BS Chandrasekhar: The Ace Among All The Spades Of The Famed Spin Quartet

They constituted the four aces but one always knew who the ace of spades was. The famed Indian spin quartet of the 60s and 70s wove webs around the best of batsmen and while Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna and S Venkatraghavan all had their moments of glory it was BS Chandrasekhar who emerged as India’s greatest match winner. It was to him that captains turned to whenever they wanted a breakthrough for Chandra had the ability to turn a match on its head with a magical spell

Chandra who turns 80 on May 17 played 58 Tests between 1964 and 1979 and finished with an impressive tally of 242 wickets at 29.74 apiece with 16 five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket hauls. More important he helped shape many of the victories during that time. From Bombay in 1964 to Melbourne and Sydney in 1977-78, from Calcutta and Madras in 1972-73 to the same two venues two years later, from the Oval in 1971 to Auckland and Port of Spain in 1976 Chandra’s name is closely associated with the most glorious chapters in Indian cricket. His bewildering range of leg breaks, top spinners and googlies befuddled and bemused batsmen the world over and one could actually see their discomfiture when up against him. One cannot forget the roar of the crowd whenever he came on to bowl for they knew that what had gone before was just the preliminaries; the real battle would start only now.

Like Gundappa Viswanath among batsmen, Chandra was always the people’s favourite among the bowlers. If Viswanath could regale them with ethereal strokeplay Chandra could always be expected to produce that unplayable ball, the mesmeric spell that that would prove to be the match turner. One lost count over the years as to the number of times Chandra took three or four wickets in a trice which assured there was no escape route for the opponents. And if the match hung in the balance Chandra could be expected to provide the breakthrough which tilted the game India’s way. It is little wonder that even with the passage of time and the proliferation of Test matches, two of Chandra’s famous records still stand – most wickets in a series (35 against England in 1972-73) and best match figures overseas (12 for 104 against Australia at Melbourne, 1977-78).

Among all of his many feats the most chronicled one associated with his name has to be the Oval in 1971 as it paved the way for a historic win that saw India clinch the Test series in England for the first time. It also serves as a prime example of Chandra turning a match around. As England started their second innings they were in control of the situation. A win for the home team was the most likely result with the bookies offering lucrative odds on a draw. An Indian win was out of the equation. But then with Chandra around anything is possible. Three hours later India were the favourites to win the game thanks to Chandra who routed England for 101 with figures of six for 38. He opened the avenue through which India went on to win by four wickets.

But then opening avenues for Indian victories was something that was a habit for Chandra. At Calcutta on New Year’s day 1975 West Indies chasing 310 for victory were 146 for three when play resumed on the final day. Alvin Kallicharran and Clive Lloyd were at the crease and it seemed anyone’s match. Some 40 minutes later West Indies were five down with both the overnight batsmen dismissed courtesy Chandra and the way was clear for an Indian victory. A fortnight later at Madras West Indies requiring 255 for a win were 38 for one at stumps on the penultimate day. Again anyone’s game was the prediction and again Chandra provided the breakthrough within minutes bowling Gordon Greenidge with a well-disguised googly. The floodgates were open and India went on to win by 100 runs.

It was very much the same script two years earlier at Calcutta against England. Requiring 192 for victory the visitors were 105 for four at stumps on the fourth day and very much the favourites with Mike Denness and Tony Greig at the crease. Within about 20 minutes after play resumed both were dismissed by Chandra and again the way was open for an Indian victory.

Chandra made his Test debut as a 18-year-old against England at Bombay in January 1964 and reserved some of his best performances for the Brabourne stadium. In his first Test he had innings figures of four for 67 but it was later that year that he really exhibited his unusual skills. Against Australia his eight-wicket match haul went a long way in shaping India’s thrilling two-wicket victory. This included a master ball that beat and bowled the experienced Peter Burge for zero which the batsman acknowledged as he left the crease. It was again at the Brabourne against England in February 1973 that Chandra took his 35th wicket of the series to set the Indian record that still stands.

With all his match winning performances Chandra’s most gallant effort came in a losing cause. Against the mighty West Indies at the Brabourne stadium in December 1966 Chandra had figures of seven for 157 and four for 78 even as the visitors won by six wickets. It was a superb show against a batting line-up that included Conrad Hunte, Rohan Kanhai, Gary Sobers, Basil Butcher, Clive Lloyd and David Holford. Again he produced a master ball to which Holford had no answer. But by now such unplayable deliveries were an essential part of Chandra’s repertoire. And even though he stayed the course till the late 70s his bag of tricks continued to be largely unfathomable.