5 Memorable Test wins for India in West Indies

#1 Third Test at Port of Spain in 1976

India hasn't lost a Test match in which Gundappa Viswanath has scored a hundred

In this Test match, India were set a fourth-innings target of 403 runs after centuries from Vivian Richards and Alvin Kallicharan for the West Indies in the first and second innings respectively. Interestingly enough, the West Indies team had three spinners in their ranks with only Bernard Julien and Michael Holding as the fast bowling options.

India’s chase started on a positive note when openers Sunil Gavaskar and Anshuman Gaekwad put on 69 runs for the first wicket. After Gaekwad’s dismissal, India had the presence of Mohinder Amarnath at No.3, who put on 108 runs for the second wicket with Gavaskar. Gavaskar scored his customary century at Port of Spain but got out soon after reaching his century.

Mohinder Amarnath - Always the unsung hero for India

The turning point of the match was the 159-run partnership for the third wicket between Mohinder Amarnath and Gundappa Viswanath. Viswanath scored his fourth Test hundred but both Amarnath and Viswanath were run-out before India could reach the target. In the end, it was left to Brijesh Patel, who scored a quickfire 49 to take India home with 14 mandatory overs to spare.

Looking back, it was a record chase for India. having scored more than 400 runs in the fourth innings. It was only the second time a team had successfully chased down a target of over 400 in the fourth innings. In fact, until now, there have been only four occasions when a score of 400 and above was successfully chased down in the fourth innings of a Test match.