Queens Park Oval, Port of Spain,20 April 1976.
Not many old timers would have forgotten that day in the history when two of the Greatest batsmen of all time Sunil Gavaskar and Gr Vishwanath anchored the Indian Inning to a dream chase of 403 to win the test match against West Indies.
India came to the third Test at Trinidad after being outplayed in the first match of the four-Test series at Barbados.
They had come close to winning the drawn second Test at the Queen's Park Oval, and when the third Test, scheduled to be played in Guyana, was rained off and the venue shifted back to Trinidad, they felt that they were in with a chance.
Yet, till the very last day, the outlook did not look promising.
They were set a daunting task of 403 to win the test
Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, ranks high among cricket grounds for its scenic beauty.
For India, it holds memories to treasure.
Here, in 1971, a 21-year-old named Sunil Gavaskar set himself up to become the most prolific opening batsman of his time.
And it was here, too, in April 1976, that India scored a victory over the West Indies with few parallels.
India came to the third Test at Trinidad after being outplayed in the first match of the four-Test series at Barbados.
They had come close to winning the drawn second Test at the Queen's Park Oval, and when the third Test, scheduled to be played in Guyana, was rained off and the venue shifted back to Trinidad, they felt that they were in with a chance.
Yet, till the very last day, the outlook did not look promising.
The target of 403
Gavaskar and Gaekwad added 69 for the first wicket before Gaekwad departed.
Gavaskar and Amarnath then put on 108 - a modest contribution, patient and studious, yet, a study in aesthetics and an exercise in the art of playing spin bowling on a slow turner.
With this knock, he made sure that the calypso, "Gavaskar, the Little Master", would continue to be played in Trinidad.
Amarnath's was an innings of gravitas allied to power, as he forced the ball through the gaps in the wide web that Raphick Jumadeen cast in a vain bid to trap him, or drove it through Albert Padmore's widespread leg-side dragnet.
When Gavaskar left, for 102, Viswanath matched his supple grace with the bold outline of Amarnath's strokes in a stand of 159 to carry India to 292 for two by tea.
Driven to despair by the failure of his spinners, Lloyd claimed the second new ball.
It fared no better than the old, as 37 came from the eight overs shared by Bernard Julien and Michael Holding - who limped off the field after his opening stint.
Viswanath gained his fourth Test century but lost his wicket when there were 70 runs left, as he responded instinctively to Amarnath and lost the race to the stumps to Jumadeen.
It was a wise move to send Brijesh Patel ahead of Eknath Solkar.
Patel, with his bristling moustache looked like a Bombay punter and he played the part by plundering runs.
Everything was grist to the mill - mishits, byes - and there were also some bold strokes as Patel and Amarnath raced each other.
But this was to cost Amarnath his wicket as Lloyd's accurate throw from cover ran him out.
A dejected Amarnath trudged off the field in his familar walking style.
He had batted for over 400 minutes and was unlucky to miss a well-deserved century by 15 runs.
When Patel pulled Jumadeen to bring up the victory with six mandatory overs remaining, the crowd came racing to the pavilion, and the cheers of the Indian supporters echoed all over the carribean islands.
The record has subsequently been broken by West Indies, when they made 418 against Australia in 2003.
Not many old timers would have forgotten that day in the history when two of the Greatest batsmen of all time Sunil Gavaskar and Gr Vishwanath anchored the Indian Inning to a dream chase of 403 to win the test match against West Indies.
India came to the third Test at Trinidad after being outplayed in the first match of the four-Test series at Barbados.
They had come close to winning the drawn second Test at the Queen's Park Oval, and when the third Test, scheduled to be played in Guyana, was rained off and the venue shifted back to Trinidad, they felt that they were in with a chance.
Yet, till the very last day, the outlook did not look promising.
They were set a daunting task of 403 to win the test
Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, ranks high among cricket grounds for its scenic beauty.
For India, it holds memories to treasure.
Here, in 1971, a 21-year-old named Sunil Gavaskar set himself up to become the most prolific opening batsman of his time.
And it was here, too, in April 1976, that India scored a victory over the West Indies with few parallels.
India came to the third Test at Trinidad after being outplayed in the first match of the four-Test series at Barbados.
They had come close to winning the drawn second Test at the Queen's Park Oval, and when the third Test, scheduled to be played in Guyana, was rained off and the venue shifted back to Trinidad, they felt that they were in with a chance.
Yet, till the very last day, the outlook did not look promising.
The target of 403
Gavaskar and Gaekwad added 69 for the first wicket before Gaekwad departed.
Gavaskar and Amarnath then put on 108 - a modest contribution, patient and studious, yet, a study in aesthetics and an exercise in the art of playing spin bowling on a slow turner.
With this knock, he made sure that the calypso, "Gavaskar, the Little Master", would continue to be played in Trinidad.
Amarnath's was an innings of gravitas allied to power, as he forced the ball through the gaps in the wide web that Raphick Jumadeen cast in a vain bid to trap him, or drove it through Albert Padmore's widespread leg-side dragnet.
When Gavaskar left, for 102, Viswanath matched his supple grace with the bold outline of Amarnath's strokes in a stand of 159 to carry India to 292 for two by tea.
Driven to despair by the failure of his spinners, Lloyd claimed the second new ball.
It fared no better than the old, as 37 came from the eight overs shared by Bernard Julien and Michael Holding - who limped off the field after his opening stint.
Viswanath gained his fourth Test century but lost his wicket when there were 70 runs left, as he responded instinctively to Amarnath and lost the race to the stumps to Jumadeen.
It was a wise move to send Brijesh Patel ahead of Eknath Solkar.
Patel, with his bristling moustache looked like a Bombay punter and he played the part by plundering runs.
Everything was grist to the mill - mishits, byes - and there were also some bold strokes as Patel and Amarnath raced each other.
But this was to cost Amarnath his wicket as Lloyd's accurate throw from cover ran him out.
A dejected Amarnath trudged off the field in his familar walking style.
He had batted for over 400 minutes and was unlucky to miss a well-deserved century by 15 runs.
When Patel pulled Jumadeen to bring up the victory with six mandatory overs remaining, the crowd came racing to the pavilion, and the cheers of the Indian supporters echoed all over the carribean islands.
The record has subsequently been broken by West Indies, when they made 418 against Australia in 2003.
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