On this day in 1979: India-Pakistan draw a thrilling Delhi Test
Over the decades, arch-rivals India and Pakistan have been involved in some exhilarating matches that have kept all the cricketing fans glued to their seats. While India have an overall better record in World Cup meetings, it is Pakistan who have a better head-to-head record in bilateral meetings.
In 59 Test meetings between these two sides, India have won nine, Pakistan have registered 12 victories while the other 38 have produced no results. Meanwhile, it was on this very day in 1979 that the arch-rivals drew a thriller of a Test in Delhi.
When the Delhi Test produced an edge-of-the-seat thriller
India and Pakistan locked horns in the second Test match at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. The visiting captain Asif Iqbal won the toss and decided to bat first. At 90/4, Waseem Raja (97) anchored the Pakistani innings and he along with captain Iqbal (64) added 130 runs for the fifth wicket stand as the visitors posted 273 in their first innings. Kapil Dev (5/58) was the pick of the Indian bowlers.
Indian in reply failed to get going in their first innings and were dismissed for just 126 with Yashpal Sharma scoring an unbeaten 28. Sikander Bakht was India’s tormentor-in-chief with outstanding bowling figures of 8/69.
India face a mammoth target
Pakistan capitalized on their innings lead of 147 runs and scored 242 in their second innings to set India a mammoth target of 390 runs. It was a daunting task for India and things complicated when they lost openers Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan with hardly anything on the board.
Things might have looked relatively easy for the visitors at that point in time, but they could not run through a determined Dilip Vengsarkar who stood like a wall and challenged the famed Pakistani bowling attack. He got good support from Gundappa Vishwanath (34) and Yashpal Sharma (60).
Vengsarkar toiled in the middle for nine hours and even went on to register a well-deserved century. He remained unbeaten on 146 runs off 370 deliveries as the contest ended in a hard-fought draw. India finished their innings at 364/6 and had Vengsarkar shown some more intent on the final day, the hosts could have succeeded in pulling off a historic win.
