In a hard-fought contest during India’s 1961–62 tour of the West Indies, the 4th Test at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, was a riveting display of batting resilience and strategic cricket from both sides. Played from 4 to 9 April 1962, the West Indies, captained by Frank Worrell, took an early advantage and steadily extended it across two days of dominant batting. India, led by Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, fought back valiantly, particularly in their second innings. Still, the West Indies’ depth ultimately sealed a 7-wicket win in a match that showcased the contrasting strengths of both teams.
VENUE & MATCH DETAILS
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | West Indies vs India, 4th Test |
| Dates | 4–9 April 1962 |
| Venue | Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad |
| Toss | West Indies won the toss and elected to bat |
| Result | West Indies won by 7 wickets |
| Match Format | 5-day Test Match |
| Umpires | B. Jacelon & H.B.D. Jordan |
| Series | India tour of West Indies 1961–62 |
TEAM LINEUPS (Playing XI)
| India (Playing XI) | West Indies (Playing XI) |
|---|---|
| Dilip Sardesai | Conrad Hunte |
| Vijay Mehra | Easton McMorris |
| M. L. Jaisimha | Rohan Kanhai |
| Polly Umrigar (c) | Seymour Nurse |
| Nawab of Pataudi Jr. | Garfield Sobers |
| Chandu Borde | Willie Rodriguez |
| Salim Durani | Ivor Mendonca (wk) |
| Budhi Kunderan | Lance Gibbs |
| Rusi Surti | LR Gibbs |
| Bapu Nadkarni | Frank Worrell |
| Ramakant Desai | Wes Hall |
West Indies 1st Innings – 444/9 declared
| Batsman | Runs | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|
| Conrad Hunte | 28 | b Umrigar |
| Easton McMorris | 50 | c Sardesai b Nadkarni |
| Rohan Kanhai | 139 | lbw b Umrigar |
| Seymour Nurse | 1 | c & b Durani |
| Garfield Sobers | 19 | lbw b Jaisimha |
| Willie Rodriguez | 50 | b Umrigar |
| Ivor Mendonca (wk) | 3 | b Umrigar |
| LR Gibbs | 15 | lbw b Nadkarni |
| Frank Worrell* | 73* | Not out |
| Sven Stayers | 12 | c Surti b Umrigar |
| Wes Hall | 50* | Not out |
| Extras | 4 | |
| Total | 444/9 declared |
Bowling (India):
Surti 0/81, Jaisimha 1/61, Umrigar 5/107, Durani 1/54, Borde 0/68, Nadkarni 2/69
India 1st Innings – 197 all out
| Batsman | Runs | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|
| Dilip Sardesai | 0 | b Hall |
| Vijay Mehra | 14 | b Hall |
| Rusi Surti | 0 | b Hall |
| Vijay Manjrekar | 4 | c Mendonca b Hall |
| M. L. Jaisimha | 10 | c Mendonca b Hall |
| Polly Umrigar (c) | 56 | st Mendonca b Sobers |
| Nawab of Pataudi Jr. | 47 | c Sobers b Rodriguez |
| Chandu Borde | 42 | c Nurse b Rodriguez |
| Salim Durani | 12 | c Worrell b Rodriguez |
| Bapu Nadkarni | 1 | c Rodriguez b Sobers |
| †Budhi Kunderan | 4* | Not out |
| Extras | 7 | |
| Total | 197 all out |
Bowling (WI):
Hall 5/20, Rodriguez 3/51, Sobers 2/48, Gibbs 0/48, Stayers 0/23
India 2nd Innings – 422 all out (Following On)
| Batsman | Runs | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|
| M. L. Jaisimha | 15 | c Mendonca b Stayers |
| Vijay Mehra | 62 | b Hall |
| Salim Durani | 104 | c Rodriguez b Sobers |
| Vijay Manjrekar | 13 | c Nurse b Sobers |
| Nawab of Pataudi Jr. | 1 | c Kanhai b Sobers |
| Polly Umrigar (c) | 172 | Not out |
| Rusi Surti | 2 | c Mendonca b Gibbs |
| Chandu Borde | 13 | c Sobers b Gibbs |
| Dilip Sardesai | 0 | c Worrell b Gibbs |
| Bapu Nadkarni | 23 | run out |
| †Budhi Kunderan | 4 | c Rodriguez b Gibbs |
| Extras | 13 | |
| Total | 422 all out |
Bowling (WI):
Gibbs 4/112, Sobers 3/116, Hall 1/74, Stayers 1/50
West Indies 2nd Innings – 176/3 (Target: 176)
| Batsman | Runs | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|
| Conrad Hunte | 30 | c Kunderan b Durani |
| Easton McMorris | 56 | b Durani |
| Rohan Kanhai | 20 | c Nadkarni b Durani |
| *Seymour Nurse | 46* | Not out |
| Garfield Sobers | 16* | Not out |
| Extras | 8 | |
| Total | 176/3 |
Bowling (India):
Durani 3/64, Surti 0/48, Umrigar 0/17, Nadkarni 0/34
Match Result
West Indies won by 7 wickets
(as they reached the 176-run target while losing only 3 wickets).
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MATCH
- West Indies’ declaration on 444/9 set India a daunting match structure early.
- Polly Umrigar’s resilient 172 in India’s second innings* was the standout batting effort of the match, helping India reduce a huge deficit.
- Salim Durani’s 104 provided crucial support in the second innings.
- Wes Hall (5/20) and Rodriguez (3/51) starred with the ball in the first innings.
- Targeting 176, West Indies won comfortably by 7 wickets to maintain a stranglehold on the Test series. IMG Cricket