July 30, 1990. India were 430/9 vs England in the 1st Test at Lord’s. England had earlier piled on 653/4 thanks to Graham Gooch’s epic 333. The situation was in the favour of the hosts. India had one wicket in hand and needed 24 runs to make England bat again. Kapil Dev was on strike to Eddie Hemmings with only Narendra Hirwani for company. What followed was not only unexpected, but completely off script.
Kapil Dev took the initiative to wipe off the runs in the following over. After blocking the first two balls from off-spinner Eddie Hemmings, the all-rounder danced down the track and cleared the long on boundary for his first six. The same sequence followed the next delivery. Hemmings switched to a fuller length, the 31-year-old produced a flatter hit to clear the fence. The next ball was pushed wider, but the former captain stretched to get underneath the ball and connected clean for his fourth, and the visitor’s balcony applauded in delight. Watch video here:
Despite avoiding the follow on, India succumbed to a 247-run loss in the Test, with Gooch adding another hundred to his tally in the second innings. India managed to draw the remaining two Tests of the series and returned home with some memorable performances from Shastri, Azharuddin and a 17-year-old Sachin Tendulkar.
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