Mind you, there are those who will insist that both scoreboards are not strictly accurate it was actually 42-9 and 36-9. For, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar did not bat in the second innings at Lord’s, being injured, and Mohammad Shami retired hurt at Adelaide in 2020.
Did anyone see it coming?
That is not the only coincidence in the two (in)famous collapses. In both cases, India had arrived on tour being seen as a very competitive side – in 1974, the Wadekar-lead Indian team had won three series in a row in 1971 in the West Indies and England, and 1972-73 against England at home, and was known for having two of the best young batsmen around Gavaskar and Vishwanath and of course was famed for its spin prowess Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrasekhar. And although the Indians lost the first Test at Manchester, they competed stubbornly right till the very end, with Gavaskar scoring what he considered to be his best Test century in the first innings. Even at Lord’s, they replied to England�