There are matches in cricket whose tension lasts until the very last ball. One such moment occurred 40 years ago, on September 22, 1986, when the second Test match of the series between India and Australia, held in Chennai (then Madras), ended in a draw, and the drama of the final days is still vivid in the memories of cricket fans.
Australia took the initiative first by winning the toss and secured a substantial victory in the first innings, scoring 574/7 runs. Among the Australian players, David Boon stood out with 122 runs, Dean Jones with 210 runs, and Allan Border with 106 runs. In response, the Indian team managed to score only 397 runs in the first innings. The best player for India in this innings was Kapil Dev, who scored 119 runs. Additionally, Mohammad Azharuddin (50 runs) and Krishnamachari Srikkanth (53 runs) reached half-centuries.
In the second innings, Australian captain Allan Border declared the innings closed, adding another 170 runs, setting a target of 348 runs for India. India needed to reach this target in 87 overs.
Initially, the Indian team pursued the target confidently. At tea, India's score was 190 runs for the loss of two batsmen. After that, the team approached victory. India lost 6 batsmen at a score of 330 runs, and only 18 runs were needed for victory.
At that moment, it seemed that India would easily win. However, Australian bowler Ray Bright drastically changed the course of the match. In the next over, Bright dismissed two batsmen, and suddenly the possibility of all possible outcomes arose: victory, defeat, a draw, or a tie.
After this, Shivlal Yadav helped India get closer to victory by hitting a powerful six off Greg Matthews' bowling. But Bright got him out. India's score reached 344/9. Only 4 runs remained, and there were 8 overs left.
Ravi Shastri and Maninder Singh were on the field. Maninder Singh was the last batsman in India's batting order. He faced Bright's over, and the right to bat passed to Ravi Shastri in the final over.
India needed 4 runs to win. Ravi Shastri scored 2 runs off the second delivery of the final over. Then, on the third delivery, he scored one run and passed the strike to Maninder Singh. With this single run, the possibility of India losing disappeared, but 3 more runs were still needed for victory. Greg Matthews was bowling, and Maninder Singh was on strike. Matthews had three deliveries to finish the match.
Matthews dismissed Maninder Singh. Matthews got him out LBW on the penultimate delivery of the match. India's hope of victory faded, and the match ended in a draw. In the second innings, the Indian team showed better play, with Sunil Gavaskar scoring the most runs—90.
Players from both teams were awarded 'Player of the Match' awards. Kapil Dev received this award for scoring 119 runs for India, while Dean Jones from the Australian team received it for his double century in the match.
Thus, in the history of Test cricket, a match was recorded where the scores of both teams were absolutely equal. This thrilling finale in Chennai is still considered one of the most memorable moments in cricket.