Ajit. Shrugging off his first innings duck, Ajit Wadekar scored 91 as India went about improving on their first innings show during the 1967 Test. Alas, in vain.
Boycott. Who scores a double hundred and gets dropped for the next Test? It can happen to a few like Geoff Boycott; punished for slow scoring in the 1967 Test.
C lose. The England captain in the summer of 1967, Brian Close started the India series with a win and went on to play a big hand in the hosts’ 3-0 series win.
Dravid. His hundred on Day One of the 2002 Test was a great knock considering the conditions. Rahul Dravid’s 148 helped India level the series after the loss at Lord’s and draw at Trent Bridge.
Engineer. Forty-two and 87 in 1967 by Farokh Engineer not only thrilled the Headingley crowd but also, as John Woodcock wrote in The Cricketer magazine, “was enough to reassure faint hearts.”
French. Two stumpers made their debut in the 1986 Test. India’s Chandu Pandit (although Kiran More kept wickets) and England’s Bruce French, who replaced Paul Downton. Nottinghamshire’s French reportedly indulged in mountaineering.
Gill. No man in the current India squad will attract a bigger focus of attention than captain Shubman Gill. He hasn’t captained India in Test cricket before, but who is to say he won’t lead by example.
Hazare. India’s captain in the 1952 Test may have suffered a big defeat then to Len Hutton’s team but Vijay Hazare’s scores of 89 and 56 were applause worthy.
Illingworth. Yorkshireman Ray Ilingworth’s off-spin claimed four Indians who got starts in the second innings at the 1967 Test — Wadekar (91), Borde (33), Hanumant Singh (73) and Pataudi (148).
Jasprit. The man with a question mark against his name. How many Tests among the five will Jasprit Bumrah be fit to play is the question on everyone’s lips.
Kohli. Like him or hate him, India will miss him and also those who will flock the grounds. No Indian batsman has done so much for Test cricket in recent years as Virat Kohli, the pundits say.
Lever. England’s resources were so thin that they had to recall John Lever, the then 37-year-old left-arm fast bowler after four and a half years. He got six wickets in this comeback Test in 1986, but that was his final game for his country.
Manjrekar. After making his debut in the home series against England in 1951-52, Vijay Manjrekar was on the boat to England in 1952. He made an immediate impression on English soil by carving a hundred in his very first Test innings there — 133 out of 293.
Nair. Comeback man Karun Nair is expected to prove why it was a mistake to keep him out of international cricket only three Tests after he scored his triple century against England in 2016-17.
Overcast. These are conditions which pace bowlers will look to exploit. The moving ball can trouble the best and cloudy weather will not be a great sight for batsmen.
Pataudi. India’s captain on the 1967 tour had to endure a 0-3 loss. It all started at Leeds, but then, he also delighted his fans through his 64 and 148. “It was the batting of Pataudi that provided the Indians with the example they needed,” said The Cricketer magazine.
Q uality. India may have a touring side without Kohli and Rohit Sharma, but inexperience does not mean a dearth of quality. Gill & Co have that. If at all, their temperament will be tested at Leeds.
Root. Veteran Joe Root loves his home ground. He also is known to score heavily against India. He got a match-winning hundred against Kohli’s team at Leeds in 2021. Now, Gill has to watch out.
Sachin. Having played for Yorkshire in 1992, Sachin Tendulkar knew a lot about Leeds when he played his first Test there on the 2002 tour. He came up with 193; his then best score in overseas Tests. It contributed in no small measure to India’s innings victory.
T for Trueman. Fast bowling great Fred Trueman loved Leeds as much as he liked smoking his pipe and telling stories. He made his debut for England there in 1952, under fellow Yorkshireman Len Hutton at 21.
Umrigar. The man who once boasted of several individual batting records in Indian cricket just couldn’t get going in England. He didn’t do well in 1952 and in the Leeds Test of 1959, offered some resistance before England romped to victory on the third day. Polly Umrigar (39) and Chandu Borde (41) put on 69 runs for the fourth wicket but when they got out, India collapsed.
Vengsarkar. A lion at Lord’s can roar at Leeds too. That’s what Dilip Vengsarkar proved as he smashed a match-winning hundred for the second time on the bounce in the 1986 series. After his 61 in the first innings, he scored an imperious unbeaten 102 in the second.
Willis. England pace spearhead Bob Willis dismissed Chetan Chauhan and Mohinder Amarnath for a duck in the 1979 Test. His best effort for the venue came two summers later when his 8-43 bowled England to victory in 1981.
X-factor. For his experience and ability to grit his way through, my X-factor pick would be KL Rahul. He’s also proved to be a good performer in opening Tests on tours.
Yorkshire. What is Leeds without mentioning its county, for whom the best of cricketers have played over the years.
Zero. That was India’s score as they lost four wickets in the second innings of the 1952 Test. Pankaj Roy, DK Gaekwad, Madhav Mantri and Vijay Manjrekar were sent back before India registered their first run of the innings.
mid-day’s group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance.
He tweets @ClaytonMurzello. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper.