Balwinder Singh Sandhu, born on August 3, 1956, is one of the forgotten legends of Indian cricket andan integral part of the 1983 World Cup triumph.

The promising all-rounder became one of the most useful cricketers for Team India after making his debut. But surprisingly, Sandhi's international career did not prolong as it was expected. In less than a 2-year international career, the Mumbai-born experienced a thrilling ride.

During the initial part of his career, Balwinder was mostly known for his bowling skills and abilitybat. But for India, in the first few matches, his batting skills came under the spotlight more than his bowling part. But that was not permanent. At present, when someone talks about the legend, he is remembered for his medium-pace bowling, which helped India to win the World Cup in 1983.

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International career suddenly came to an end

In the World Cup, against the mighty West Indies, the medium-pace bowling all-rounder got a much-needed breakthrough for India. The wicket of Gordon Greenidge is considered as one of the major moments of the rivalry. The way Sandhu tricked Greenidge is still considered study material for cricket enthusiasts. He provided the much-needed breakthrough the Indians needed in the final.

Balwinder Singh Sandhu made his international debut against the archrival Pakistan. Like his career, the match versus Pakistan was also full of events. Besides taking two quick wickets, Sandhu went to bat at number 9 and top-scored with 71. His best Test bowling figure came against the West Indies, 3 for 87. Sandhu's career was suddenly cut short just after the historic 1983 World Cup campaign. In 1983-84, he played in only one Test against the West Indies without any notable success; from then, his career graph gradually decreased. 

Simply the best from Ian Botham. From out of nowhere, when Australia started to smell a delicate win at Birmingham, Botham did incredible.

From 105 for 5 to 121 for 10. Ian Botham deserved to be the man of the match winner. The feat created by him back on August 2, 1981, is still considered as one of the iconic moments of The Ashes, which dignifies the intense rivalry between England and Australia. It was not among those high-scoring matches in the history of cricket.

That Ashes match was mostly dominated by the bowlers. A flurry of astonishing spells from the bowlers of both ends. Terry Alderman's 5-wicket haul was the hint in the first innings, which was later enhanced by Dennis Lillee and Ray Bright from the Aussie brigade. Mike Brearley, then the captain of England, dragged his team's total to 189 in the first innings with his individual 48. Australia replied strongly. With a combination of individual resilience and patience, they got 258 in their first innings batting.

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The best from the best

In the second innings, England again was not able to do much with their batting work, scoring only 219 and setting a target of 151 for Australia. It was not a tough target for a team that had batters like Allan Border, Kim Hughes (c), Martin Kent, and Rod Marsh in the lineup. The visiting side positioned them nicely to grab a win until they came into the crease for the run chase. England did not allow them to set on the wicket and create a long-standing partnership.

From the beginning of the second innings, they started to lose their scalps; Ian Botham came to blow away their last hope of ray. In 14 overs, he took 5 wickets with 9 maiden overs and a 0.78 economy rate. 

Michael Vaughan’s England had no clue how to stop then-captain of South Africa Graeme Smith. With a prime bowling line-up, the host was absolutely outclassed by the visiting side. The home of cricket, the Lord’s cricket ground, was graced by Smith’s dominating 259-run innings.

The second Test (July 31-August 3) of the England vs. South Africa Test series ensured a permanent chapter because of the jaw-dropping batting display of Smith. South Africa won that match by an inning and 92 runs. On pen and paper, England was then at their helm, especially for their astonishing bowling line-up with Darren Gough, James Anderson, Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff, and Ashley Giles.

They were looking less venomous when Smith and his team started to roll on the surface of Lord’s. Before the milestone batting performance, it was Makhaya Ntini’s brilliant bowling, supported by Andrew Hall and Shaun Pollock. Ntini bagged a 5-wicket figure, and Hall and Pollock got 3 and 2 wickets, respectively. England’s first innings was restricted to 173. South Africa came in with a 682/6d reply.

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That was too good for England

Before being bowled by Anderson, the former opener of South Africa faced 370 balls to register a relentless 259-run innings. The innings, spanning around 574 minutes, saw 34 boundaries coming out from the blade. In the meantime, Gary Kirsten scored 108 runs. Boeta Dippenaar was separated from his Test ton by only 8 runs. A united batting performance by SA, led by Graeme Smith, helped the Proteas climb on the mountain of runs. 

England, under pressure, tried hard to come from behind to pull out a historic turnaround. Andrew Flintoff went on to score 142, and Mark Butcher got 70 in the second innings. But those numbers were not even close to what South Africa created. Like the first innings, Ntini again took 5 and completed his 10-wicket figure in tests against England.

August 1, 1910, the birthday of Mohammad Nissar, the first lethal fast bowler India ever produced. The well-built man from Punjab could move the ball in both ways and cut the ball with precision. But the amount of pace he could generate was the main difference from other bowlers.

Only with his luxury speed, Nissar clinched multiple wickets. Of his 25 Test victims, 13 were bowled or leg-before, testimony enough to his sheer pace. His partnership with Amar Singh clicked instantly, and their combination got the legendary status.

During India's maiden Test at Lord's in 1932, Mohammad Nissar dismantled the top batting order of the home team. He plunged the crucial wickets of Holmes and Sutcliffe and ended the innings bagging 5 wickets for 93 runs. The fast bowler produced some shocking numbers in the trip. The Hoshiarpur-born concluded that tour with a total of 71 wickets and an average of 18.09.

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The pacer who stepped into the field to creat records 

The MCC tour in 1933-34 witnessed another madness from the lethal pacer. Against the in-form opponent, he took another 5-wicket figure in the bag. The heroic spell arrived during the inaugural Test in India at the Brabourne Stadium. The pacer's destruction caught Jack Ryder's Australians by surprise on their tour of India in the winter of 1935. The fiery bowler cleared a whopping thirty-two wickets in four tests at 13 runs, which explained how much damage he caused. On his last test assignment, which was against England, he yielded four wickets in five overs.

But he continued his run in the domestic circuit with Southern Punjab. During the Ranji Trophy final of the 1938-39 edition, the speed star snatched 17 wickets at 11.94. 

After multiple underwhelming test performances, Sri Lanka was then far away from their top. India, the touring team, led by Virat Kohli, was oozing with confidence. Though, a cricket match can't be judged thoroughly with only pen and paper. So, the home team had a chance to shine. But they couldn't.

Team India was then on a different level. On July 29, 2017, India defeated Sri Lanka by 304 runs at Galle. Shikhar Dhawan was the man of the match for his first-innings 190-run knock, which was his career-best total in Test cricket.

Nuwan Pradeep's 6-wicket figure was overshadowed because of landmark performances by Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara. Both were rock solid in the first innings of the game, and both got 150-plus runs. Dhawan's 190 off 168 was well accompanied by Pujara's 153 off 265. Ajinkya Rahane and Hardik Pandya in the middle scored half a century each. Because of multiple individual brilliance, India posted 600 in the first phase of the match.

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Virat Kohli also joined the party with a century 

Sri Lanka, in search of miracles, registered only 291. The situation got worse for them in the second innings when their skipper Rangana Herath and Asela Gunaratne did not come to bat because of injuries. Showing no mercy against the vulnerable Sri Lanka, Virat Kohli did not allow them to bat on a follow. In the process, Kohli himself smashed a ton. Sri Lanka needed 550 runs to save the match, which was by then out of their range, and India won the match by 304 runs. 

"I really enjoyed batting over here. I just watched the ball and backed my game. There is a very healthy competition for the opening spot on the side, and it keeps me on my toes," Dhawan said after the match. 

Vijay Merchant and Mushtaq Ali's heroics saved the match for India. In the summer of 1936. The match between England and India at Old Trafford, Manchester, is mostly known for multiple individual brilliance and high scores. A single day of this match saw 588 runs in total on the scoreboard.

After the first innings, the home team was in the driving seat, and India was slightly on their back foot. The touring team paid their debt in the next phase of the competition with the help of two openers—Vijay Merchant and Mushtaq Ali. Both of them scored a century each.

Maharajah of Vizianagram led India, which was mostly dominated by England in the first innings. Hedley Verity, during his 4-wicket spell, damaged most of India's middle order and claimed a top-order wicket as well. India lost all of their wickets at 203. England's batting was top of the order. Wally Hammond (167), Joe Hardstaff (94), and Stan Worthington (87) contributed most of their 571/8d deposit in the first innings. C.K. Nayudu, Mohammad Nissar, and Amar Singh bagged 2 wickets each in the process.

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An eventful encounter got the right result 

When Team India was in trouble, Merchant and Ali created a 203-run partnership in the opening wicket. Syed Wazir Ali's early departure in the middle and C.K. Nayudu's brief knock suddenly floated another opportunity for England to put India under pressure.

Cotar Ramaswami (60) and Amar Singh (48*) were there to rescue the team. Walter Robins went to take 3 wickets in the second innings for India. After some interesting days of classic cricket, the match ended in a draw. 

England vs India 2nd Test, Manchester, July 25 - 28, 1936, India tour of England:

India: 203 and 390/5

England: 571/8d

Match drawn. 

A match overshadowed by a controversial decision by the umpire. Pakistan was furious about a decision to declare then the England captain Graham Gooch.

 It was an England vs Pakistan Test match at Leeds in 1992. England was looking not so elegant while chasing a target of 99. The visiting side bowlers were tapping every possible way to defend the small target when the controversial decision came, which probably left a huge impact on the match.

Pakistan was furious when Graham Gooch was given not out, despite being a long way short of his crease on a run-out appeal at Headingley. Gooch then went on to score 37 in the second innings and got the much-needed win for his team. Apart from the umpire's controversial call, the match was full of some individual brilliance.

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Reverse swing dismantled England batting line-up 

Debutant Neil Mallender bagged a total of 8 wickets in the match, including a 5-wicket haul. From Pakistan, a spell from Waqar Younis caused a collapsing England batting unit. At a point in the first innings, England was 292-3; from there, they lost the rest of their men at 320. The last six batters managed only two runs between them.

Younis, with his reverse swing, ran over the English lower batting order. Multiple shouts from them were turned down by the umpire, which also left them naturally unhappy. Saleem Malik, in both innings, was brilliant in the middle order, scoring unbeaten 82-run and unbeaten 84-run knocks. 

ENG vs PAK, 4th Test, Leeds, July 23 - 26, 1992, Pakistan tour of England:

Pakistan: 197 and 221

England: 320 and 99/4 (Target 99)

England won by 6 wickets. 

Yuzvendra Chahal turns 34 today. On this day, 23 July, 1990, he was born. Chahal's career remained as an inspiring story. During his student days, he wanted to be a chess player, and he was on his way to find his destiny with the checkered board. But the sponsorships dried up, and he found his way to cricket.

The Haryana-born had by then pushed himself for the World Youth Chess Championship for India, and then the turnaround. From the board game to the cricket field. During his early days in the cricket field, he was not among those who could be called brilliant.

 Despite an inconsistent domestic career with Haryana, Chahal was signed by the Mumbai Indians for the 2011 IPL. Chahal's cricket career got an extra boost after he joined Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). With the RCB, his cricket career took off. He was their top wicket-taker in 2015 and 2016.

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Chahal always up to surprise opponents 

After producing stunning numbers in back-to-back seasons, BCCI selectors could not avoid the spinner and named him in the Team India squad; Chahal made his way into India's limited-over squad. There he made his mark quickly and became one of the reliable spinners in Blue's at a certain point. He became the first Indian bowler to take a five-for in a T20I, and his 6-wicket haul (6 for 25) against England was also the best bowling figures in a T20I by an Indian. It was the time when most white-ball spinners gradually depended on variations with the speed; Chahal, on the other hand, did not hesitate to offer extra guile and flight in his deliveries, which proved effective. 

The spin wizard's stats got some more decorations when he became the leading wicket-taker in the 2022 IPL for Rajasthan Royals. Next season, he went past Dwayne Bravo to become the IPL's leading wicket-taker.

A legendary spell to conclude a legendary spinners final chapter in Test cricket. On July 22, 2010, Sri Lanka legend Muttiah Muralitharan played his last ever match in the Whites. He concluded his iconic career by taking the 800th wicket, which is still today, one of a kind record in Test cricket history. 

It was match between Sri Lanka and India. India was the touring team. Muralitharan was with 792 Test wicket before the match at Galle. Came to bat first, Sri Lanka created a mountain of runs in their home ground. They declared their first innings after scoring 520 for 8 wickets. With that amount of runs, they were already top of their game. Tharanga Paranavitana  and captain Kumar Sangakkara were the two centurions in that innings. But the focus was on Muralitharan, as he was playing his career's last Test match. 

Day 2 was completely washout and By the end of day three, the spinner able to added only one wicket, which was Sachin Tendulkar's, in his record. Sri Lanka begun Day 4 with a massive advantage on the scoreboard and India under immense pressure. After claiming the wicket of Tendulkar, Muralitharan's tally was increased to 793, from there, he waved 7 more India batters with his spinn. 

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Sri Lanka won the match with absolute dominance 

Day 4 of the Test witnessed a collapsing India batting order. A total of 12 wickets, including the falls in the second innings on that single day. Among those 12, Muralitharan went to take 5 wickets. After Sachin, the spin wizard outsmarted Yuvraj Singh, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Pragyan Ojha and Abhimanyu Mithun in the first innings. During the second phase of the contest, he bagged the wickets of Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha . Sri Lanka won the match by 10 wickets. Muralitharan took 8, including a 5-wicket haul in the first innings. 

"I started playing when I was 8 years old and I still listen to my coach from school days. Arjuna Ranatunga and de Silva and all those guys helped me through the tough times in 1995... always thought if something goes wrong I can bowl leg spin and continue playing cricket", the legend said this after the match. 

Short inlength, aggressive, on the body. Ishant Sharma delivered one of the most memorable spells as a fast bowler in the history of India's Test cricket. Ishant's 7-wicket haul destroyed Alastair Cook's struggling England and broke the jinx at the Lord's cricket ground.

July 21, 2014 marked the end of 28 years of waiting for Team India. After 1986, the men in the Blue Brigade pulled off a stunning victory at the 'home of cricket' and their first away win in three years. The tall India pacer's 7 for 74 encouraged India to a 95-run win.

England, well positioned, chose to play one after another reckless shots, which caused them to lose a series of wickets, and in the end, all wickets were down. From 173 for 4 to 223 all out, England's batting explained how senseless batting could drain all the auspicious possibilities.

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Credit goes to few other cricketers as well

If Ishant Sharma's 7-wicket spell is considered the best from India, then Ajinkya Rahane's century in the first innings is marked as the best in the first phase of the game. Rahane's 103-run innings remained as one of his finest knocks throughout his entire career. Ravindra Jadeja's (68) half century also behaved like a catalyst. It was Jadeja's maiden Test half-century in his Test career, and after that, he displayed his own sword celebrations for the first time. 

"Memorable win for us, not many players have played Test cricket in England, their approach was brilliant, it was a fantastic performance", MS Dhoni, then the captain of Team India said after the infamous victory. 

"That last over before lunch, Ishant did not really want to bowl short, I was like, 'You have to bowl it', I turned the other way round. He got his wicket and then it gave him the confidence to keep bowling short, keep attacking the batsman. I think it was a fantastic performance."