KL Rahul who falls for a four-ball duck. A peach from James Anderson just outside off and a tentative KL Rahul edges it straight to keeper Jos Buttler.
Sunil Gavaskar Recalls That 50 Years Ago India Won A Test In England And With It The Test Series
Sunil Gavaskar, who was a part of the Ajit Wadekar-led side that achieved the historic win in Oval in 1971, went on to narrate his experience.
“50 years ago, on August 24th, India won a Test in England for the first time and with it the Test series. What a day it was… It was truly unforgettable. The crowds that lined up the Oval were something similar to what happened in 1983. Of course, 1983 was much bigger because the whole of Lord’s cricket ground seemed to be taken by Indian supporters. But it was truly unforgettable(India’s first Test win), truly memorable.”
“Ajit Wadekar led the side superbly and there was some tremendous batting by Farokh Engineer, Gundappa Viswanath, Dilip Sardesai to take us home. But above all, it was BS Chandrasekhar six wickets for 38 that dismissed England for only 101 in the second innings and paved the way for India to win,” he said.
In 1971, India beat England in the third and final Test by four wickets with 205 minutes to spare at the Kennington Oval, to clinch to series 1-0. The victory established at least three firsts. This was the first time India won a Test in England. It was the first time in, 28 Tests since June 1968 that England was defeated and it was also the first time that India triumphed in two series in one year, having defeated the West Indies earlier.
Meanwhile, India will face England in the third Test of the series at Headingley which begins on Wednesday, 25th August 2021, exactly 50 years after their maiden series win in England on 24th August 1971.
England XI: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root(capt.), Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler(wk), Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Craig Overton, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson
India XI: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(capt.), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant(wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj