This Day That Year: Kapil Dev’s All-Round Performance Guided India to Their First Ever Test Win at Lord’s in 1986
One of the memorable encounters at the prestigious Lord's Cricket Ground was played on this day (June 10) only in 1986. Kapil Dev and Co put up a magnificent performance against England in the first match of the series and registered their maiden Test victory at Lord’s cricket ground.
Performing at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Stadium in London and registering name on its honours board is certainly a dream for many cricketers around the world. Known as the Mecca of Cricket, the historic ground has witnessed many nail-biting clashes in all the formats of the game. One of the memorable encounters at the prestigious venue was played on this day (June 10) only in 1986. Kapil Dev and Co put up a magnificent performance against England in the first match of the series and registered their maiden Test victory at Lord’s cricket ground. ‘How Many Hundreds at Lord’s Ya?’ Ajit Agarkar Recalls Teasing Ricky Ponting Over His Batting Record.
It was the same venue where India lifted their maiden World Cup in 1983. This time, however, the challenge was in the longest format of the game. After winning the toss, Dev invited the home team to bat first. Opener Graham Gooch put up a brilliant batting performance and scored a century. However, Chetan Sharma ran through England’s middle order and courtesy his five-wicket haul helped, England were bundled out for 294 runs.
ICC's Post:
In reply, Dilip Vengsarkar tormented the England bowlers and scored 126 runs while batting at number three. Apart from him, Mohinder Amarnath scored a well-compiled 69. The visitors eventually got packed for 341 but took a crucial 47-run lead.
Skipper Kapil Dev came to the party in England’s second innings. The right-arm pacer made an impeccable use of the red cherry and scalped four crucial wickets in the top order as a result, David Gower and Co could only post 180 runs.
Chasing 134 for the historic triumph, the likes of Kris Srikkanth and Amarnath were dismissed for single-digit scores. However, veteran opener Sunil Gavaskar and Vengsarkar steadied the ship and brought the innings back on track. Nevertheless, England bowlers didn’t put their guards took and scalped five wickets inside 110 runs.
However, Kapil, who came to bat at number seven, unleashed mayhem and scored 23 runs off mere 10 balls, guiding India to a five-wicket win. Owing to his magnificent all-round performance, he also received the Man of the Match Award.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 10, 2020 12:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).