‘You play your game, we will play our game’

In 1971, Ajit Wadekar’s team made cricket history by winning India’s first series in the West Indies. On the eve of the 50th anniversary of that achievement, we pick the best anecdotes from a new book by Nishad Pai Vaidya and Sachin Bajaj that revisits India’s triumphs from that year

At 75 for five in the first innings of the first Test at Jamaica, Eknath Solkar joined Dilip Sardesai in the middle with a mission to resurrect the Indian innings. The two Bombay players then showed remarkable grit to record a 137-run stand. During the partnership, the ball lost its shape and West Indies captain, Garry Sobers, was trying to persuade the umpires to change it. Sardesai and Solkar would join in those discussions, just to balance out Sobers’ arguments if and when the decision to change was taken. Solkar was playing and missing quite a bit during his innings. Once the umpires replaced the ball, he asked Sobers to show it to him. “What’s the point? You will play and miss anyway,” Sobers remarked. The all-rounder shot back by saying, “You play your game, we will play our game.” It was a typical combative response from a gritty cricketer.

Even after Solkar’s fall for 61, Sardesai continued to rally the innings. In Erapalli Prasanna, he found more support during a 122-run stand for the ninth wicket. Sardesai was dismissed for 212 but by then India had a competitive total on the board. They were eventually bowled out for 387.
 
Sabid Ali’s main role was to help take the shine off the ball before the spinners came into force. However, he could be more than useful with his right-arm medium pace upfront. After all, he started his Test career with a six-for in Australia. When Ajit Wadekar and his men landed in the Caribbean, Abid was the ultimate team-man, having opened the batting as well when needed. However, it was with his bowling that he put his name in the record books. During the second Test at Trinidad, Abid became the first Indian bowler to take a wicket off the first ball of the Test match.

Eknath Solkar and Dilip Sardesai seen on the cover of the April 18, 1971 issue of Sportsweek. The two Bombay players had a record 137-run stand in the first innings of the first Test in Jamaica, the authors shared in the book. Sunil Gavaskar walked away with major plaudits for his record-breaking 774 runs in his debut series. Pic courtesy/Clayton Murzello magazine collection

The left-handed Roy Fredericks took strike on what was a tricky-looking surface at the Queen’s Park Oval. As Abid got ready to bowl, he heard a voice from the stands saying, “Ali, you can’t take a wicket, man, you can’t bowl.” That man was in for a shock as Fredericks was dismissed bowled off the first ball of the Test match. The West Indian crowds can be very cheeky with their comments but are equally generous. “Ali, you’re the greatest,” said the same man who had taunted the Hyderabadi all-rounder.

The first ball was an indication of things to come as India went on to bowl the West Indies out for 214 in the first innings.
 
When India beat West Indies in the second Test at Trinidad, the enormity of the occasion dawned on everyone involved. That India had managed to beat West Indies for the first time in their history, that too in their backyard, was truly special. More so, Trinidad is known to have a huge Indian diaspora and while the victory may have been miles away from home, the conditions and the atmosphere made the tourists feel comfortable. With all this in the backdrop, Dilip Sardesai decided to prank his roommate Salim Durani.

Durani was in their room when he answered the telephone. “Mr Durani, we are happy you won us the game. We are Indians staying here. We would like to meet you at the reception,” someone said in a West Indian accent. The friendly Durani rushed downstairs to meet and greet his fans, but didn’t find anyone. He went back to his room, when the same person called and said they were by the swimming pool, adding a big promise to that. “We want to present you with a camera and TV,” the voice beamed. Durani went by the pool this time and yet again, there was no one.

Watching all this from a corner, Sardesai finally approached his roommate. Durani eventually connected the dots and realised he was being pranked!
 
One of Kenia Jayantilal’s greatest worries ahead of India’s tour to the West Indies was food. For an Indian vegetarian, travelling to other countries can be challenging and the opener was making his first trip to the Caribbean. In Rohan Kanhai, Jayantilal found a saviour. The West Indian great assured him that vegetarian food wouldn’t be a problem.

“In Guyana, I got a lot of vegetarian food like bhindi masala, puran poli, biryani, baingan ka shaag. Everyday there was some change,” Jayantilal recalled. Most of the groundsmen and those who worked on the grounds were of Indian origin and they helped out Jayantilal on Kanhai’s suggestion. “Rohan knew everybody and he told me ‘Don’t worry. You will get vegetarian food’,” he said.

Jayantilal continued to get vegetarian food through the trip. Some of his teammates then told him, “Thoda zyada mangao. Hum non-veg kha kha ke bore ho gaye.” (Order some more. We are bored of eating non-veg).

Excerpted with permission from Twice Upon A Time: India’s Fairytale Cricket Victories of 1971 by Nishad Pai Vaidya and Sachin Bajaj, published by Notion Press 

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