When the West Indian team landed in India for a five-Test series in November 1958 a close contest was predicted. The visitors were in a transition period. Moreover none of the three W’s – Frank Worrell, Clyde Walcott and Everton Weekes - made the trip due to various reasons. Despite the presence of several young stars in the West Indian line-up like Gary Sobers, Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher, Conrad Hunte, Collie Smith and Joe Solomon it was felt that India with players of the calibre and experience of Vinoo Mankad, Vijay Manjrekar, Ghulam Ahmed, Pankaj Roy, Gulabrai Ramchand, Polly Umrigar and Subash Gupte had the team to run it close.
And yet by the fourth Test West Indies had wrapped up the series 3-0 in the process becoming the first visiting side to win three straight matches in India. Their batsmen made a packet of runs while the bowling spearheaded by the fearsome pace duo of Roy Gilchrist and Wesley Hall sent shivers down the Indian batting line-up. More than the batting it was the bowling that had caused most damage emphasized by the fact that no Indian had hit a hundred. That had never happened before for even while suffering many reverses in the past there had always been batsmen who got to three figures. But in the current series the highest score was Roy’s 90 in the first Test.
Another defeat was freely predicted when the final Test began at Delhi in February 1959. Hemu Adhikari was India’s fourth captain of the series – all part of the unhealthy atmosphere prevailing off the field and this was also one of the reasons for the successive setbacks – and he won the first toss for India in the series. Batting first on a good batting surface India took almost two full days in running up a total of 415 something unthinkable given what had happened in the series thus far. For once the Indian batting did itself justice with Nari Contractor getting 92 and Umrigar 76.
Adhikari chipped in with 63 but the innings that provided the real substance was Chandu Borde’s 109. With classical batting that brought back memories of his hero Vijay Hazare the 24-year-old Borde playing only his fourth Test – he had made his debut earlier in the series – provided a whiff of fresh air as he cut, drove, pulled and hooked the pace bowlers with aplomb. He was also severe on the spinners Sobers and Smith. Having notched up the first century of the series by an Indian Borde was hailed as a messiah.
Against this West Indian batting machine and on a perfect track at the Ferozshah Kotla grounds even a total of 415 was no insurance against defeat. On the third and fourth days West Indies put the Indian bowling to rout in compiling 644 for eight before Gerry Alexander applied closure with about an hour’s play left on the penultimate day. They were hundreds from Jack Holt, Smith and Solomon while right down the order everyone got runs – Hunte 92, Kanhai 40, Butcher 71, Sobers 44.
So India did face a tough task to save the Test particularly since Umrigar and Manjrekar were injured and not expected to bat. Contractor fell early but Roy and Dattajirao Gaekwad got half centuries. Still India were not out of the woods at 135 for three (virtually five with the injuries to Umrigar and Manjrekar) as Adhikari joined Borde.
As if continuing from where he left off in the first innings Borde batted with absolute ease with a blend of elegance and power. The two added 108 runs for the fourth wicket before the skipper was out for 40. But by now it was just past the tea interval and India having covered the 229-run first innings deficit were almost certainly going to save the Test which would be a great achievement after what had happened earlier in the series.
But the crowd’s interest was sustained thanks to Borde nearing a second hundred of the match. He was 74 when Adhikari was out at 243 but even as he inched towards an achievement that had been notched up only once before by an Indian batsman in a Test he kept losing partners. One by one Mankad, Naren Tamhane, Gupte and Ramakant Desai fell and with about ten minutes left India were 274 for eight with Borde not out on 95.
To be left high and dry on 95 after having scored 109 in the first innings is a terrible, tragic feeling. And now Borde had to endure that feeling. Along with Desai, Borde, the West Indian players and the umpires began to move back into the pavilion. Even the crowd started moving away. With Umrigar and Manjrekar not expected to bat the innings and the match had concluded. Suddenly Adhikari beckoned the players to wait. Everyone wondered what was going on. In a few seconds they got the answer. Manjrekar his right hand heavily bandaged descended the pavilion steps and amidst thunderous applause walked out to join Borde. So the gallant batsman now had a chance to achieve his personal objective and become only the second Indian to hit a hundred in each innings – the other interestingly enough being his hero Hazare who had scored 116 and 145 against Australia at Adelaide eleven years before. Hope sprung afresh in his heart as also in the hearts of the spectators who hurried back to their seats.
Borde added a single after Manjrekar’s arrival to inch his way to 96. There was no longer any doubt of the match being saved. But the excitement at the Kotla reached fever pitch. All of it centered round Borde. In any case Gilchrist began what was to be the last over of the match. So Borde now had only six more balls to pursue glory. He took a long look at the field and saw that there were fielders all along the boundary. A cut, glance or a hook would at the maximum give him only one run. And then there was no point in giving Manjrekar the strike for Borde would never get a chance to score again. He quickly sized up the situation and decided that he would wait for a ball that he could put away to the boundary. For all his dangerous qualities Gilchrist could also be expected to bowl a bad ball and Borde decided to wait for it.
The first ball of that over was wide off the stumps and Borde let it go through to Alexander. The next ball was a bouncer. Borde went for the hook. It might have ended in a catch to long leg but this was a chance Borde had to take. He connected properly but as ill-luck would have it he hit his own wickets while essaying the stroke.
Stunned by what they had just seen and unable to swallow their disappointment the crowd was numbed into silence. The West Indian players stepped aside and clapped Borde in the pavilion. It was only then the crowd recovered from their shock and there was a belated cheer. Then a huge throng gathered outside the pavilion calling for Borde to make an appearance.
Within the space of a few days Borde was transformed from just a promising young cricketer to a hero of national fame. His name was on everyone’s lips – even of those who had hardly any interest in the game. And though Borde was a stalwart of the Indian team for a decade and accomplished many notable feats it is futile to look beyond Kotla 1959 as his greatest.