Malcolm Marshall and the Indian connection

The Indian cricket fan today was shocked and saddened by the news of the sudden death of Malcolm Marshall. On his two official visits to this country with West Indian teams led by Alvin Kallicharran in 1978-79 and Clive Lloyd five years later, Marshall became very popular with Indian crowds - if not with Indian batsmen! He terrorized them with his pace and had a bagful of wickets on his second visit.

Marshall also left his mark while playing against India at home in 1983 and 1989, in the World Cup in 1983 and in numerous one day internationals all around the world.

It was against India in the second Test at Bangalore that Marshall made his debut in 1978-79. He was then barely 20 and had come over as a reserve fast bowler to Clarke, Philip and Holder in a West Indian team, bereft of the Packer stars. Marshall's first wicket in Test cricket was that of Chetan Chauhan's. His next encounter with the Indians was at home early in 1983. By now he was an integral member of the famed and feared pace quartet, the other three being Holding, Roberts and Garner. In that five Test series, he took 21 wickets. But even this capital show just about set the stage for for one of his greatest performances on the tour of India in 1983-84.

It did not take long for Marshall to prove that he had superseded Roberts and Holding as the spearhead of the attack. In his opening spell of the series in the first Test at Kanpur, he took the wickets of Gavaskar, Gaekwad, Amarnath and Vengsarkar. That spell of 8-5-9-4 was ranked even by oldtimers as the most ferocious pace they had seen. He dismissed Gavaskar with his second ball and then had Amarnath, then at the peak of his powers and rated as among the best players of pace, leg before also for a duck. He also dismissed Gavaskar, Gaekwad and Vengsarkar in the second innings besides picking up the wicket of Binny. The manner in which Gavaskar's bat was knocked from his hands as Marshall had him caught off an extra fast delivery not only demoralised the other Indian batsmen but also raised talk that the Indian batting maestro was ``finished''. Incidentally he had started off by scoring a career best 92, adding a record 130 runs for the eighth wicket with Greenidge.

The Kanpur Test haul of eight for 66 off 32 overs set the pattern for the rest of the series. Except when Gavaskar repeatedly hooked him while racing to his 29th Test century at New Delhi, the Indian batsmen were plainly in discomfort against Marshall. His pace was fearsome and he achieved an awkward bounce even from seemingly docile Indian pitches which was disconcerting to the batsmen. He picked up wickets regularly in every Test being particularly devastating at Calcutta when he hastened the innings victory which clinched the rubber for West Indies with six for 37 in the second innings and a match haul of nine wickets. Again he showed that his batting had improved by leaps and bounds when he hit 54 and put on 87 runs for the sixth wicket with Clive Lloyd after five wickets had fallen for 88.

Marshall finished the series with five for 72 in the only Indian innings in the final Test at Madras, including the wickets of Gaekwad and Vengsarkar with successive deliveries to have India two down for zero. His haul of 33 wickets equalled the West Indian record of wickets in a rubber, shared by Alf Valentine and Colin Croft. As if to prove that he had become a genuine all rounder, Marshall finished as high as fourth in the batting averages with 244 runs at 34.85, fractionally ahead of the great Viv Richards and well in front of Larry Gomes, Desmond Haynes and Gus Logie.

It was against India that Marshall overtook Lance Gibbs' tally of 309 wickets to become the leading West Indies Test wicket taker. This was at Bridgetown in the second Test during the 1989 series. In the next Test at Port of Spain Marshall had match figures of eleven for 89, ensuring that West Indies clinched the rubber.

At least in India, there will be at least one more memory of Marshall and this is as a batsman. West Indies were facing defeat at 76 for six in the face of India's 183 in the World Cup final in 1983. But the Indians encountered unexpected resistance from Dujon and Marshall who put on 43 runs for the seventh wicket. It was only after this partnership was broken that India's path to victory became clear.

Of course the Indian cricket fan knows too well Marshall's feats against other countries, notably England, whom he repeatedly routed. He was one cricketer whose career was followed with more than passing interest in India.