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28 years ago, memories of another Lord's day
Monday's win at Lord's was only the second time India has won a Test at the Mecca of Cricket in 82 years. A look back at when it happened for the first time...
A rare autograph sheet of the Indian team that toured England in the summer of 1986, pictured above.
The last time India won a Test at Lord's before that magnificent Monday afternoon when Ishant Sharma bowled Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team to only a second win at the Mecca of Cricket in 82 years.
The 1986 team for the Lord's Test featured: Sunil Gavaskar, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Mohinder Amarnath, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Ravi Shastri, Roger Binny, captain Kapil Dev, Chetan Sharma, wicket-keeper Kiran More, Maninder Singh.
in the reserves: Sandeep Patil, Raman Lamba, Chandrakant Pandit, Manoj Prabhakar and Shivlal Yadav.
The languid stylist David Gower -- like Alistair Cook, the current English skipper, a left-hander -- led the Englishmen, who included stalwarts like Graham Gooch, Mike Gatting and Allan Lamb. The bowling attack had fast bowlers Graham Dilley, Richard Ellison and the all-rounder Derek Pringle with Phil Edmonds, the colourful left-arm spinner, and off-spinner John Emburey.
Kapil won the toss and put the Englishmen to bat. Gooch scored 114, Pringle 63 in England's modest 294. None of the other Englishmen had an answer to Sharma and Binny's medium paced guile; Sharma took 5 for 64 (Gooch, Gower, Gatting, Lamb, wicket-keeper Paul Downton). Binny, unlike his son Stuart who had a disappointing Lord's Test, took 3 for 55.
India's 341 was boosted by Dilip Vengsarkar's third and final ton at the ground (the Colonel made 126) and Mohinder Amarnath's 69. None of the others -- including wonderboy Azhar who had made his Test debut the previous year scoring three tons in three Tests against the Englishmen at home -- sparkled.
Trailing by 47 runs, the Englishmen crumbled against the skipper's accurate bowling -- Kapil took 4 for 52 -- and folded for 180.
India typically made their supporters sweat, losing five wickets to score 133 for their first-ever win at Lord's.
It was only the second time India had won a Test in England, after that memorable 1971 win at the Oval.
Kapil and Co won the next Test at Leeds too, by a huge 279 runs.
India would have to wait 16 years before its next win in England -- the 2002 innings triumph at Headingley is the biggest victory for an an Indian team in England.
The 1986 tour would be the last away Test series for veterans Sunil Gavaskar and Mohinder Amarnath. Gavaskar retired from cricket the next year after India lost the 1987 World Cup semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium against England.
Raman Lamba, who played his fouth and last Test against the West Indies the next year, died tragically on a cricket field after being struck by a ball when he was fielding at forward short leg in Dhaka in 1998.
Raj Singh Dungarpur -- 'Rajbhai' to legions of Indian players and cricket officials -- the manager for the 1986 tour, too has passed into the ages as has Graham Dilley who bowled so well in the 1986 Lord's Test. He died in December 2011, aged just 52, after a short illness.
For everyone old enough to remember that fabulous 1986 victory -- it came three years after that glorious Saturday at Lord's when India won the World Cup -- there is now another triumph to savour.
Just as sweet. Just as memorable. Just as awesome.