Indian spin quartet - Revision history

Bollywoodupdates147: date format audit, link maintenance, minor formatting, typo(s) fixed: 1966-67 → 1966–67, 1967-68 → 1967–68

2023-06-30T02:56:38Z

date format audit, link maintenance, minor formatting, typo(s) fixed: 1966-67 → 1966–67, 1967-68 → 1967–68

>Sairam Subramani: /* Successes */

2020-04-05T01:02:12Z

Successes

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{{short description|Group of four Indian cricket bowlers of the 1960s and 1970s}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2013}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2013}}
The '''Indian spin quartet''' is the collective name given to the [[India national cricket team|Indian]] [[spin bowler]]s of the 1960s and 1970s: [[E. A. S. Prasanna|Erapalli Prasanna]] and [[Srinivas Venkataraghavan]] (both [[off spin]]ners), [[Bhagwat Chandrasekhar]] (a [[leg spin]]ner), and [[Bishen Singh Bedi]] (a [[left-arm orthodox spin|left-arm spinner]]). Between them, they played 231 [[Test cricket|Test matches]], taking 853 wickets. They were one of the most deadly combinations in world cricket, especially on the dusty subcontinental pitches.

The spin quartet was instrumental in producing many Indian [[Test cricket|Test]] victories. There was only one match in which all four of them were in the starting XI: usually one of the off spinners, Prasanna or Venkataraghavan, was left out. However, these four men made important contributions to some of India's greatest triumphs, including Test series victories in the West Indies and [[England cricket team|England]], as well as Test victories in [[Australian cricket team|Australia]] and [[New Zealand cricket team|New Zealand]].

In 2004, the [[Board of Control for Cricket in India]] conferred on them the [[CK Nayudu]] award, named after India's first Test captain.

==Beginnings==
By the 1966-67 season, the interest in cricket in India had risen to unprecedented levels. Despite being beaten by the West Indies at home, the Indian team's spirits were not dampened. The captain [[Nawab of Pataudi, jun|Nawab of Pataudi]] thought that it would be a good idea to introduce more quality spinners into the team in order to compensate for the absence of good new-ball bowlers in the country.<ref>The birth of a spin quartet, ESPNCricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/122156.html</ref> Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, the leg spinner, had already established his place in the team with solid performances against Australia and the West Indies. Erapalli Prasanna was making his comeback having been out of the team for five years, while both Venkatarghavan and Bedi played in the series against West Indies. All four of them played their first (and only) game together against England at Birmingham in the summer of 1967.<ref>Scorecard, 3rd Test, India vs England, Birmingham, 1967: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63006.html</ref> Prasanna and Chandrasekhar impressed in that game, claiming 7 and 6 wickets respectively, and all four bowlers bowled a tight line. Even though these four bowlers continued to play for 11 more years, this remained the only Test where all of them featured in the Indian test XI.

==Successes==
Over the years, the spin quartet played vital roles in several memorable victories for the Indian team, starting with an overseas series win against New Zealand in 1967-68. Below are some major Test successes the quartet were a part of:
* [[Indian cricket team in New Zealand in 1967–68|Away series victory against New Zealand, 1967-68]]
* [[Indian cricket team in West Indies in 1970–71|Away series victory against West Indies, 1970-71]]
* [[Indian cricket team in England in 1971|Away series victory against England, 1971]]
* [[English cricket team in India in 1972–73|Home series victory against England, 1972-73]]
* [[New Zealand cricket team in India in 1976–77|Home series victory against New Zealand, 1976-77]]
* [[West Indian cricket team in India and Sri Lanka in 1978–79|Home series victory against West Indies, 1978–79]]
* [[Australian cricket team in India in 1979-80|Home series victory against Australia, 1979-80]]
* [[Pakistani cricket team in India in 1979-80|Home series victory against Pakistan, 1979-80]]
* [[Indian cricket team in Australia in 1980–81|Drawn away series against Australia, 1980-81]]
* [[English cricket team in India in 1981-82|Home series victory against England, 1981-82]]
Out of the four, only Venkataraghavan and Bedi played regular one-day cricket for India. Prasanna never played [[One Day International|ODIs]], and Chandrasekhar played just one game, against New Zealand in 1976. Bedi and Venkatarghavan played in 10 ODIs together, which included the World Cups of [[1975 Cricket World Cup|1975]] and [[1979 Cricket World Cup|1979]].

==Statistics==
The spin quartet played a combined 231 Tests for India from 1962 to 1983, and grabbed 853 wickets, with 43 five-wicket inning hauls.<ref>Hall of Fame- The Spin Quartet, Indian Cricket Fever: http://www.cricketnetwork.co.uk/main/s119/st25857.php</ref> Much of this success can be attributed to the different bowling styles these bowlers possessed. Bedi was an orthodox left arm-spinner, while Chandrasekhar an attacking leg-break bowler whereas Prasanna and Venkataraghavan were both off-spinners. This way, they could target all kinds of batsmen in the opposition and give their captains plenty of options. It was Chandrasekhar and Bedi who were the leaders of the attack. The two played 42 Tests alongside each other and had almost similar figures, of 184 wickets each. Bedi averaged 27.22, while Chandra averaged 28.70 in these games.<ref>Bowling records, Test matches- Bishen Bedi and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar: http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?class=1;filter=advanced;orderby=wickets;player_involve=1219;player_involve=1290;player_involve_type=all;template=results;type=bowling</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/109147.html The Fantastic Four of Indian Cricket]

[[Category:India in international cricket]]
[[Category:Nicknamed groups of sportspeople]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:26, 30 June 2023
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{short description\|Group of four Indian cricket bowlers of the 1960s and 1970s}}		{{short description\|Group of four Indian cricket bowlers of the 1960s and 1970s}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=~~July 2013~~}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=June 2023}}
	{{Use Indian English\|date=July 2013}}		{{Use Indian English\|date=July 2013}}
	The '''Indian spin quartet''' is the collective name given to the [[India national cricket team\|Indian]] [[spin bowler]]s of the 1960s and 1970s: [[E. A. S. Prasanna\|Erapalli Prasanna]] and [[Srinivas Venkataraghavan]] (both [[off spin]]ners), [[Bhagwat Chandrasekhar]] (a [[leg spin]]ner), and [[Bishen Singh Bedi]] (a [[left-arm orthodox spin\|left-arm spinner]]). ~~Between~~ them, they played 231 [[Test cricket\|Test matches]], taking 853 wickets. They were one of the most deadly combinations in world cricket, especially on the dusty subcontinental pitches.		The '''Indian spin quartet''' is the collective name given to the [[India national cricket team\|Indian]] [[cricket]] [[spin bowler]]s of the 1960s and 1970s: [[E. A. S. Prasanna\|Erapalli Prasanna]] and [[Srinivas Venkataraghavan]] (both [[off spin]]ners), [[Bhagwat Chandrasekhar]] (a [[leg spin]]ner), and [[Bishen Singh Bedi]] (a [[left-arm orthodox spin\|left-arm spinner]]). Among them, they played 231 [[Test cricket\|Test matches]], taking 853 wickets. They were one of the most deadly combinations in world cricket, especially on the dusty subcontinental pitches.

	The spin quartet was instrumental in producing many Indian ~~[[Test cricket\|~~Test]] victories. There was only one match in which all four of them were in the starting XI: usually one of the off spinners, Prasanna or Venkataraghavan, was left out. However, these four men made important contributions to some of India's greatest triumphs, including Test series victories in the West Indies and [[England cricket team\|England]], as well as Test victories in [[~~Australian~~ cricket team\|Australia]] and [[New Zealand cricket team\|New Zealand]].		The spin quartet was instrumental in producing many Indian Test victories. There was only one match in which all four of them were in the starting XI: usually one of the off spinners, Prasanna or Venkataraghavan, was left out. However, these four men made important contributions to some of India's greatest triumphs, including Test series victories in the West Indies and [[England cricket team\|England]], as well as Test victories in [[Australia national cricket team\|Australia]] and [[New Zealand national cricket team\|New Zealand]].

	In 2004, the [[Board of Control for Cricket in India]] conferred on them the [[CK Nayudu]] award, named after India's first Test captain.		In 2004, the [[Board of Control for Cricket in India]] conferred on them the [[CK Nayudu]] award, named after India's first Test captain.

	==Beginnings==		==Beginnings==
	By the ~~1966-67~~ season, the interest in cricket in India had risen to unprecedented levels. Despite being beaten by the West Indies at home, the Indian team's spirits were not dampened. The captain [[Nawab of Pataudi, jun\|Nawab of Pataudi]] thought that it would be a good idea to introduce more quality spinners into the team in order to compensate for the absence of good new-ball bowlers in the country.<ref>The birth of a spin quartet, ESPNCricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/122156.html</ref> Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, the leg spinner, had already established his place in the team with solid performances against Australia and the West Indies. Erapalli Prasanna was making his comeback having been out of the team for five years, while both Venkatarghavan and Bedi played in the series against West Indies. All four of them played their first (and only) game together against England at Birmingham in the summer of 1967.<ref>Scorecard, 3rd Test, India vs England, Birmingham, 1967: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63006.html</ref> Prasanna and Chandrasekhar impressed in that game, claiming 7 and 6 wickets respectively, and all four bowlers bowled a tight line. Even though these four bowlers continued to play for 11 more years, this remained the only Test where all of them featured in the Indian test XI.		By the 1966–67 season, the interest in cricket in India had risen to unprecedented levels. Despite being beaten by the [[West Indian cricket team in India and Ceylon in 1966–67\|West Indies at home]], the Indian team's spirits were not dampened. The captain, [[Nawab of Pataudi, jun\|Nawab of Pataudi]] thought that it would be a good idea to introduce more quality spinners into the team in order to compensate for the absence of good new-ball bowlers in the country.<ref>The birth of a spin quartet, ESPNCricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/122156.html</ref> Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, the leg spinner, had already established his place in the team with solid performances against Australia and the West Indies. Erapalli Prasanna was making his comeback having been out of the team for five years, while both Venkatarghavan and Bedi played in the series against West Indies. All four of them played their first (and only) game together [[Indian cricket team in England in 1967\|against England]] at Birmingham in the summer of 1967.<ref>Scorecard, 3rd Test, India vs England, Birmingham, 1967: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63006.html</ref> Prasanna and Chandrasekhar impressed in that game, claiming 7 and 6 wickets respectively, and all four bowlers bowled a tight line. Even though these four bowlers continued to play for 11 more years, this remained the only Test where all of them featured in the Indian test XI.

	==Successes==		==Successes==
	Over the years, the spin quartet played vital roles in several memorable victories for the Indian team, starting with an overseas series win against New Zealand in ~~1967-68~~. Below are some major Test successes the quartet were a part of:		Over the years, the spin quartet played vital roles in several memorable victories for the Indian team, starting with an overseas series win against New Zealand in 1967–68. Below are some major Test successes the quartet were a part of:
	* [[Indian cricket team in New Zealand in 1967–68\|Away series victory against New Zealand, ~~1967-68~~]]		* [[Indian cricket team in New Zealand in 1967–68\|Away series victory against New Zealand, 1967–68]]
	* [[Indian cricket team in West Indies in 1970–71\|Away series victory against West Indies, ~~1970-71~~]]		* [[Indian cricket team in West Indies in 1970–71\|Away series victory against West Indies, 1970–71]]
	* [[Indian cricket team in England in 1971\|Away series victory against England, 1971]]		* [[Indian cricket team in England in 1971\|Away series victory against England, 1971]]
	* [[English cricket team in India in 1972–73\|Home series victory against England, ~~1972-73~~]]		* [[English cricket team in India in 1972–73\|Home series victory against England, 1972–73]]
	* [[New Zealand cricket team in India in 1976–77\|Home series victory against New Zealand, ~~1976-77~~]]		* [[New Zealand cricket team in India in 1976–77\|Home series victory against New Zealand, 1976–77]]
	* [[West Indian cricket team in India and Sri Lanka in 1978–79\|Home series victory against West Indies, 1978–79]]		* [[West Indian cricket team in India and Sri Lanka in 1978–79\|Home series victory against West Indies, 1978–79]]
	* [[Australian cricket team in India in 1979-80\|Home series victory against Australia, 1979-80]]
	* [[Pakistani cricket team in India in 1979-80\|Home series victory against Pakistan, 1979-80]]
	* [[Indian cricket team in Australia in 1980–81\|Drawn away series against Australia, 1980-81]]
	* [[English cricket team in India in 1981-82\|Home series victory against England, 1981-82]]
	Out of the four, only Venkataraghavan and Bedi played regular one-day cricket for India. Prasanna never played [[One Day International\|ODIs]], and Chandrasekhar played just one game, against New Zealand in 1976. Bedi and Venkatarghavan played in 10 ODIs together, which included the World Cups of [[1975 Cricket World Cup\|1975]] and [[1979 Cricket World Cup\|1979]].		Out of the four, only Venkataraghavan and Bedi played regular one-day cricket for India. Prasanna never played [[One Day International\|ODIs]], and Chandrasekhar played just one game, against New Zealand in 1976. Bedi and Venkatarghavan played in 10 ODIs together, which included the World Cups of [[1975 Cricket World Cup\|1975]] and [[1979 Cricket World Cup\|1979]].