21 June,2026 02:50 PM IST | Mumbai | Clayton Murzello
The Indians celebrate the dismissal of Derek Pringle at Leeds on June 23, 1986. Pic/mid-day archives
For 18 months, India had not won a Test match - home or away. No victories in Sri Lanka (1985-86) and Australia (1985-86) marred Kapil Dev's second stint as Test captain. In fact, Sri Lanka helped themselves to their maiden Test win in September 1985 against India at the P Sara Oval in Colombo.
A 0-5 series loss to the West Indies in the Caribbean meant England were edgy when it came to facing the Indians. All the plaudits David Gower received as skipper of a victorious team in the 1984-85 Test series in India seemed to be evaporating. His captaincy was taken away after the Lord's Test defeat and Mike Gatting took over. There was no change in result with the new captain as England were outwitted by 279 runs. At Lord's, Dilip Vengsarkar became the first overseas batsman to score three hundreds there on the bounce. The third Test at Edgbaston was drawn but it could have gone in favour of the visiting team.
This was India's only second series win in England. In 1971, the victory margin was 1-0. After 1986, India have won only one Test series on English soil - in 2007. The last series, played for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in 2025 ended 2-2.
Here's what team manager Raj Singh told mid-day in 2006
Positive start
We played Surrey at the Oval and fared well [Surrey had West Indian fast bowlers Sylvester Clarke and Anthony Gray in that one-day game on May 15]. I think this was the beginning of the renaissance of Indian Test cricket.
LORD'S [india won]
The vital toss
We had a long meeting on the toss the night before. In my experience as team manager, I found that batsmen want to field first, while bowlers want to bat first. I happen to know someone who was involved with the Lord's pitch preparation. I asked him how long has this pitch been covered. âThree days,' he said and I remember saying to him, âI imagine that the moisture content is high.' He agreed. I carried this information to the team meeting. The following day, Kapil won the toss and came to the dressing room, asking what should he do. âWhat has changed from last night to this morning? Captain, we had decided to put them in. We have a top-class seam attack,' I said. âOkay,' he said, âI will go and tell David Gower.'
The jitters
England reached 50 odd for no loss at lunch and I was getting a funny feeling. But the wicket dried up and the ball started moving. Roger [Binny] got three and Chetan [Sharma] got five.
Vengsarkar Lord's it
With K Srikkanth and Gavaskar gone, Dilip had a good partnership with Jimmy [Mohinder Amarnath} and we crumbled again. Dilip stood firm for his third century at Lord's. I think he believed that no one could get him out there.
Kapil said he'll do it
That spell of Kapil's in the second innings was so impressive. He got rid of Graham Gooch, Tim Robinson, and David Gower. And when we were losing wickets in the chase, he sat on that table in the Lord's dressing room and said, âI will win this, Rajbhai⦠I will get the winning runs.' He went out and smashed Phil Edmonds around to win the game along with Ravi Shastri. Kapil was very positive about himself and made others believe in themselves. That was very clear on the 1986 tour of England.
Inconsolable Azhar
Azhar was run out [in a mix up with Ravi Shastri]. It was a bad call by Ravi. I knew Azhar was going to throw his bat and gloves in the dressing room but I caught him before he entered, on the stairs. âI would have won the game,' he said and he was bitter and inconsolable. I said, âWe can still win the game.' It felt so good to win a Test at Lord's. Yes, we won in England in 1971, but it was not at Lord's!
We felt sorry for Gower
David Gower [the defeated captain] sat there on the balcony as his fate as captain was being decided. The whole Indian team felt sorry for him to a point that it overshadowed our victory.
LEEDS [india won]
Finest after Vishy's 97 not out
Chetan Sharma and Mohinder Amarnath were injured. We called Madan Lal from the leagues and played Chandrakant Pandit as a batsman. At Leeds, Dilip scored a fine hundred. I will rate Gundappa Vishwanath's 97 not out (vs WI at Chennai in 1974-75) as the best innings I have seen in Test cricket, not only by an Indian, but everyone. But Dilip's hundred at Leeds is the next best innings I've seen by an Indian.
EDGBASTON [Draw]
What England didn't knowâ¦
We could have won 3-0 but Kapil's back had gone [injured] at Birmingham, and we had to ensure that no one came to know about it. Azhar and Kiran More were batting (came together at 105-5 with the target being 236). England's morale was so low that they did not attack us. Had they known Kapil was in no position to bat and lying on the floor, they would have attacked. What I did not want is, in trying to win, we should end up 2-1. I told the attendant to go out [of the dressing room], saying we wanted to talk about something [in private]. They never came to know what it was.
Sunny's gem
It was Sunil Gavaskar's last overseas series. He got a good hundred against Somerset [at Taunton before the third Test] and played beautifully at Edgbaston [54] until the delivery [from Neil Foster] lifted and left him. Else, he would have got a 100.
Yashvant Chad, who was the Indian team's official scorer on the 1986 tour of England, recalled how captain Kapil Dev got Chetan Sharma to log in more overs for success in the opening Test at Lord's. "As the official scorer, I had to meet the captain at all intervals and at the end of the day's play. During the tea break on the opening day, Kapil Dev asked me how many overs Chetan had bowled. When I gave him the details, he asked me if I was sure. I said my tally will not be wrong. "Now see how I will make this horse run," remarked Kapil. Chetan went on to bowl 32 overs and claimed 5-64.
Sandeep Patil, who wasn't included in any of the three Tests, had to represent Ashton-under-Lyne club in the Central Lancashire League in a few games because they lost their overseas pro Madan Lal, who was summoned to the Indian team for the Leeds Test.
Pradeep Sunderam, who was an unannounced standby fast bowler for the tour of England, ought to have been called in at Leeds - and not Madan Lal - when Chetan Sharma got injured. But Sunderam told mid-day a few years ago that manager Raj Singh Dungarpur said he was untraceable. Sunderam said he was very much around and was at Leeds
Mumbai-based fast bowler Raju Kulkarni, who was to make his Test debut vs Australia at Wankhede later that year, travelled to Scarborough to watch India's July 12-14 tour game vs Yorkshire.
A friend who was going to drive Kapil Dev and wife Romi back to London, offered to drop Kulkarni âhome' first. When they reached Kulkarni's Yorkshire dwelling, he invited them inside and the hungry quartet consumed toast and tea. Meanwhile, Kulkarni's flatmate entered the premises and was shocked to see the India captain in the house. In his excitement, he ran and told the whole town about it.
