“April is the cruellest month,” wrote TS Eliot in his poem The Waste Land. Fifty years ago, April 1976 to be precise, it certainly proved to be the cruellest month for India’s cricketers under late captain Bishan Singh Bedi.

Backdrop of the 1976 series

The West Indies had just returned from a fearful battering in Australia, more specifically by the ferocious duo of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, and were crushed 5-1 in the Test series.

Captain Clive Lloyd’s job was on the line. But the Indians were seen as pushovers as Lloyd’s men looked to recoup before the tour to England that summer. India were crushed in the opening Test at Bridgetown, Barbados, and looked on the way to a thrashing.

However, they bounced back in the second Test at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad, where they had won in 1971 and where the track favoured spin bowling. There was a large population of Indian-origin citizens, which meant the venue was more like a home ground. India had much the better of the draw.

Historic chase and turning point

Then came a twist of fate. The third Test was to be played at the Bourda Oval in Georgetown, Guyana. But due to a torrential downpour, the ground was turned into a mini lake. The decision was taken to shift the venue back to Port of Spain—it was akin to ghar wapsi for the Indians.

With a substantial first innings lead of 131 runs, Lloyd declared his second innings at 271 for 6,........

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