Four decades of Motera

The Ahmedabad venue, now in its 40th year, has seen it all—wins and losses for the hosts, career-high moments for individual players, and, of course, controversy

Motera is celebrating 40 years as a Test centre this year and while praises are deservedly sung of the massive remade stadium, one discovered that there were quite a few praiseworthy aspects when the stadium was built and completed in 1983. More of that later.

It’s a venue that has been quite eventful over the last four decades —wins and losses for the hosts, career-high moments for individual players, and, of course, controversy. The last-mentioned aspect was witnessed in the inaugural Test there itself in 1983.

The virgin pitch became a topic of discussion on Day One when the West Indian batsmen found it difficult to score freely.

Experts used words like “treacherous” and “sub-standard” while man of the match Michael Holding found “plenty of green” (as described in his book, Whispering Death).

West Indies, who were put in by Kapil Dev, managed 281, a fine recovery after present BCCI president Roger Binny sent back Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge and Vivian Richards within 14 deliveries. 

Binny developed a back problem and left the field after bowling six overs, never to bowl again in the Test.

India were bowled out for 41 runs short of a first innings lead and the 241 included a splendid 90 by Sunil Gavaskar. It could have been a hundred, which would’ve taken him past Sir Donald Bradman’s record tally of 29 tons, but Tony Cozier in the 1984 edition of his long-running annual said the master batsman could do nothing about a sharp lifter from Holding, and fended it off to be caught at first slip (Clive Lloyd). During his innings, Gavaskar became the highest run-getter in Test cricket, shifting Geoff Boycott (8,114) to second position in the list.

The excitement was palpable when West Indies were bowled out for 201. Kapil, who could only boast of Holding’s wicket in the first innings, grabbed 9-83 in the second.

India fared disastrously in the second innings in pursuit of 242, with Holding claiming 4-30.

Despite winning the Test, Lloyd slammed the umpiring. “The two umpires [K Ramaswami and SN Hanumantha Rao] standing in this Test are the worst I’ve come across in my playing career. They have done a bad job and, worse, one of them is not even familiar with the laws of the game,” Lloyd was quoted as saying in Cozier’s annual.

The next Test at Motera was held in the 1986-87 season, when Imran Khan’s Pakistanis came visiting. The drawn game saw Gavaskar becoming the first man to reach 10,000 Test runs, through a cut shot to third man off  Ijaz Fakih.

Motera’s third Test was against Sri Lanka in February 1994, when Kapil Dev crossed Sir Richard Hadlee’s record 431 Test wickets. As many as 432 balloons went up and the crowd rose to give the 1983 World Cup-winning skipper a standing ovation.

India and South Africa opened the 1996-97 Test series here and Sachin Tendulkar’s Indians produced an unexpected victory on the fourth day.

Just like in the Motera Test against Pakistan, stones were pelted—at South African spinner Paul Adams, forcing skipper Hansie Cronje to take his side off and return after 10 minutes on Day Three. 

On the Saturday of the Test, Javagal Srinath bowled an inspired spell of 6-21 during which he was on a hat-trick thrice. Spinners Anil Kumble, Narendra Hirwani and Sunil Joshi were expected to push SA into submission, but pace did it and how! Cronje slammed the track and stressed, “It’s the worst pitch I’ve come across.”

I happened to interview ICC match referee John Reid the following day in his room at the Cama Hotel and was shocked when he pulled out the rocks that were hurled at the South Africans from his brief case. They were going all the way to the then ICC headquarters in London.

In 1999, the talking point of the drawn Test against New Zealand was India not enforcing the follow on and the Australia tour selection. 

Chairman of selectors Chandu Borde was grilled over why MSK Prasad had been included instead of the experienced stumper Nayan Mongia. As it turned out, Mongia was sent as a cover for Prasad and returned without figuring in the Tests. So much happened in the first five Tests at Motera.

The current Indian team would be buoyed by the fact that they have won the last three Tests there (all against England—one in 2012-13 and two in 2020-21). But those who were part of the team in 2008 will cringe while revisiting the scorecard, which shows how the hosts lost by an innings and 90 runs to South Africa. The visitors bowled out India for 76, before going on to amass 494-7 declared. An improved performance in the second innings (328) did not help prevent an innings defeat.

And now, back to the impressive points of the 1983 version of the stadium. Those facilities included fibre glass seats in different colours for the spectators, a ramp for handicapped spectators to get in, good amount of leg room for the fans in the stands, 22 gates for crowd to enter, and spacious dressing rooms for the players.

Doubtless, there are double the number of facilities at the revamped stadium but, like way back then, nearly 40 years ago, there are fears of the pitch.

Both teams will be on the edge. India cannot lose the Test series and will still keep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy even if Australia clinch the Test. But a 2-2 scoreline would mean Australia claim bragging rights.

Over to Motera’s Narendra Modi Stadium.

mid-day’s group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance.
He tweets @ClaytonMurzello. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper.

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