Mahendra Singh Dhoni had a decent outing in 2014
India is set to visit Old Trafford after over a decade, having last played a Test match at the venue in 2014 under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. With no Test victory ever registered out of nine games played in Manchester, it is clear that, be it batting or bowling, something always went against India’s favour.
And while the statistics and performance of big names are often analysed, not many have gone into the past to have a look at how captains performed at Old Trafford.
Ahead of India’s fourth game against England in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, let’s take a look at the performances of the last five Indian Test captains who visited Old Trafford.
One of the worst defeats in Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s career as a captain, England won the 2014 clash by an innings and 54 runs. However, while the majority of the batting line-up failed, Dhoni gave his best to provide a chance by scoring 71 runs in the first innings, followed by 27 runs in the second innings.
Former captain of India, Mohammad Azharuddin, led from the front with 179 runs scored in the first innings. In the second innings, he scored 11, whereas Sachin Tendulkar scored 119, his first Test century. Sanjay Manjrekar had also scored 95 runs in the first innings. Together, the three players ensured India went back home with a draw.
A disaster for the Little Master, Sunil Gavaskar, who was the team’s captain in 1982, was scoring only two runs in 20 balls in the first innings. The game did not proceed to the second innings, thanks to Sandeep Patil’s 129 runs as a no. 7 batter. His innings helped India draw the game.
Six runs in the first inning, followed by 14 runs in the second inning—this was Wadekar’s score as the team’s captain at Old Trafford in 1974. The team lost the game by 114 runs despite Sunil Gavaskar scoring 159 runs across two innings.
Wadekar was also the team’s captain in 1971, who had visited Old Trafford and England for another Test tour. In the first innings, Wadekar had scored 12 runs, whereas in the second, he made nine. Fortunately, unlike 1974, the team had secured a draw in 1971.
Before 1971, India’s last appearance at Old Trafford was in 1959 under the captaincy of Datta Gaekwad. Gaekwad, as a captain, had scored five runs in the first innings and a duck in the second innings. India lost the game by 171 runs to England.
Vijay Hazare was the first captain to take India to Old Trafford after India’s independence in 1952. Before 1952, India’s last appearance at the venue was in 1946. In both innings, Hazare scored 16 runs each, whereas India succumbed to 58 in the first innings, registering one of its lowest innings totals in Test cricket history. India lost the game by an innings and 207 runs.
