INDIA v NEW ZEALAND

At Madras, October 25, 26, 27, 28, 29. Drawn. Toss: India. Test debut: R. G. Twose.

This Test came two days after a total eclipse of the sun, which had brought the country to a halt. It was the more mundane phenomenon of monsoon rain that ruined the match. At only 71.1 overs, it was the shortest Test in terms of actual playing time ever staged in India; doubts were surfacing about the Indian board's wisdom in picking the city of Madras, on the Coromandel Coast, which is more susceptible than most to monsoons at this time of the year. But it was the relaid outfield, even more than the rain, which was the villain of the piece. It just did not allow the water to run away into the drains. After the first day, when play began at 2.30 p.m., there was no further play until the fourth day, although the sun shone brightly on the second. The teams suggested calling off the Test and playing a limited-overs match on the final day, but the host association scotched these thoughts, citing its legal obligations to those who bought season tickets for a five-day game. In fact the fifth day was abandoned too.

In the play possible after 3 p.m. on the fourth day, Tendulkar had time to make an unbeaten fifty, before bad light and showers drove the players off the ground for the last time. Prabhakar batted throughout the 304 minutes of play to score 41, one of the slower innings in the history of the game.

Man of the Match: S. R. Tendulkar.

Close of play: First day, India 54-1 (M. Prabhakar 19*, N. S. Sidhu 18*); Second day, No play; Third day, No play; Fourth day, India 144-2 (M. Prabhakar 41*, S. R. Tendulkar 52*).