Thread by @NorthStandGang

#OnThisDay, 1986, Madras:
The start of a historic game of cricket - the 2nd Tied Test in history, Ind v Aus.
A Test which was maddeningly exciting because of quality of cricket as well as for the elements of weather involved - the merciless Chennai heat, humidity.
Thread ⬇️

Allan Border had brought a young Aus side to Indian shores as part of an ongoing renaissance of Aus cricket. The Indians involved in this 3 Test series were very experienced, led by Kapil Dev himself. Gavaskar was playing in his 100th consecutive Test.

In this, the 1st Test at Chennai, Border won the toss and decided to bat first. The heroes on Day 1 for Aus were David Boon (122 with 21 x 4s) and Dean Jones (54*).
Deano scored slowly in his 50 but made sure he understood the bowling and the conditions.
Stumps on Day1: Aus 211/2

On Day2, Deano took the leap from hero to legend in just his 3rd Test. Battling the odds, he made 210 runs (27 x 4s, 2 x 6s). Border made 106 with 14 x 4s, 1 x 6s.
Shivlal Yadav got 3 wkts in the inn. for Ind while Shastri, Chetan Sharma got one apiece.
Stumps on Day2: Aus 556/6

But before talking about the Ind response, we need to talk about Deano who called this innings his Mt. Everest. Border had enough confidence in him to install him at the key position of No. 3 and his captain's confidence in him geed him up no end.

It was this confidence and self belief that made him battle it out at the risk of his life. He ran 92 of his own runs and so many for others' runs. To this date, he only remembers celebrating his first 100 in the innings. It was surely a case of mind over matter.

Sample this: By 130-140, he was vomiting violently, dehydrating furiously. Couldn't get down to sweep which had been a key shot for him. Later, he started urinating involuntarily. He lost 7 kg during this innings! And you know what, there were mental demons too that he fought.

At 170 odd, he wanted to retire but Border was having none of it. He used mental disintegration tactics for integration on a fellow Aussie. He called Deano a weak Victorian and told him he would much rather have a strong Queenslander out there. And now Deano was having none of it

He completed his 200 and went to tea at 202* as a completely spent force with his body gone for all money. His team mates put him in a shower as he couldn't even move properly. Somehow, he was sent out again to bat but get this, they didn't even put in his box and thigh guard!

He got out soon after at 210 but it was an innings of a lifetime. Throughout his knock, Indians too were really concerned about his health and offered their suggestions for some treatment. Of course, none of it worked.
Deano was soon rushed to a hospital in a wild ambulance ride.

Back to the Ind response then after Aus closed at 574/7d on Day3.
Not great given the need of the hour. Fighting 50s from Srikkanth, Azhar, Shastri but no one went big like the 3 Aus centurions. The danger of follow-on lurked around.
Stumps on Day3: Ind 270/7 with Kapil at 33*

On Day4, with Aus clearly in the driver's seat, Kapil came out with a scythe instead of a bat. Sharma, Yadav batted well too.
A captain's knock if ever there was one from Kapil - 119 from 138 balls with 21 x 4s, throwing caution to the wind!
Ind ended at 397/10.

Greg Matthews, the offie allrounder, picked up a 5fer, in his cap and sweater!
Aus with a lead of 177 came out looking for quick runs and got them too. Boon in the thick of things once again with 49 while Jones, Border, Ritchie, Matthews got 20s.
Stumps on Day4: Aus 170/5

Aus declared overnight, threw down the gauntlet to the Indians. Was a brave declaration from Border.
The Ind target = 574 - 397 + 170 + 1 = 348. The "+1" was to prove crucial.
The Aus team manager, Bob Simpson, who was involved in the 1st Tied Test as a player, influenced Border.

And so began the Indian response. Gavaskar was to play the sheet anchor role while others had to play around him, mixing caution and aggression. Srikkanth and him started off well before Srikkanth fell for 39 off 49 to Matthews. In came Amarnath and the two batted like a dream.

103 runs in just over 2 hrs from them, all finesse, no slogging. Amarnath gone for 51 off 113.
Azhar came in next. Perhaps wasn't in great touch as the two Aus spinners, Bright & Matthews, tied him down. The impact was visible on Gavaskar, the RRR kept mounting.

At Tea on Day5, Ind were 193/2. Gavaskar was the 3rd to go, 90 off 168, ten short of his landmark 33rd 💯.
At start of the mandatory ovs, Ind needed 118 more.
Azhar was the next man out for 42 off 77, a brisk start ending with a mishit to long on.

Matthews had Kapil soon after for just 1. Ind 253 with half of the team back in the hut. Advantage Aus!
Pandit, Shastri came together and brought India back into the game.
Shastri, who was now vice-captain, hit two sixes off the spinners. Pandit ran like a hare!

Pandit left after 39 off 37 with 5 fours - a brilliant cameo! Chetan Sharma came in and fitted in perfectly.
18 required off 5. The Chennai crowd perhaps expected a tame draw but the word had spread like wildfire. The stadium was heaving now, what with all the heat and humidity.

Matthews, Bright were doing a great job for Aus.
5th last over - the former gave away only 1 run.
4th last over - Bright gave 3 runs, got the wkts of Sharma, More.
Tightening the screws like anything!

Shivlal Yadav gamely hit a six in the 3rd last over off Matthews but fell to Bright in the 2nd last over.
Last over, 87th of the innings - Ind 344/9 needing just four more for the win. Aus need just 1 wicket to win. Matthews the bowler, Shastri and Maninder the batsmen.

(Years later, if we think back, maybe this is where Shastri got his famous line about all three / four results possible. :D)

86.1 - Shastri to face, dot ball
86.2 - Shastri and Maninder run for a couple.
2 needed off 4.
86.3 - Shastri takes a single, should he have?! Maninder on strike.
86.4 - Maninder survives, the tension rises and the stadium is about to burst.

86.5 - Maninder LBW b Matthews for 0 off 4.
IT IS A TIE! Relief, joy, elation, disappointment, confusion.

Shastri left stranded on a brilliant 48* off 40. Matthews with a 5fer again for a 10fer in the match. Bright with a 5fer too.

Matthews bowled close to 70 overs in the Test while Bright bowled closed to 50! What an amazing bunch of fighters these Aussies were!
No one expected India to go for the chase but they did and how well they did.
Borrowing from Shastri, cricket was the winner!

Lots more to share about the Tied Test of 1986. One of our thread readers, @gopubabutroupe shared this gem with us - a ticket from this Test. 💕

Here's what our very own @cricketwallah penned about this Test.

Two important figures in this Test - @GregMomatthews and @RaviShastriOfc click a picture in a reunion during Ind's last tour to Aus.

In Jan 2019, one of the umpires in this fateful Test, Dara Dotiwalla passed away. @ClaytonMurzello penned this wonderful tribute.

Another reunion of the key men from both sides in the Tied Test.

@ProfDeano and Ump Vikram Raju from the Tied Test. It was Raju who raised his finger for Maninder's LBW, a decision still contested hotly after all these years.

Ump Dotiwalla donated the bails from the Tied Test to the Parsi Gymkhana, Mumbai and @bomanirani accepted them on behalf of the Gymkhana

Last but surely not the least, the photographer behind the final moment at 5.18 pm captured in a picture - Mrs. Mala Mukerjee. She did this brilliantly with whatever equipment was there.
tinyurl.com/yxcv3dax
Her story is a must read. H/T to @g_rajaraman for telling us about it