Pakistan’s victory—achieved with seven balls to spare after chasing 164 in just one hundred minutes—was not merely a triumph in arithmetic. It was an emphatic assertion of their dual superiority: the incisiveness of their pace attack and the depth of their batting. Sarfraz Nawaz, with match figures of 9 for 159, and Imran Khan, quicker and more hostile even when less prolific, combined to expose the vulnerability of India’s top order. Yet, India found moments of brilliance through Sunil Gavaskar’s twin centuries, only the second time in his eight-year international career that he achieved this rare feat, and through the defiant all-round efforts of Kapil Dev and Karsan Ghavri—performances that kept the contest from collapsing into a one-sided procession.
India’s Miscalculation: A Side Unbalanced and a Captain
Uncertain
India’s woes did not stem from batting alone. Much of their
eventual unraveling could be traced to Bishan Singh Bedi’s misreading of both
pitch and personnel. For the first time in years, India entered a Test with
only two spinners, not because the Karachi pitch demanded pace but because the
management feared weakening their batting. Ironically, even this conservatism
did not stabilize them. The surface—grassier and more uneven than typical for
Karachi—offered variable bounce, granting Pakistan’s pacers a natural advantage
India never matched.
Bedi’s captaincy oscillated between caution and overreach.
He delayed using his spinners when his seamers tired, and later persisted with
himself too long in pursuit of tail-end wickets. These tactical missteps
allowed Pakistan to seize phases of control India might otherwise have
contested.
The First Innings: Promise, Collapse, and Late Recovery
India’s first innings began with promise after winning their
first toss of the series. Partnerships of 58 and 73 carried them to 179 for
four, but the innings pivoted sharply after Gavaskar’s dismissal at 217. A
familiar slide followed—two wickets for just 36 runs—until Kapil Dev and Ghavri
stitched together an eighth-wicket stand of 84. Kapil’s 59 off only 48 balls,
laced with aggression (two sixes, eight fours), lifted India to a total that
looked competitive, if not commanding.
Pakistan replied in similarly cyclical fashion: a composed
start, a mid-innings wobble at 187 for five, and finally a monumental rescue
effort. For a brief period Bedi and Chandrasekhar rekindled the craft of their
prime, threatening to tilt the match. But Pakistan’s depth—symbolized by Javed
Miandad’s second century of the series—proved too substantial. Miandad and
Mushtaq Mohammad added 154 for the sixth wicket, seizing an advantage that
India’s bowling could not reclaim.
The Turning Point: Tailenders and Captaincy Under Strain
On the third morning, India briefly clawed back. Mushtaq
departed for 78 before Pakistan overtook the total, and Miandad fell with the
lead only 30. Yet India squandered the moment. Pakistan’s tail, encouraged by
Mushtaq’s assertive leadership, counterattacked decisively. By the time the
declaration came, the hosts had amassed a 137-run lead—a margin shaped as much
by Indian fatigue as by their captain’s muddled use of resources.
The Second Innings: Gavaskar’s Defiance and India’s
Daybreak Collapse
India’s second innings began with eight hours still left in
the match, and the pressure told instantly. Imran Khan bowled with blistering
speed, nearly removing Gavaskar in the opening over. Sarfraz struck soon after,
removing Chauhan and almost claiming Mohinder Amarnath—saved only by a dropped
catch from Zaheer Abbas. Amarnath survived long enough to forge a 117-run stand
with Gavaskar, restoring hope.
But the final morning exposed India’s fragility once more.
By half an hour before lunch they had slumped to 173 for six, ahead by only 36.
Gavaskar, nearing another hundred at lunch, shifted into a higher gear
afterward, farming the strike and targeting Iqbal Qasim and Sikander Bakht.
With Ghavri he added 73 invaluable runs, creating a thin but crucial buffer.
Then came the decisive breakthrough: at 246, Sarfraz—round
the wicket—found Gavaskar’s edge. Bari’s superb catch ended an epic innings and
punctured India’s resistance. Kapil Dev’s counterattack gave India flickers of
momentum, but Mushtaq delayed the new ball for five overs, nearly gifting India
breathing space. Once the ball was finally taken, the innings unravelled
abruptly.
The Final Assault: A Chase Against Time, Won Through
Imagination
Pakistan began the final chase needing 164 with the clock
and mandatory overs looming. Majid fell early, but the promoted Miandad joined
Asif Iqbal, turning the pursuit into a display of audacity and tactical
sharpness. With bold field placements, daring running, and total command of
tempo, the pair hammered 97 runs in just nine overs, shredding India’s
defensive lines.
Even after Asif’s dismissal, Pakistan did not retreat. And
if any doubt lingered, Imran Khan extinguished it brutally in the sixteenth
over—lofting Bedi for two sixes and a four. It was a fitting symbolic ending:
Pakistan’s pace spearhead finishing what he and Sarfraz had begun.
A Match of Contrasts and Exposed Fault Lines
The Karachi Test became a narrative of contrasts.
Pakistan’s pace vs. India’s indecision.
Gavaskar’s mastery vs. the fragility around him.
Mushtaq’s tactical boldness vs. Bedi’s strategic hesitation.
India produced moments of valour—Gavaskar’s twin hundreds
foremost among them—but the broader pattern revealed a side caught between
caution and confusion. Pakistan, meanwhile, showcased a team whose multiple
strengths converged at critical moments.
The victory, ultimately, was not won in a single session but
in the accumulation of sharper choices, deeper batting, and the relentless
hostility of Imran and Sarfraz—a combination India never quite solved.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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