If Australians were tough, Dean Jones alone was tougher: Go well, Prof Deano

A cricket innings is usually judged by entertainment, accuracy, skill, or ruthlessness. No knock of perseverance will ever be able to beat former Australian cricketer Dean Jones' 210 in the brutal conditions of Madras in 1986.

Prior to the India tour in 1986, out of their last 10 away series, Australia drew two, won one, and had lost the rest. The knock was crucial for Jones, who was playing his first Test back in the side in more than two years since his debut.

En route his maiden Test double-century, Jones was immensely tested physically and mentally. The horrific heat made Jones helpless, who wouldn't let down his captain Allan Border. He vomited multiple times, urinated in his flannels; while he had no control over his bodily functions, he was extremely tough, mentally. Being among the early limited-overs superstars from the Australian camp, Jones was known for his quick running between the wickets. After more than seven hours of batting, when the Madras temperatures hovering around 40 degrees Celsius with 80% humidity, Jones constantly suffered from leg and stomach cramps. His boots were full of sweat and that restricted his running between the wickets.

The temperatures were made worse by the concrete MA Chidambaram Stadium, which players later said appeared to radiate heat onto them.

By the time Jones reached 150, his body began to slowly become unresponsive. When Jones was 30 runs within the two-hundred mark, the Victorian asked Border if he could come off and not realising the seriousness of Jones' dehydration, Border said," Well, go on, off you go then. We'll get someone tough out here. We'll get a Queenslander."

In a desperate attempt to please his skipper, Jones continued and reached his maiden Test double. Just after tea, India's Shivlal Yadav dismissed Jones, but not before the Australian had produced one of the toughest cricket innings ever.

Jones' knock of 210 off 310 deliveries, which was full of an unbelievable amount of endurance that kept him at the crease for over eight hours, helped Australia tie the Test, which was only the second-ever Test to get tied in history of the longest format.

"This Test was the Renaissance for Australian cricket. It was our Mt Everest moment. Under AB we started to believe that we can compete against the best. Great friendships started with the Indians. Our Journey had just begun! #TiedTest #Chennai", tweeted Jones, four days ago.

Thirty-four years after the match, and four days since recalling the Test, Dean Mervyn Jones is no more.

Jones, who was in India on Indian Premier League (IPL) duties, reportedly suffered a massive cardiac attack in his Mumbai hotel, where he collapsed and passed away. It is understood that he was with fellow Australian Brett Lee in the room, who tried to revive him before calling for others to call an ambulance.

Jones will always be remembered as one of the first superstars of Australian cricket. A fearless No. 3 batsman, he danced down the pitch more often to take on the fast bowlers, ran fiercely between the wickets, and was a natural entertainer, who continued to do so even after retiring, as a jovial commentator and analyst.

With 9,699 international runs in 216 matches (Tests and ODIs), Jones served the nation for 10 years. But, he actively remained associated with cricket at his very last. The fatal moment happened just a day after he commentated in an IPL match and left the entire cricket fraternity in shock and sadness.

Go well, Prof Deano, you will never be forgotten.