"Team India will clinch the series at The Oval just like we did way back in 1971" - Sunil Gavaskar
Former Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar reminisced about India's first Test victory on English soil on the occasion of its 50th anniversary today.
Led by Ajit Wadekar, the Indian side defeated England by six wickets at the Oval in 1971, and secured their first Test win in England.
It was the last match of the three-match series. The first two Tests ended in a draw, so India bagged the series 1-0 courtesy of the historic triumph.
Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was part of the Indian team in that Test as he opened the innings and scored 6 & 0 in the match. Even though Gavaskar did not have a great time with the bat, he has fond memories from that special Test.
Gavaskar shared a video on his official Instagram handle today in which he reminisced about the iconic match won by India in 1971. He said:
"50 years ago, on August 24th, India won a Test in England for the first time and with it the Test series. What a day it was... It was truly unforgettable. The crowds that lined up the Oval was something similar to what happened in 1983. Of course, 1983 was much bigger because the whole of Lord's cricket ground seemed to be taken by Indian supporters. But it was truly unforgettable(India's first Test win), truly memorable.
"Ajit Wadekar led the side superbly and there was some tremendous batting by Farokh Engineer, Gundappa Viswanath, Dilip Sardesai to take us home. But above all, it was BS Chandrasekhar six wickets for 38 that dismissed England for only a 101 in the second innings and paved the way for India to win."
Gavaskar then predicted that the current Virat Kohli-led Indian side would go on to win the current series against England at the Oval (it hosts the fourth Test) as well.
"So now this time around too, at The Oval, India will clinch the series just like we did way back in 1971. Be rest assured of that. This team will repeat what 1971 Wadekar's team did."
The third Test between India and England will commence on Wednesday(25/8/21)
India currently lead the series by 1-0 after registering a thumping win at the Lord's Cricket Ground last week.
England will miss the services of Mark Wood in the upcoming match as he did not recover from an injury. India, on the other hand, will have a selection dilemma ahead of the third Test.
Shardul Thakur, who missed the second Test due to a niggle, is now fit and available for selection. It will be interesting to see if he gets the nod ahead of one of the four pacers who performed well at Lord's.