Narendra Deepchand Hirwani
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1988: debut
On the 30th anniversary of Narendra Hirwani’s debut Test, in which he spun a deadly web around the West Indies in Chennai, TOI takes a trip down memory lane...
January 15, 1988. Exactly 30 years ago, a bespectacled, 19-year-old lad from Gorakhpur, his mass of long and curly hair held in place by a headband, had mesmerised the Caribbeans at Chepauk with a magical display of leg-spin bowling to help India share the honours in the four-Test series (1987-88).
Narendra Deepchand Hirwani had arrived on the scene — with a bang. His figures of 8/61 and 8/75 in his debut Test gave him match figures of 16/135 and made him the proud owner of a world record that stands even today. No bowler has since bettered that mark after Hirwani snatched that record from Australian Bob Massie, who had claimed 16/136 on debut against England at Lord’s in 1972.
Hirwani’s exploits are now part of cricket’s folklore. He could have finished with 17 wickets had fellow-debutant Woorkeri Raman not picked up the wicket of tailender Courtney Walsh in the only over he bowled in the match!
It was a great day for Indian cricket. The mighty Windies had been humbled inside four days with two Indians creating world records. For the three Indian Test debutants — Hirwani, Raman and Ajay Sharma — it was a match to remember. It was doubly memorable for Shastri, who led the side in absence of regular captain Dilip Vengsarkar, who had been ruled out with an injured arm. It was a twist of fate that Shastri never led India in another Test. Sharma, too, never played another Test. But for Raman and Hirwani, the journey had just begun.
Hirwani, on his part, credits Shastri for his success on debut. “Ravi bhai told be on the flight from Bombay (now Mumbai) to Madras that I would be playing the match. I was bowling well and was hungry for success. Ravi bhai’s assurance boosted my self-confidence.” recounted Hirwani, who accounted for the great Vivian Richards in both innings.
The leg-spinner narrated an interesting anecdote. “Ravi bhai had told me to stick to a good line and length and mix up my leg-break and googlies. I did just that and picked three of the first five West Indies wickets to fall in the first innings, but Viv was going great guns.
“I wanted to bowl a few flippers but refrained from doing so and followed my captain’s instructions. At the end of Day 2, Viv was unbeaten on 62,” Hirwani added.
The following day being a rest day, Hirwani shared his anguish with physio Ali Irani, stating he was confident of getting through Viv’s defence with a flipper but didn’t have the gall to defy his captain. “In the evening Ravi bhai called me to his room and told me. ‘tu bindaas dal (you bowl without any fear)’. I was elated and so excited that I could not sleep the night. I kept visualising bowling a flipper to Viv and the ball eluding his bat and going straight through and hitting the stumps. By the time we reached the ground, I had replayed the sequence in my mind one hundred times.
“It panned out exactly the same way hours later. I dismissed Viv with a flipper — this time for real — and Ravi bhai came rushing, exclaiming ‘wah Hiru, kya flipper dala (wow Hiru, what a flipper)’. I just stood there, soaking in the moment,” said Hirwani.
The rest, of course, is history. Sixteen cakes were waiting for Hirwani when the players returned to the team hotel. But there was a bigger surprise in store for him when Dharmendra, Hirwani’s favourite actor, came to meet him since he was staying in the same hotel.
