Several cricketing incidents took place in Karachi on this day, 1989.
Two of them changed the course of Indian cricket for the years to come.
One was, of course, Tendulkar's debut.
The other took place earlier that morning.
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Two of them changed the course of Indian cricket for the years to come.
One was, of course, Tendulkar's debut.
The other took place earlier that morning.
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Some back story is required to explain the enormity of the incident.
Another genius had broken through to the Test side five seasons before the incident.
Three Tests and three centuries later they hailed Mohammad Azharuddin as the next big thing in Indian cricket.
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Another genius had broken through to the Test side five seasons before the incident.
Three Tests and three centuries later they hailed Mohammad Azharuddin as the next big thing in Indian cricket.
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But that aura had worn off.
At this point he had not scored a Test hundred in almost three years.
Worse, his vulnerability against fast bowling had been exposed.
He had got only two fifties in six Tests against the West Indies.
And Pakistan was the land of fast bowlers.
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At this point he had not scored a Test hundred in almost three years.
Worse, his vulnerability against fast bowling had been exposed.
He had got only two fifties in six Tests against the West Indies.
And Pakistan was the land of fast bowlers.
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Wasim was on the rise. Imran was still around.
And Pakistan always seem to produce world-class fast bowlers from time to time.
In this Test, for example, they gave Waqar.
Who would play for India?
India had three all-rounders in Kapil, Shastri, and Prabhakar.
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And Pakistan always seem to produce world-class fast bowlers from time to time.
In this Test, for example, they gave Waqar.
Who would play for India?
India had three all-rounders in Kapil, Shastri, and Prabhakar.
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The ever-improving Manjrekar would bat at 3.
There was no Amarnath or Vengsarkar, but Tendulkar was almost certain to make his debut.
With Tendulkar almost certain to make his debut, Azhar's spot was not guaranteed anymore.
And Azhar would not open.
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There was no Amarnath or Vengsarkar, but Tendulkar was almost certain to make his debut.
With Tendulkar almost certain to make his debut, Azhar's spot was not guaranteed anymore.
And Azhar would not open.
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Azhar's competitor was Raman Lamba, as flamboyant a batsman as they made them.
Just like Azhar, he had a stunning debut series, albeit in ODIs.
He had scored 24, 53, 24 in his first three Test innings, but had been left out after the one failure, in 1987-88.
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Just like Azhar, he had a stunning debut series, albeit in ODIs.
He had scored 24, 53, 24 in his first three Test innings, but had been left out after the one failure, in 1987-88.
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Lamba was on the verge of fading out until the 1989 Nehru Cup.
Then he scored 231 runs in the tournament. The second-best among Indians was 182.
Just ahead of the Test, India opted for Lamba, demoting Azhar to 12th man.
And then it happened.
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Then he scored 231 runs in the tournament. The second-best among Indians was 182.
Just ahead of the Test, India opted for Lamba, demoting Azhar to 12th man.
And then it happened.
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Lamba picked up a finger injury – probably the most significant injury in the history of Indian cricket since Contractor's.
He was ruled out of the Test match.
Azhar got a lifeline just ahead of the match.
Pakistan batted first.
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He was ruled out of the Test match.
Azhar got a lifeline just ahead of the match.
Pakistan batted first.
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Azhar held five catches, some of them spectacular.
(There used to be a video on DailyMotion but it has been deleted. Can someone?)
He scored 35 and 35 in the Test and retained his place.
In the next Test he got a hundred, and followed that with 77 and 52.
He was back.
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(There used to be a video on DailyMotion but it has been deleted. Can someone?)
He scored 35 and 35 in the Test and retained his place.
In the next Test he got a hundred, and followed that with 77 and 52.
He was back.
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Lamba had fallen out of contention. He never played another Test.
After that Pakistan tour, he did not play ODIs either.
Legend goes that Raj Singh Dungarpur, then Chairman of Selectors, approached Azhar during a domestic match a few days later.
"Miyan, captain banoge?"
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After that Pakistan tour, he did not play ODIs either.
Legend goes that Raj Singh Dungarpur, then Chairman of Selectors, approached Azhar during a domestic match a few days later.
"Miyan, captain banoge?"
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Azhar had led only four times in First-Class cricket till then, all of them after the Pakistan tour.
Maybe those were Raj Singh's exact words. Maybe they were not.
But the fact remains that four Tests after almost being 12th man, Azhar walked out to toss for India.
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Maybe those were Raj Singh's exact words. Maybe they were not.
But the fact remains that four Tests after almost being 12th man, Azhar walked out to toss for India.
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He went on to lead them for over six years, then for another stint of over a year.
The butterfly effect of Lamba's injury ended up shaping Indian cricket in the 1990s.
The butterfly effect of Lamba's injury ended up shaping Indian cricket in the 1990s.
I mentioned Azhar's five catches. Here is the video, courtesy @Zohaib1981.
https://twitter.com/Zohaib1981/status/1327896291133845507?s=19
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