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India came to this fateful third Test at Port-of-Spain after being outplayed in the first match of the four-Test series at Barbados. They had come close to winning the second Test at the Queen's Park Oval, but West Indies salvaged a draw thanks to some dubious umpiring decisions.
Batting first, West Indies managed 359 with Bhagwat Chandrasekhar claiming six victims. In reply, India could manage only 228 in the face of a hostile spell of fast bowling by Michael Holding. With a lead of 131, West Indies went on to set up a target of 403 thanks to Alvin Kalicharan's eight Test hundred.
Right from the beginning India looked on track as openers Gavaskar and Gaekwad batted sensibly and saw off the new ball attack. As the final day wore on, India inched close to victory with Gundappa Vishwanath hitting a fighting century in the company of Mahinder Amarnath.
The winning hit came in the 11th mandatory over of the day courtesy the blade of Brijesh Patel who remained unbeaten on forty nine. The win remains one of the greatest come-from-behind victories in the history of test cricket.
