Even their most fanatical supporters did not expect Kapil Dev's touring Indians of 1986 to set the hallowed turf of the Lord's Cricket Ground on fire. While it was true that the Indian team had performed splendidly on the preceding tour of Australia, coming precariously close to winning two Tests, it was felt that the miserably cold first half of the English summer would prevent the Indians from playing to their potential. What went in India's favour was the lack of confidence in the English camp - the team under David Gower had just been annihilated 0-5 in the West Indies.

Kapil Dev won the toss in his 21st Test as captain of India, and elected to field in conditions that in his view would favour seam-and-swing bowling. He almost had reason to regret his decision, when English openers Graham Gooch and Tim Robinson began with a stand of 66. But once left-arm spinner Maninder Singh had made the breakthrough, having Robinson caught by Azharuddin, the Indian seamers suddenly found their length. Roger Binny, one of the chief architects of India's sensational World Cup win on English soil in 1983, bowled steadily, and youngster Chetan Sharma impressed watchers with his belligerence. Gooch scored a fine hundred and Derek Pringle an assertive 63, but the rest of the batsmen failed to impress and England finished with 294.

The Indians proceeded to display their batting talents in splendid fashion. Sunil Gavaskar, playing his fifth and last Test at Lord's, scored 34, and Mohinder Amarnath, playing his first game at the historic venue, contributed 69. The English bowlers came back strongly to pulverize the Indian lower-order, but they could not make any impact on a batsman who was playing his third Test at Lord's, and had scored a hundred in each of his first two Tests - Dilip Vengsarkar. He batted majestically, driving powerfully and cutting brilliantly even as he steadily lost partners. He was on 95 when the ninth wicket fell, and there seemed a genuine possibility that he might fall short of the hattrick. But Maninder Singh, the no. 11, kept his nerve and stayed until Vengsarkar became the first overseas batsman to score three Test hundreds at the Mecca of Cricket. It was an outstanding achievement, one that helped his team gain a crucial first-innings lead of 51. His first hundred in 1979 had been a match-saving effort and his second in 1982 had helped delay a defeat. Would his 1986 innings be a match-winning knock?

This question was answered in the most emphatic fashion by the Indian skipper, who dismissed Gooch, Gower and Robinson in next to no time to reduce England to 35-3 in their second innings. Although Mike Gatting and Allan Lamb attempted a rearguard stand, the Indian bowlers were determined not to be extra-generous. Maninder Singh was once again impressive and the innings folded up for 180. India needed only 134 to win a Test at Lord's for the first time since 1932. They had the whole of the last day at their disposal to knock off the runs, and were delighted when the weather bureau announced that the scheduled final day of the game was to be as clear as a crystal.

K. Srikkanth fell cheaply, but his partner Gavaskar dropped anchor at the other end and guided the innings in the initial stages. The score was 31-2 when Vengsarkar joined Amarnath. The veterans took the score to 76 before both fell in quick succession. Had the Indian dressing-room been hit by an attack of nerves? The number of people asking this query increased substantially when with the score at 110, Ravi Shastri and Mohammed Azharuddin found themselves at the same end in a disastrous communication-gap and the latter was run out.

Kapil Dev, still without a Test win as captain of India, strode in purposefully. His objectives were clear - to silence his side's critics and confound the English supporters who were hoping for their side to pull off a miraculous win. He launched into left-arm spinner Phil Edmonds. A couple of boundaries later, the result was a foregone conclusion. Kapil ended the game with a mighty swipe that sent the ball soaring over the square-leg boundary. It was his first Test win as captain, India's first-ever at Lord's and the team's first overseas Test win since Melbourne in 1981. India took a 1-0 lead in the series, and went on to win it after another triumph in the second Test at Leeds.

It was also David Gower's sixth consecutive Test defeat as England captain. His tenure had been extended after the Caribbean tour to include the two one-day internationals and the first Test against India. India had taken the one-day series on a superior run-rate before winning the first Test. Even as he and Kapil Dev were interviewed on the Lord's balcony, Gower and the whole of England knew what to expect. He was sacked, and replaced by Mike Gatting.

- By Devendra Prabhudesai