Test heralds Kapil Dev’s return to form

Press, 19 December 1985, Page 52

Test heralds Kapil Dev’s return to form

NZPA-AAP Adelaide A smiling Indian captain, Kapil Dev, is headed for Hobart and a quieter few days with his bag of 277 test wickets after blitzing the shell-shocked Australians in the drawn Adelaide first cricket test. The test will be remembered as the scene of his return to form after struggling against Sri Lanka, and for the patient application of Sunil. Gavaskar in his 166 not out. The 26-year-old all-roun-der Kapil joined the Kiwi tormentor, Richard Hadlee, and, earlier, the England

Ashes swing bowler, Richard Ellison, as a confidence destroyer of an Australian form renaissance. Kapil started the Australian summer with 269 wickets at 28.91, but saw a rampaging Hadlee grab 33 test wickets at 12.15 in the historic New Zealand 2-1 series win over Australia a few short weeks ago. Hadlee had 266 before getting off the plane in Australia in mid-October — he returned to Christchurch with 299. This was just one short of joining the 309 club headed by Australia’s Dennis Lillee (355), England's lan Botham (343) and Bob Willis (325),'

the West Indies’ Lance' Gibbs (309) and fiery Fred Trueman, of England, with 307. . Kapil was three wickets ahead of Hadlee, now he is closing in on the 300 mark. But hints of Australian “aggro” crept into the Adelaide encounter as Border and Co. became exasperated with the rock-like Indians, their steady innings-building partnerships and the inability of the bowling attack to break through. Kapil had the killer put back into his repertoire again after the niggling jolts from the Australians over the last few days.

His rhythm and speed in the Australian innings ripped 'out the best the Australians could put up against him — the top order bats, Wayne Phillips, the century maker, David Boon, the skipper, Allan Border, another century maker, Greg Ritchie, and Greg Matthews — before lancing through the tail. His elan brought some spirited reaction from the Australians, quite a bit of it directed at Kapil. He featured in a windgust bail blow-off in which fiercely visaged fast bowler, Merv Hughes, wound np close enough to him after delivery to shake hands, and

some strong words passed as the bowler thought he had a victim who wouldn’t — and didn’t — walk. The umpire, Tony Crafter, quickly decided Kapil hadn’t disturbed the bail but the feeling built up. Kapil said yesterday: “I don’t know why Hughes carries on like that.” Still batting, he was distressed when a smashing hook to the fence flattened a seagull, cannoning off the unfortunate bird past Greg Matthews to the fence.Kapil, affected by the gull’s fate, asked for a drink of water but Allan Border, seeing the clock said only ten minutes to the tea

break, refused. This refusal had its aftermath, in Border’s eyes, when the Australians couldn’t leave the field at 5.30 pan. on Tuesday evening in their second innings with a draw inevitable, and with the weight of a rule stating they could do so — if both captains agreed. Boon, acting for Border, put the question, but Kapil turned it down, saying the Indians had spent the best part of three days batting and sitting in the pavilion Border said: “It was because I wouldn’t let him have a drink — perhaps the seagull was sacred.” Kapil got another rub

when it was conveyed to him that at least one senior Australian player (not Border), thought his cheeky little fast bowler, Chetan Sharma, had a suspect bowling action. Mr Crafter and his fellow umpire, Stephen Randell, had Sharma under scrutiny but weren’t worried enough by his bowling to take any action. The Indians are a happy group, always flashing a smile with a courteous reaction to any approach. How long that will last is uncertain, and the M.C.G. clash looms as a showdown, appropriately on Boxing Day.