By Ashis Ray, IANS
London, : After the relative progress of the 1970s and 1980s, the 1990s was particularly disturbing in terms of India’s failure to save, let alone win Test series abroad, including Zimbabwe.
Only in 1993-94 did India notch up a series victory in Sri Lanka.
The performance in Australia, where the Indians lost four out of five Tests in 1991-92 and all three in 1997-98, was especially embarrassing.
Otherwise, the margins of defeat were quite narrow.
In a high scoring first Test at Lord’s in 1990, Graham Gooch feasted himself to innings of 333 and 123. After England accumulated 653 for four in their first innings, India saved the follow on but collapsed in the second venture to lose the Test and with it the series.
It was, of course, partly offset by the manifestation of a boy wonder – a 17-year-old Sachin Tendulkar, who posted an unbeaten 119, his maiden Test hundred – in the second Test at Manchester.
Indeed, in the third encounter at the Oval, England were forced to follow on; but the Indian bowling, with a fading Kapil Dev still the mainstay, could not deliver the coup de grace.
Batting-wise, Dilip Vengsarkar, at the peak of his prowess in the 1980s, was also a spent force. But the determined Ravi Shastri distinguished himself with centuries in the first and third Tests.
India succumbed again 1-0 in a three-Test series in England in 1996 (Navjot Siddhu’s departure in a huff denuded the team of experience).
But here, too, there was excitement surrounding the entry on to the international scene of Sourav Ganguly (who got two centuries in his first two Tests) and Rahul Dravid – reeking with technical panache.
In between, India brown-washed the Englishmen 3-0 at home.
A 1-0 Australian defeat in India in 1996-97 was also sandwiched between their dominance Down Under.
The West Indies drew in India in 1994-95, but won 1-0 in the Caribbean – a Test the Indians ought to have won, having been set a mere 120 runs to win at Barbados – where they have never won a Test till date – but capsized for 81.
India lacked consistency and co-ordination, not class.
The captaincy passed on from Mohammed Azharuddin to Tendulkar, but little changed in terms of results. The latter burgeoned in his brilliance as a batsman, but, crucially, did not convert his hundreds into innings of 150 plus frequently enough.
Azharuddin was defiant in many a crisis, but not on all occasions. Dravid’s showing outside the country, including his hundreds in each innings at Hamilton in 1999, established his soundness, but he, too, could not prevent the worst.
India made the mistake of delaying Javagal Srinath’s permanency in the side. Anil Kumble toiled away tirelessly throughout, improving steadily, but without either an adequate pace attack or a stable batting to complement his efforts.
The pattern in New Zealand was of drawing a one-off Test in 1993-94 and losing a two-Test series in 1998-99, but winning three-Test series in India 1-0 both in 1995 and 1999.
However, it was worse in the face of Pakistan, who won two of the three Tests in India in 1998-99.
While India recorded their solitary away success in Sri Lanka in 1993-94, there was an amazing, if from an Indian angle forgettable, Test match in Colombo in 1997.
India took first strike and compiled 537 for eight. The Sri Lankans replied with 952 for six – the highest total in a Test match ever – with Sanath Jayasuriya powering to 340 and Roshan Mahanama to 225.
This laid threadbare the limitations of the Indian bowling. Venkatesh Prasad and Kumble were the only two bowlers of acceptable standard in this match.
The biggest shock was, of course, the capitulation in a Test in Zimbabwe in 1998. Once more, there were only two decent bowlers on show – Srinath and Kumble and the batsman showed little character.