India’s historic 1948–49 home season continued with the third Test of the series, played at the iconic Eden Gardens, Calcutta, from 31 December 1948 to 4 January 1949. Packed galleries, long batting displays, and disciplined bowling on a slow surface shaped a memorable contest that eventually ended in a hard-earned draw.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | India vs West Indies |
| Dates | 31 December 1948 – 4 January 1949 |
| Venue | Eden Gardens, Calcutta |
| Toss | West Indies won the toss and elected to bat |
| Result | Match Drawn |
| Match Format | 5-day Test Match |
| Umpires | J. Dutta & Mohammad Yakub |
| Significance | Another run-heavy contest; Weekes brilliance; India’s strong batting response |
Team Lineups
| India (Playing XI) | West Indies (Playing XI) |
|---|---|
| Lala Amarnath (Captain) | John Goddard (Captain) |
| Mushtaq Ali | Allan Rae |
| Vijay Hazare | George Headley |
| Rusi Modi | Everton Weekes |
| Hemu Adhikari | Clyde Walcott |
| Vinoo Mankad | Frank Worrell |
| Dattu Phadkar | Robert Christiani |
| Ghulam Ahmed | Gerry Gomez |
| Khandu Rangnekar | Denis Atkinson |
| C. D. Gopinath | Prior Jones |
| Probir Sen (wk) | Clifford McWatt (wk) |
West Indies 1st Innings – 366 all out
The visitors won the toss and chose to bat on a firm Calcutta surface. The innings was anchored by the brilliant Everton Weekes, who continued his purple patch with a commanding 90. Worrell and Walcott added crucial support, but India’s bowlers kept fighting back, especially Mankad and Rangnekar.
| Player | Runs | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|
| Allan Rae | 20 | c Sen b Rangnekar |
| George Headley | 30 | c Hazare b Mankad |
| Everton Weekes | 90 | c Gopinath b Rangnekar |
| Clyde Walcott | 47 | c Modi b Mankad |
| Frank Worrell | 71 | c Sen b Ghulam Ahmed |
| Robert Christiani | 29 | b Mankad |
| Gerry Gomez | 18 | c Amarnath b Phadkar |
| John Goddard (c) | 6 | b Rangnekar |
| Denis Atkinson | 16 | lbw b Mankad |
| Prior Jones | 3 | b Ahmed |
| Clifford McWatt (wk) | 6* | Not out |
| Extras | 30 | |
| Total | 366 all out (115 overs) |
Best Bowling (India)
- Vinoo Mankad – 4/97
- Khandu Rangnekar – 3/84
- Ghulam Ahmed – 2/72
- Dattu Phadkar – 1/41
India 1st Innings – 359 all out
India responded strongly with disciplined batting. Vijay Hazare (73) and Rusi Modi (82) led the fightback. Captain Lala Amarnath and all-rounder Phadkar played crucial knocks to keep India close to West Indies’ total.
| Player | Runs | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|
| Mushtaq Ali | 22 | c McWatt b Gomez |
| Lala Amarnath (c) | 46 | c Weekes b Gomez |
| Vijay Hazare | 73 | lbw b Atkinson |
| Rusi Modi | 82 | c Christiani b Goddard |
| Hemu Adhikari | 41 | c Worrell b Jones |
| Vinoo Mankad | 27 | b Gomez |
| Dattu Phadkar | 39 | c Rae b Atkinson |
| Ghulam Ahmed | 12 | c Walcott b Jones |
| Khandu Rangnekar | 7 | b Atkinson |
| C. D. Gopinath | 6 | c Christiani b Gomez |
| Probir Sen (wk) | 4* | Not out |
| Extras | 0 | |
| Total | 359 all out (123 overs) |
Best Bowling (West Indies)
- Gerry Gomez – 4/75
- Denis Atkinson – 3/81
- Prior Jones – 2/62
- John Goddard – 1/31
West Indies 2nd Innings – 221/7 Declared
With time running out, West Indies pushed for a result. Everton Weekes (56) and Worrell (48) guided them to a declaration, but India had enough time to play out safely.
| Player | Runs | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|
| Allan Rae | 35 | c Sen b Rangnekar |
| George Headley | 12 | c Modi b Ahmed |
| Everton Weekes | 56 | c Gopinath b Ahmed |
| Clyde Walcott | 28 | c Amarnath b Mankad |
| Frank Worrell | 48 | Not out |
| Robert Christiani | 22 | c Modi b Rangnekar |
| Gerry Gomez | 11 | lbw b Ahmed |
| John Goddard (c) | 8* | Not out |
| Others | Did not bat | |
| Extras | 1 | |
| Total | 221/7 decl. (78 overs) |
Best Bowling (India)
- Ghulam Ahmed – 3/55
- Khandu Rangnekar – 2/44
- Vinoo Mankad – 1/54
India 2nd Innings – 92/2 (Match Drawn)
India safely saw off the final session with:
- Vijay Hazare – 32*
- Mushtaq Ali – 28
ensuring the match ended in a comfortable draw.
Match Result: Draw
Both teams walked away with positives:
West Indies
- Weekes continued his incredible form
- Worrell and Walcott are consistent again
- Gomez is excellent with the ball
India
- Hazare and Modi led with the bat
- Mankad and Ahmed bowled long, effective spells
- Strong temperament shown across five days
Highlights of the Match
- Everton Weekes scored 56 & 90, dominating India’s bowlers again
- Frank Worrell contributed 71 & 48, showing his class
- Hazare’s 73 and Modi’s 82 guided India’s reply
- Mankad (4/97) and Rangnekar (3/84) bowled tirelessly
- The Eden Gardens crowd witnessed over 1000+ runs across the match
- Both teams displayed solid batting, ending in a fair draw