India vs West Indies: 5 iconic moments from past India-West Indies encounters
West Indies and India have always shared a very rich cricketing legacy. Both nations are passionate supporters of the game and have produced many iconic players over the years.
Both countries have a sense of mutual respect for each other, and the players on either side respect the worth of the opposition. West Indies have always found an able partner in India whenever there have been and crisis, be it the apartheid movement, or anything else, India and West Indies have stood together.
The popularity of West Indian players in India is a testament to the acceptance of the West Indian culture in India. However, this mutual friendship has never come in the way of the two teams when it gets down to business on the cricket field.
Over the years, both nations have been involved in some iconic test matches and the memories will always remain fresh in the minds of the cricketing audiences. We take a look at 5 such iconic test matches and moments, as India get ready for another Test Series in the Caribbean islands.
#1 1971 triumph
This victory will, by all means, be a watershed moment for Indian cricket. This win was India's maiden test series victory over the mighty West Indies. It was also the series where Sunil Gavaskar made his debut and showed the world his mettle, as he amassed runs against the pace battery of the West Indies. He scored four centuries and also a double ton.
India came into the second test match after having forced West Indies to follow on in the first match in Kingston, Jamaica. Hence, they were riding the momentum, and this showed when they bundled out the hosts for 214 on the first day of the second test match in Trinidad and Tobago.
Led by Dilip Sardesai and Sunil Gavaskar, India took a lead of 138 in the first innings. West Indies were then dismissed for 261, as Srinivas Venkatraghavan picked up 5 wickets.
Chasing down a target of 124 runs, the visitors romped home with a day to spare as the debutant Sunil Gavaskar stayed unbeaten on 67 runs and even hit the winning boundary for good measure.
India held on to this lead and won the 5 match series 1-0.