Kapil Dev’s 175 not out must be the best one-day knock ever: David Houghton

Zimbabwe coach David Houghton at Adelaide airport on Thursday. He spoke to Moneycontrol before catching a flight to Melbourne for his team’s next match, against India on Sunday. PHOTO: GURU KRISHNAN

As table toppers India take on party poopers Zimbabwe in their last league match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, there are no surprises as to who the favourites are. In the seven previous clashes in T20Is between the two countries, India have won five and Zimbabwe, two.

But it would be foolish to underestimate Zimbabwe, which edged past Pakistan by one run in Perth. Still, they would need a humongous effort to triumph over India.

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Any talk of an India vs Zimbabwe match would not be complete without recalling the famous 1983 World Cup (60 overs a side in those days) at Nevill Ground in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England.

The date: June 18, 1983; India’s score: 9 for four/17 for five. It was then that Kapil Dev walked in to hit a brilliant, unbeaten 175. India won the match by 31 runs, made it to the semifinal and went on to beat the West Indies for their first ODI World Cup a week later.

Indian players involved in that match have gushed about Kapil Dev’s greatest innings over the years. Now, a Zimbabwean player who had the best seat in the house — he was the wicketkeeper — tells us about that outstanding innings.

David Houghton is currently the head coach of the Zimbabwe cricket team, and well-known to Indian cricket followers. In the 1987 world cup, he played a memorable knock of 142 against New Zealand in Hyderabad (India) as they pursued 243. Houghton took the Zims within kissing distance of victory, only to see them fall short by three runs, after losing his wicket courtesy a magnificent running catch by Martin Crowe.

Houghton also captained Zimbabwe in their first-ever test match, against India, in October 1992. Houghton proved he was Zimbabwe’s most dependable batsman in that period, scoring 121 and 41 not out in the drawn Test.

The match, played in Harare, ended in a draw. It took place just before India’s historic Test series against South Africa in 1992-93, which marked the return of Test cricket to the Rainbow Nation (South Africa had played its first test match after regaining Test status away, in Barbados, against the West Indies).

The Zimbabwe coach, who lives in Derby, England, returned to guide the Zimbabwe national team early this year. He has had coaching stints with Zimbabwe cricket in between and was also a commentator after ending his playing career 25 years ago.

The 65-year-old Bulawayo-born Houghton spoke exclusively to moneycontrol.com at the Adelaide airport as he waited to board his Qantas flight to Melbourne for their last ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Group 2 Super 12 fixture on Sunday.

One could not help but ask him about his views on Kapil’s 175 and Houghton responded saying that it was the best one-day knock he has ever seen.

It was a cold morning at the Nevill ground, he recalled, and the Zimbabwe pacers made the most of the conditions. “I think that’s probably the best innings he (Kapil) ever played in his life. He might have played more important innings but that is probably his best. And the reason I say that is because he never made a single mistake from start to end. The ball was seaming and swinging, he batted well and kept us out. Then, after lunch, when the ball stopped swinging and seaming, he smashed us from one side of Tunbridge Wells to the next. He never mishit one single ball.”

Houghton made his international debut in the 1983 World Cup. He went on to represent Zimbabwe in 63 ODIs, scoring 1,530 runs with one hundred and 12 fifties at 25.37. He also played 22 Tests and accumulated 1,464 runs, averaging 43.05, with four centuries and as many fifties.

Asked if he thought it was a knock atypical of Kapil, Houghton said: “I did not know a lot about his career. I knew him and obviously had seen him play a little bit but did not really know what a typical Kapil innings was like. When you are playing shots like that, every now and then you will mishit one and land in the gap and you might get lucky. He never mishit one ball. Every single shot came from the middle of the bat and it went miles.”

Houghton said that his team had a good side, though still an associate member, and it was a match Zimbabwe ought to have won.

“We had quite a good side in those days and the funny thing is that we were actually quite experienced though not in international cricket. We had just come out of the Currie Cup (Zimbabwe’s domestic tournament) and most of us had played quite a bit of good cricket against good players. In that World Cup we beat Australia in the first game, and should have beaten them in the second game. And we should have won the game against India. We could have been anything in that World Cup. We could have gotten into the semifinals but it wasn’t to be. What a great experience it was,” said the former Zimbabwe wicketkeeper.

Zimbabwe were kept in the game by the late onslaught of all-rounder Kevin Curran, father of current England internationals Sam Curran and Tom Curran. “Look, we got quite close, we lost by 31 runs (Zimbabwe replied with 235 to India’s 266 for nine). Kapil Dev’s batting was the difference between the two teams. As simple as that. He got 175 not out. We bowled pretty well. We got close. You take his innings away and we would have won by miles, we would have won by lunch.”

Asked if he had seen a better knock than Kapil’s 175 not out, Houghton said: “I think I saw Viv Richards in 1984 (189 not out against England at Old Trafford, Manchester). He batted with the tail, especially Michael Holding. That was a pretty good knock as well. But Kapil was batting in a world cup, to keep India in the world cup, and India went on to win the world cup. His must be the best one-day knock ever.”

Houghton also fondly recalled his only ODI century, in the 1987 World Cup, which was jointly hosted by India and Pakistan. Chasing New Zealand’s 242, he was the lone warrior for Zimbabwe, batting at No. 3 as wickets kept falling at the other end. Finally, he found a partner in No. 9 Iain Butchart, who scored 54. The two added 117 for the eighth wicket before Crowe’s brilliance in the outfield, chasing a Houghton skier, put paid to Zimbabwe’s hopes.

“I think that might be due to the fact that we played New Zealand more. In my short international career, I did not play much against Australia, the West Indies and South Africa. We tended to play Pakistan, India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka more. That’s why I tended to succeed. The knock in India was just one of those knocks, a really good day. It’s nice to remember from a personal point of view but as a team, we lost. I will also remember that.”

Unlike in Houghton’s playing days, when the talent available to don the country’s colours was very limited, Zimbabwe have a vast pool to choose from today. In the next year or so under Houghton, the African team hopes to become a force to reckon with in international cricket.