This was the first test between a touring England team led by Mike Smith and captured by the great Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. India elected to bat first in Chennai and centuries courtesy of Budhi Kundaran (192) and Vijay Manjrekar (108), posted a mammoth total of 457 for 7 before declaring their innings. England were restricted to 317 runs giving India a crucial first innings lead. Interestingly, it took the visitors total to reach 190.4 overs meaning they batted at a run rate of 1.66.
The main reason for England’s crawl in the first innings was the orthodox left-arm Indian spinner, Bapu Nadkarni. Nadkarni was surprisingly restrictive, strangling England’s batsmen and motivating them for every run scored on his bowling in Chennai. He came back with incredible figures of 32 overs, 27 maidens and 5 runs. It was a remarkable achievement and a testament to Nadkarni’s superb precise line and length bowling. During his spell, he made a record of bowling 21 consecutive maidens. He bowled in a tight area and gave nothing. Dot ball after dot ball after dot ball, Maiden after Maiden for the first time!
India were bundled out for 152 for the loss of 9 wickets before declaring their second innings for the match. England, 293 sets, reached 241 for 5 before time ran out. Nadkarni’s restrictive spell in the first innings helped India secure a draw.
The economy rate of 0.16 in Nadkarni’s innings is the lowest for an innings (min 10 overs bowled) in Test cricket history! Another name on this list is Gary Sobers who conceded just 3 runs in his 14 overs at an economy rate of 0.21 against New Zealand in Wellington in 1956. Incredibly, it is Nadkarni who is at No 3 again with his performance against England in Mumbai. In the same series in 1964 – Nadkarni returned with figures of 14 overs, 11 maidens and 3 runs in the second innings at a run rate of just 0.21.
Nadkarni played 41 Tests for India and although he took just 88 wickets at an average of 29.07, it was his economy rate of 1.67 – the second best in Test history behind Trevor Goddard of South Africa – that stood out! He also had an impressive first-class record in which he took 500 wickets in 191 matches at an average of 21.37 and not surprisingly an astonishing economy rate of just 1.64.
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