Kula Pradip Bhagawati

Guwahati is not a regular stop for West Indies, but whenever they have come here, history has been made. From 1983 to 2018, the West Indies played 4 international matches in Guwahati across two venues — the old Nehru Stadium and the new ACA Cricket Stadium . There are cities where West Indies just plays cricket. And then there is Guwahati, where West Indies made history, lost an aura, and found a new rival. For 35 years, (1983 to 2018), they met only four times in this city. But each time, Guwahati told a different story about Indian cricket itself.

17 December, 1983 - The Debut at Nehru Stadium

It was 47 days after Kapil Dev has won the World Cup at Lord's. India was still celebrating. And Clive Lloyd had come to punish India for celebrating. The West Indies tour of 1983-84 was not a tour. It was revenge. They won the Test series 3-0. They were winning the ODI series 4-0. The 5th ODI was given to Guwahati's Nehru Stadium — a muddy, open ground with a cycle track around it, where fans sat on concrete steps.

India batted first: 178/7 in 44 overs. Ghulam Parkar, in his weird helmet-less cap, made 42. He would be named Man of the Match despite being on the losing side. West Indies chased: 182/4 in 41.4 overs. And in that chase, a 21-year-old from Five Islands, Antigua, walked in at No. 4. Skinny Eyes sharp. He made 46 off 57 balls — not out, calm, wrists that flicked Kapil Dev to the boundary. His name: Richie Richardson. It was his ODI debut.

Scorebook entry that day: RR Kulkarni (IND) and RB Richardson (WIN) made their ODI debuts. Rusi Kulkarni never played again. Richie Richardson played 224 ODIs and became West Indies captain. Guwahati, without knowing it, had seen the future of West Indies cricket debut on its soil. Nehru Stadium had become a footnote in Wisden. West Indies won by 6 wickets.

23 December, 1987 - The Empire at Its Peak

Four years later, same ground, different monster. This was Viv Richards' West Indies. The most feared team in the world. They had just been knocked out of the 1987 World Cup in India — a shock — but in bilateral cricket, they were still kings. They scored 203 at Nehru Stadium. In those days, 203 in Guwahati winter was 280. India collapsed for 151. West Indies won by 52 runs. Two matches in Guwahati, two wins for West Indies. For Assamese fans who cycled 10 km to see international cricket once every four years, West Indies was invincible.

1 November, 1994 - The Day Guwahati Became Neutral

This is the forgotten game. And the most important one. Wills World Series, 1994-95. India, West Indies, New Zealand. Tri-nation. Organisers needed a neutral venue for West Indies vs New Zealand — a game where India wasn't playing. They chose Guwahati. For the first time, Nehru Stadium hosted two foreign teams. West Indies — with Brian Lara, now a superstar after his 375 and 501, earlier that year — scored 276/5. New Zealand collapsed to 141. West Indies won by 135 runs. But what happened off the field mattered more. The crowd came — 15,000 — for a non-India match. It proved Guwahati could host neutral international cricket. It proved North east had an audience beyond India matches. BCCI noticed.

21 October, 2018 - The Revenge at Barsapara

35 years after Richie Richardson's debut, West Indies came back to Guwahati. But Guwahati had changed. Nehru Stadium was now too small. Too old. No floodlights good enough for broadcast. Assam cricket and BCCI had built a new stadium on the edge of the city — Barsapara Cricket Stadium, officially ACA Cricket Stadium — 40,000 capacity, with red soil, modern drainage, LED lights. The 1st ODI of West Indies Tour of India 2018 was given to Barsapara as its inaugural international.

West Indies arrived with a new team — Jason Holder, Shimron Hetmyer, no more Richards, no more Richardson. They batted first and did what West Indies does in Guwahati, dominate. Hetmyer smashed 106 off 78 balls — 6 sixes into the half-built stands. West Indies: 322/8. It looked like Act 1, 2, 3 all over again.

Then Kohli happened. And Rohit also. Virat Kohli 140 off 107 balls. Rohit Sharma 152 off 117 balls. India chased 322 in 42.1 overs with 8 wickets in hand. It remains one of the fastest 300+ chases in India. The fortress fell. After 35 years and 3 straight wins at Nehru Stadium, West Indies finally lost in Guwahati. Young fans who had watched that chase from Barsapara's new bucket seats didn't know about 1983. For them, Guwahati was where India beats West Indies.

On September 30, 2026, they meet again at Barsapara for the 5th match. ODI Series India vs West Indies 2026. Richie Richardson will not be there. Viv Richards will be in commentary. Kohli and Rohit may be in their last Guwahati ODI. But the ground will remember: Guwahati gave West Indies a debutant in 1983, and West Indies gave Guwahati a stadium's first international in 2018. It has always been more than just a match here.

(Kula pradip Bhagawati is a prominent senior sports journalist from Assam, recognized as the first journalist from Northeast India to cover three major global sports events: the Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup, and the Cricket World Cup)