New Delhi. In the 147-year history of Test cricket, many players have won the hearts of fans with their playing skills. Many of them scored a lot of runs and centuries in batting, while others became ‘death’ for the opposition batsmen in bowling. These legendary players include Sir Don Bradman, Wally Hammond, Dennis Lillee, Greg Chappell, Rodney Marsh, Curtly Ambrose and Joel Garner, but Indian cricket lovers did not get a chance to see them playing on their soil. Due to various reasons, they never played on Indian grounds.
Interestingly, three of these players – Greg Chappell, Lillee and Marsh – retired together after the Sydney Test against Pakistan in January 1984.
A look at those players who could never play Test in India.
Sir Don Bradman: Australia’s Donald Bradman is undoubtedly considered the greatest batsman of cricket. The ‘Don of Cricket’ has 6996 runs (29 centuries) in 52 Tests at an average of 99.94. He scored two triple and 10 double centuries. If Bradman had scored 4 runs in the last Test of his career, he would have achieved an average of 100 in Test cricket, but unfortunately this could not happen. In the only innings of the Oval Test in August 1948, he was out without scoring any runs and his average remained stuck at ’99’. Bradman scored 715 runs (4 centuries) in 5 Tests against India at an average of 178.75. All these Tests were held in Australia.
He did not play any Test on Indian grounds. It is also said that Bradman considered India a poor country and avoided coming here. He set foot on Indian soil only once, for a very short time. According to information, while going to England in 1953 to cover the Ashes for the Daily Mail, Bradman’s plane had to land at Calcutta (now Kolkata) airport for fuel. During this time, he stayed in the airport waiting room for some time. As soon as the sports lovers of the ‘City of Joy’ got the news of Bradman being in the city, they rushed towards the airport to get a glimpse of him. Seeing the crowd of people, Don got angry and considered it a threat to his safety.
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Wally Hammond: Wally Hammond, one of England’s greatest batsmen, played 85 Tests between 1927 and 1947 and scored 7249 runs at an average of 58.45. Hammond scored one triple and six double centuries and his highest score was 336 not out. A right-handed batsman and medium pace bowler, Hammond also took 83 wickets in Tests. Hammond could never play a Test in India. In 6 Tests against India in England, he scored 555 runs at an average of 79.28, including a highest score of 217.
Dennis Lillee: At one time, the record for taking the most wickets in Test cricket was in the name of Australia’s Dennis Lillee. From 1971 to 1984, his fast bowling was a synonym for fear for the opposition batsmen. He was also infamous for his bad temper. Considered a complete fast bowler of cricket, Lillee took 355 wickets in 70 Tests at an average of 23.92, which included 10 or more wickets in an innings 7 times. He played three Tests against India in Australia itself and took 21 wickets at an average of 21.52. He did not play any Test on Indian grounds.
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Greg Chappell: The trio of Chappell brothers – Ian, Greg and Trevor – dominated the cricket world for many years. Greg, the second of these brothers, played 87 Tests for Australia and scored 7110 runs at an average of 53.86, including 24 centuries. He also took 47 wickets in Tests. Greg (Greg Chappell) made many records, including scoring a century in his debut and last Test and scoring a century in both innings of the Test. Right-handed batsman Greg scored 368 runs in 3 Tests against India at an average of 73.60, including a century. All these matches were held in Australia, Greg never played a Test in India. Greg later also became the coach of the Indian cricket team. He is still considered the most controversial coach of Indian cricket. While being the coach, Greg had bitter relations with top cricketers like Ganguly and Tendulkar.
Rodney Marsh: Australia’s Rodney Marsh is considered one of the best wicketkeepers in world cricket. Marsh played a major role in the success of Australian fast bowlers Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson. Marsh took many brilliant catches behind the wicket off the balls of both of them. Apart from scoring 3633 runs with the help of three centuries in 96 Tests, he took 343 catches and made 12 stumpings as a wicketkeeper. Marsh made 16 catches (15 catches, one stumping) in three Tests against India on Australian grounds, but he never played on Indian grounds.
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Curtly Ambrose : The fast bowlers of the West Indies team have dominated world cricket. The tall Curtly Ambrose can be considered a strong bowler of this tradition. Ambrose, who was a headache for the opposition batsmen with his line-length and bounce, took 405 wickets in 98 Tests at an average of 20.99 and 225 wickets in 176 ODIs at an average of 24.12. Ambrose played cricket in the era (1988-2000) when the status of Caribbean cricket was on the decline. Indian cricket lovers never got a chance to see Ambrose showcasing his bowling prowess on their ground. He played 9 Tests against India and took 15 wickets, all of these matches were in the Caribbean Islands.
Joel Garner: Popularly known as ‘Big Bird’ due to his height of 6 feet 8 inches, when Garner (Joel Garner) used to bowl with a high arm action, the batsman used to feel as if the ball was being thrown from the first floor of a building. Garner proved to be very dangerous due to his speed and bounce. ‘Big Bird’, who formed a deadly quartet of fast bowlers with Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Malcolm Marshall, took 259 wickets in 58 Tests at an average of 20.97 while in 98 ODIs he took 146 wickets at an average of 18.84. Garner played four Tests against India, all of which were played in the Caribbean Islands. He did not play any Test in India.
Tags: Don bradman, Greg Chappell, Joel Garner, Sir Don Bradman, Test cricket
FIRST PUBLISHED : September 14, 2024, 08:42 IST