India v Pakistan: 1979-80 Test Series

Also check: 1952-53 | 1960-61 | 1983-84 | 1986-87 | 1998-99

India won the six match series 2-0.

Captains:
India: Sunil Gavaskar (5) & Gundappa Viswanath (1), Pakistan: Asif Iqbal

Summary of Results:

#	Dates	India	Pakistan	Venue	Result
1	21-26 Nov 1979	416	*431-9d & 108-2	Bangalore	drawn
2	4-9 Dec 1979	126 & 364-6	*273 & 242	Delhi	drawn
3	16-20 Dec 1979	*334 & 160	173 & 190	Bombay	India won by 131 runs
4	25-30 Dec 1979	*162 & 193-2	249	Kanpur	drawn
5	15-20 Jan 1980	430 & 78-0	*272 & 233	Madras	India won by 10 wickets
6	29 Jan-3 Feb 1980	*331 & 205	272-4d & 179-6	Calcutta	drawn

* Denotes batted first and 'd' denotes innings declared.

Summary: Matches - 6, India 2,Drawn - 4

Highlights :

Bangalore:
Pakistan's first Test match on Indian soil for almost 19 years produced the eighth consecutive draw between the two sides in India. Mudassar took 340 minutes to reach his hundred and emulated his father, Nazar Mohammad, who also scored a century as an opening batsman in this series. They were only the second father/son combination after 'Dave' and Dudley Nourse (South Africa v Australia) to score hundreds in the same series. Play was halted on the first day when all the players and both umpires had to throw themselves to the ground, face down with their hands over their ears - a swarm of bees had invaded the stadium.

Delhi:
Although resulted in their ninth successive draw in India, this match produced the most dramatic contest of this series. Needing 390 runs in a minimum of 550 minutes, India required 114 off the mandatory 20 overs and were 26 runs short when the final over was abandoned. Sikander Bakht's outswing brought him the best analysis by any visiting bowler in a Test in India.He bowled 20.1 overs unchanged on the second day, capturing the first eight wickets that fell to a bowler after Imran (wrenched hip) had retired in mid-over. He was the first to take 11 wickets for Pakistan in a Test in India. Dilip Doshi, run-out when he left his crease to complain about the shadow of a large tree which was on the pitch, was allowed to resume his innings after he had successfully entreated acting-captain Majid Khan to withdraw the appeal.Dilip Vengsarkar's hundred took 437 minutes; during it he completed 1,000 runs in Tests for the calendar year. He went on to play the then longest innings in any Test for India,his 527 minutes being just two minutes longer than 'Vinoo' Mankad required for his 231.

Bombay:
India gained their first win against Pakistan since November 1952. The match was played on the pitch used six weeks earlier for the final Test against Australia; both matches ended in Indian victories on the fourth day. Wasim Bari became the first Pakistan wicket-keeper to complete a double of 1,000 runs and 100 dismissals when he had scored 19. Kapil Dev, with a rousing 69 off 79 balls, and Kirmani added 95 in a (then) record seventh-wicket stand for this series. Iqbal Qasim became the second Pakistan bowler after Sikander Bakht in the previous match to take ten or more wickets in a Test in India.

Kanpur:
Pakistan, without Imran Khan (hip and back strain), found a well-grassed and bouncy pitch much to the liking of Sikander Bakht and Ehteshamuddin. The latter had not been included in the squad of players announced on the eve of the match. After the rest day the match continued at funeral pace on a mown and docile surface. Only 114 runs were scored in 259 minutes of play on the fourth day before bad light 19 minutes after tea effectively ended the contest. The day's highlight was a stump-kicking tantrum by Sikander. Although the final day produced cloudless conditions, overnight rain had penetrated the flimsy covers and waterlogged the pitch. Gavaskar completed 1,000 Test match runs for the second calendar year in succession. Kapil Dev achieved his best analysis for India (until the next match) and took his tally of wickets in 1979 to a (then) world record 74 from 17 Tests. Chetan Chauhan's 61 in 334 minutes contained the slowest recorded fifty in Indian first class cricket - 316 minutes.

Madras:
India's resounding victory gave them their first rubber against Pakistan since 1952-53 when this series began. Gavaskar scored his 23rd hundred to move ahead of Wally Hammond and Colin Cowdrey. His 166 in 595 minutes (373 balls) was the longest innings for India until he himself surpassed it in 1981-82. Imran Khan became the fourth Pakistan bowler to take 100 Test wickets when he dismissed Kirmani. After scoring 84 off 98 balls, Kapil Dev produced the best innings (then) and match figures of his Test career.

Calcutta:
Sunil Gavaskar relinquished the captaincy as he was not available for India's imminent tour of the West Indies (subsequently cancelled). Kapil Dev, making his 25th consecutive appearance since his debut, took his 100th wicket in the record time of 1 year 105 days (beating Ian Botham's 2 years 9 days). At 21 years 24 days he still remains the youngest bowler to take 100 Test wickets. Two days later he became the youngest to score 1,000 runs and to complete the Test double. Viswanath (68) and Asif Iqbal (the last of his 58) set new national records for most Test appearances. Reserve wicket-keeper Taslim Arif grafted for 424 minutes in his first Test innings. National records for a rubber between these countries were set by Gavaskar (529 runs),Kapil Dev (32 wickets), Sikander Bakht (24 wickets) and Wasim Bari (16 dismissals).

Compiled by Rajneesh Gupta