Caribbean hurricane in India: Clive Lloyd's revenge series

Clive Lloyd: The man who transformed Caribbean cricket

Clive Lloyd hated the "calypso cricketers" tag which West Indies cricket was associated with in the old days. He instilled a sense of pride, professionalism, and discipline into a bunch of talented individuals who bowled fast and batted hard on the beaches of the Caribbean, transforming themselves into a world-beating unit.

His formula was to unleash four of the fastest bowlers in the world to demolish batsmen across the cricketing world and was backed up by batsmen who could tackle the best bowling attacks with ridiculous ease.

Whether it was Test cricket or one-day internationals, the West Indies reigned supreme through the late 1970s, reached their absolute peak in the mid-1980s and continued to dominate until the mid 1990s.

Such was their dominance that cricket historians question whether such a team ever strode on a cricket field ever again. At home or abroad, irrespective of the conditions, Clive Lloyd's West Indies always found a way to win.

Establishing superiority in any sport requires statistics and a tournament involving the top teams. If the ICC rankings had come into force in the 1970s and 1980s, the West Indies, in all probability, would have been at the top of the heap. There was no elaborate ranking system back then and Test cricket did not have a world championship.

The one-day format, however, did have a World Cup, the first of which was held in 1975. It was the stage to prove who the best side was in the world of cricket.

West Indies: Champions in 1975 and 1979

In the World Cup finals in 1975, West Indies faced Australia. Batting first, West Indies put on an imposing total of 291 in 60 overs with a masterly 102 from the captain, Clive Lloyd. Ian Chappel top-scored for Australia with 62, but his side could manage only 274. West Indies were crowned champions of the world.

Four years later, in 1979, Vivian Richards showed the world why he was the best with a knock of 138 powering his team to 286/9 in the final against England. Mike Brearley's side could only manage 194 in reply. The message to the cricketing world was clear.

Clive Lloyd's West Indies were not just the best in the world, they were invincible.

The Cup than changed the script

Kapil's Devils took the world by storm

At the start of the 1983 World Cup, the question was, which of the teams had it in them to challenge the Caribbean kings.

Australia were far from their best and a team divided, still grappling with the consequences of the rebellious World Series Cricket introduced by Kerry Packer. England and Pakistan were the teams who looked capable of challenging the dominance of the Caribbeans. Pakistan had made it to the semi-finals in 1979 where they lost to the world champions.

Kapil's Devils stun the world

In the fourth match of the tournament, West Indies faced India in a league match. Batting first, India put up a total of 262/8 with Yashpal Sharma scoring 89. Roger Binny whose swing bowling flourished in English conditions, picked up three wickets to help India bowl the champions out for 228.

Kapil Dev's India had beaten the world's best cricketing side in the World Cup.

While Indian cricket fans were ecstatic, the rest of the world was stunned. Was the win just a flash in the pan?

The format of the Cup was such that all teams in the group played each other twice. In the second league match between the two sides, Richards scored a century and West Indies set the record straight, beating India by 66 runs. Sanity, it seemed, had been restored but not for long.

Underdogs India got the better of Australia and England to reach the World Cup finals, much to the amazement of the cricketing fraternity. In the finals, India faced a team aiming to win their third successive title. It was no surprise as to who the favorites were. What followed, however, was epic for one side and tragic for the other.

The defending champions of 1975 and 1979 were unable to chase a modest total of 183 in 60 overs. Madan Lal claimed the wickets of Desmond Haynes, Richards, and Larry Gomes. Mohinder Amarnath ended up taking three wickets off his seven overs giving away just twelve runs.

India bowled Clive Lloyd's team out for 140 runs and were the new champions of the world.

Madan Lal, Roger Binny, and Mohinder Amarnath were medium pacers and not renowned strike bowlers like their West Indian counterparts.

Yet, in English conditions, on a green top, these very bowlers turned the tide in India's favor.

On June 25, 1932, India had played their first Test in Lords. Fifty-one years later, on the same ground and on the same date, India made history.

The defeat hurt the Caribbean team badly. West Indies were a far superior team in all respects. Captain Clive Lloyd was a great competitor and determined to prove that West Indies were still the best.

Thus, later the same year, West Indies toured India with a mission. To prove to the world and to themselves that they were still the greatest side.

Vengeance unleashed - The Kanpur Test

Michael Holding bowled menacingly from one end

The first Test of the series began in Kanpur on October 21, 1983.

West Indies scored 454 in the first innings aided by a century from Gordon Greenidge who scored 194. Malcolm Marshall contributed with the bat scoring 92.

Sunil Gavaskar and Anshuman Gaekwad opened the batting for India.

While Micheal Holding bowled menacingly from one end, Malcolm Marshall got the wickets from the other. Marshall first got Gavaskar caught by wicket-keeper Dujon for 0. Gavaskar had lasted just two balls and India were 0/1. Malcolm Marshall then got Amarnath out with India 0/2. Gaekwad was the next to go, caught by Dujon off Marshall with India reeling at 9/3.

In less than half-an-hour, Malcolm Marshall had changed the course of the Test match. All India could do now, was fight to stay afloat. In the first innings, Malcolm Marshall ended with 4/19 off 15 overs with seven maidens! Micheal Holding claimed three wickets

In the second innings, again, Marshall got the wickets of Gavaskar for 7, Gaekwad for 5, and Binny for 7 wrecking the top order. Yet again, he took four wickets off 17 overs. Holding and Baptiste claimed three each to bowl India out for 164.

India lost the Kanpur Test by an innings and 83 runs.

The West Indies pace attack of Malcolm Marshall, Micheal Holding, Winston Davis, and Eldine Baptiste was brutal and unplayable. For the Indians, the nightmare had just started.

The fifth Test (Calcutta)

Malcolm Marshall destroyed India in the 1983-84 series

India managed to draw the second test at Delhi and the fourth test in Bombay but lost the third Test in Ahmedabad by 138 runs.

Going into the fifth (penultimate) Test at the Eden Gardens, India were 0-2 down and needed a dramatic comeback if they were to save the series.

India won the toss and elected to bat in Calcutta. Yet again, Marshall got Gavaskar for 0, Gaekwad for 2 and Amarnath for 0. Rescued by a useful 69 from Kapil Dev and 49 from wicket-keeper Syed Kirmani, India managed to put on 241 in the first innings.

Clive Lloyd scored 161 and guided the Windies to 377 when they came out to bat. Kapil Dev claimed four wickets including those of Haynes, Richards, and Dujon to ensure that the West Indies' lead was restricted to 136. The onus was now on the Indian batsmen to first wipe off the deficit and then try to build a total to defend in the second innings.

Little did they know that the Caribbean pacers had saved their best for this Test match.

With figures of 6/37 off 15 overs, Marshall wrecked India. Michael Holding claimed three wickets off nine overs.

Only three Indian batsmen crossed double figures and the hosts were bowled out for a paltry 90. West Indies won by an innings and 46 runs.

In the sixth Test in Chennai, Sunil Gavaskar scored 236 to salvage India's pride in a drawn match.

Victory for West Indies in ODI series

In the five-match one-day series, the Caribbeans blanked the ODI World Champions 5-0.

Like a demolition squad, Clive Lloyd's team had destroyed India on the 1983-84 tour. The West Indies' bowlers thrived on Indian pitches which offered neither extra pace nor bounce.

Jimmy Amarnath, the prime target

Mohinder Amarnath was the prime target in the series

When India toured the Caribbean in 1982-83, most Indian batsmen had a torrid time. Several had trouble getting past double figures on more than one occasion. Yet, one player stood out.

Mohinder Amarnath had been India's most successful batsman against pace bowling in the early 1980s. He had the ability to hook and cut and seemed to relish the West Indies attack, unlike his beleaguered teammates who were totally undone by the same bowlers.

In the 1982-83 series, Amarnath had scored 598 runs against the West Indies in their backyard with an average of just over 66. In the World Cup too, Amarnath had played a key role in India's success and was the Man of the Match in the finals.

It was no surprise then that Clive Lloyd and his team had singled Mohinder Amarnath out as the prime target for the "Revenge Series".

Malcolm Marshall reserved his best and the most unplayable deliveries for Amarnath, leaving him clueless. The same batsman who had tamed the Caribbean quickies a year ago had no answer to Marshall's pace and swing.

The statistics below tell the tale far better than words can ever express:

Mohinder Amarnath's scores against West Indies in the Test series, 1983-84

First Test: 0, 0

Second Test: 1, 0

Third Test: Did not play

Fourth Test: Did not play

Fifth Test: 0, 0

Sixth Test: Did not play.

Malcolm Marshall, one of cricket's greatest

The late Malcolm Marshall

Malcolm Marshall was instrumental in West Indies' series victory picking up wickets at will and demolishing the Indian top-order. He ended up taking 33 wickets in the Test series.

He continued his form against England later in 1984 with 24 wickets as Clive Lloyd's side beat England 5-0 in a five-match Test series.

West Indies' dominance in the world of cricket continued for a decade after which it waned and subsequently lead to totally decline.

On November 4, 1999, Malcolm Marshall died after being diagnosed with colon cancer. He was just 41.

Decades have passed but cricket lovers around the world are awestruck to this day at the exploits of Clive Lloyd's dominant team, and of course the great Malcolm Marshall, one of the best bowlers of all time.