40 yrs on, it’s still all ‘Tied’ up in memory

Mike Veletta

[popcorn number="348" desc="The target set for India after Australia declared their second innings at 170-5" class="Default"]

[popcorn number="10-249" desc="Australia spinner Greg Matthews's match figures (5-103 & 5-146) - his only 10-wicket haul across a 33-match Test career" class="Default"]

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the second Tied Test in cricket history, with Australia featuring in both encounters. Bob Simpson was involved in both - as a player in the first, against the West Indies in 1960, and as coach in the second, against India at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium in September 1986.

Mike Veletta, a member of that Australian squad and a 1987 World Cup-winner, recalled exclusively for mid-day the memorable Tied Test II, played from September 18 to 22, 1986.

Members of the Australian team, who were part of the 1986 Tied Test against India in Chennai, gather for a rematch in the same city in 2001 to celebrate the iconic encounter

"I'm not sure who appealed the loudest. But it was a definite decision because he [umpire Vikram Raju, who passed away earlier this year aged 92] made it without hesitation. You look at the footage and still see players running around, wondering what actually happened. It wasn't until it sunk in: ‘Oh, it's a tie'," Veletta, 62, said from Perth.

There were several individual heroics: Dean Jones's 210 in extreme heat, Kapil Dev's 119 that saved India from following on, and off-spinner Greg Matthews's five-wicket hauls in each innings, to name just three. Matthews's 10th wicket was Maninder Singh, trapped leg-before when India needed one run to win, leaving Ravi Shastri stranded on 48 not out.

India's Kris Srikkanth (right) shares a light moment with Australia captain Allan Border during a rematch of the 1986 Tied Test in 2001. Pics/AFP

Veletta added: "Leading into that first Test, Deano and I hadn't really established ourselves in the Test side. I hadn't made my debut, while Dean had played two Tests. The selection was pretty much settled except for the No. 3 position. Between Deano and me, Deano got the nod, and the rest is history."

As a reserve, Veletta ensured Jones "was hydrated and fit enough to go out and play". He recalled: "It was a concrete jungle. It was very hot. The ground was very bare of grass. For most of us, it was our first time in India. The change rooms didn't have air-conditioning. They had these ceiling fans circulating hot air."

Recalling what kept Jones going, Veletta said: "Dean Jones was a Victorian, very dedicated and determined. When Deano was getting ill, he wanted to retire hurt. Allan [Border] suggested, ‘I'll get a tough Queenslander in because Greg Ritchie was next.' That spurred Deano to play another great innings. It was an outstanding effort in human endeavour and determination."

Recalling Australia's declaration and India's target of 348, Veletta said: "We believed we'd made the running. Border set the game up beautifully. There was a fair bit of tension on that last day, a lot of emotion and drama. We couldn't have written a better script. It fittingly finished in a tie. You probably wouldn't have remembered if we'd won it. So, the tie was more fitting in many respects, and brings back the great memories."

Looking ahead to 2027, when the second of the five-Test series between the two countries will be played in Chennai from January 29, Veletta said: "Who knows? Maybe Chennai again, 40 years later, history will repeat itself."