Of the famed Indian spin quartet of the 1970s, Bhagwat Subramanya Chandrasekhar was the magician. His polio-affected right hand should have proved a weakness – but Chandra turned it into a weapon of menacing proportions. On his best day, the leg-spinner could be unplayable as he made the ball darting, jump and turn viciously. It's said he was often India's fastest bowler during his time.
It was thank to Chandrasekhar's genius that India achieved one of their greatest wins in their Test history. Ajit Wadekar's team travelled to England in the summer of 1971 fresh from a historic series win against the West Indies. But England on its own turf still seemed a step too far. They gamely drew the first two Tests and arrived for the third Test at the Oval in London with the series all square.
But things looked bad for India at the half-way point. England batted first and scored 355, In response India fell short by 71 runs and scored 284, conceding a first innings lead. But if England thought they could press home their advantage, they met the wily Chandrasekhar at his best.
In one of the greatest ever bowling spells by an Indian bowler, Chandra ripped the heart out of the English batting line-up, picking up 6/38 and dismissing England for just 101. The English batsmen were completely outfoxed by Chandrasekhar's wizardry.
India chased down the runs required and achieved history. It was the first time that they had won a Test match against England in England and, to add to the achievement, it was their first ever Test series win in England. Bhagwat Chandrasekhar was to go on to more glory, but he wrote his name into the history books that summer.
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