Indian cricket team in England in 1971
Encyclopedia
The Indian cricket team toured England in the 1971 season and played 19 first-class
fixtures, winning 7, losing only one and drawing 11.
India played three Test matches
and surprisingly won the series against England 1–0 with two Tests drawn. This was India's first ever series win in England. The First Test at Lord's
and the Second Test at Old Trafford were drawn. India pulled off a historic win in the Third Test at The Oval
by 4 wickets after being 71 behind on first innings. They bowled England out for only 101 in the second innings with Bhagwat Chandrasekhar
claiming 6–38.
The Indian team was captained by Ajit Wadekar
. Besides Wadekar and Chandrasekhar, the team included other notable players in Dilip Sardesai
, Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan
, Gundappa Viswanath
, Bishan Singh Bedi
and the young Sunil Gavaskar
. Farokh Engineer
, who had a contract with Lancashire
was made available for the Tests and a few other matches.
out of Test cricket, England was arguably the best cricket team in the world at this point of time. Earlier in the summer, they had fortuitously managed to defeat Pakistan 1–0 but coming into the series England had gone 24 Tests without defeat. They were to extend it to a record 26 Test matches before losing the third Test.
India had not won a Test abroad till 1968 and had had no success in their previous six Test tours of England. However, under the new captain Ajit Wadekar
, India defeated West Indies in an away series in early 1971. The victory in that series was built around the batting of Sunil Gavaskar
and Dilip Sardesai
who scored 774 and 642 runs respectively. Chandrasekhar
had been a controversial omission from the West Indies series. Chief Selector Vijay Merchant
called his inclusion for the tour of England "a calculated gamble".
, Salim Durani
and Rusi Jeejeebhoy were excluded from the team that toured West Indies.
The England fast bowler John Snow
rescued the England first innings when he came in at 183/7 and made 73 to hoist the total up to 304. This was Snow's highest Test
and equal highest First Class
score, but he was disappointed not to realise his boyhood dream of a century at Lords when he was caught off a Chandrasekhar
googly
. India needed 183 to win in the fourth innings when Snow had the opener Ashok Mankad
caught by Knott
for 8 and India were 21–2 when Sunil Gavaskar
was called for a quick single after hitting the ball to mid-wicket. Snow went for the ball and knocked him over, "I could imagine the horror on the faces of everybody watching the game from the committee room at Lord's". They were both uninjured, got up and continued with the game after and Snow tossed Gavaskar's bat back to him. A similar incident had happened in Georgetown in 1967–68 with Clive Lloyd
, but the 5'4" Indian received far more sympathy than the 6'4" West Indian who nearly trampled Snow into the ground. From afar the incident had looked much worse and was replayed repeated on slow-motion television with a media furore and press demanding disciplinary action. The replay can be seen in the Indian episode of the BBC documentary Empire of Cricket and it certainly appears that Snow recklessly barged into the Gavaskar as he knocked him over. Many were more angry about the throwing of the bat back than the knocking him over in the first place. At lunch Snow returned to the dressing room he apologised to the chairman of selectors Alec Bedser
and promised to do so to Gavaskar when an enraged Mike Griffith
charged in and shouted "That's the most disgusting thing I've ever seen on the field". Illingworth took him out and Snow waited until he had calmed down before apologising to Gavaskar on the field after lunch. When he later saw the replay he said "Oh well, the scene's been far too quiet without me anyway". and realised he could not avoid being dropped for the Second Test. The game was rained off with India needed 38 runs, but with England wanting only two wickets.
for a duck in the second, but this was not enough to prevent India winning the Test and the series by four wickets. It was only the second Test defeat Snow had seen since he had become and England regular in 1966 and ended England's run of 27 Test without loss.
v Middlesex
Eric Russell and Mike Smith added 89 for the first wicket after Mike Brearley
won the toss and batted. Russell, dropped three times, became the third batsman - after John Jameson
and Zaheer Abbas
- to complete 1,000 runs for the season. He was caught at mid-off for 84 in three and a half hours. Middlesex, 164 for 2 at the time of Russell's dismissal, was all out for 233. Price took the wickets of Abbas Ali Baig
and Wadekar
off successive balls as India ended the first day on 41 for 3. They slid further to 94 for 6 before Viswanath
and Abid Ali added 76 runs in an hour. Going in second with a 65-run lead, Middlesex lost five wickets for 20 runs in 40 minutes after tea. Bedi took 6 for 29 and India needed 197 to win. Price took two wickets off consecutive balls for the fourth day in a row, Gavaskar
and Sardesai
being the batsmen this time. This time the first five wickets fell for 79 but Solkar
and Abid Ali added 56 and Bedi finished the match pulling Parfitt
for four. On a wearing wicket, Middlesex missed Titmus
who had been rested.
v Essex
The match was played in very English conditions - the wicket hardly differed foom the outfield, there was a near gale-force wind and it rained. Boyce
dismissed Gavaskar
with the last ball of the first over. Lever
hit Jayantilal
on the boot with his first ball, had Wadekar
caught behind off the fifth, and yorked Viswanath
with the second ball of his second over. None of the batsmen scored and India was 3 for 4 after 20 balls. India eventually ended up with 164. In the Essex reply, Fletcher
scored his third hundred of the season in 223 minutes. Just before the declaration, Lever hit 37 in 25 minutes with 2 fours and 3 sixes. After reaching 163 for 3 an hour before tea on the final day, India lost five wickets in 20 overs. Essex needed 68 in 18 overs and managed it just in time.
Sardesai
, Venkat
and Solkar
were rested and Govindraj played his first match. He took 2 for 20 in 12 overs in his opening spell. By tea, Robins' XI had lost seven wickets for 148. Old
and O'Keefe added 71 for the ninth wicket when the innings was declared half an hour before the close. Still trying to solve the problem of the opening batsmen, India picked all the four openers in the touring party. Gavaskar
and Baig
opened, Jayantilal
went in at one down and Mankad
at five. After the quick exit of Baig and Jayantilal, Wadekar scored 45 with nine fours, four of them in a Greig
over. Viswanath
scored a hundred in 200 minutes with 15 fours. Robins' XI declared just before tea setting India 182 in around two hours. Baig scored 38 with six fours after which the match ended in a draw.
v Kent
Venkataraghavan
captained the Indians. Dropped on 19, Luckhurst
scored 118 in three and a half hours with 15 fours and a six off Venkat. Luckhurst and Denness
made 125 for the first wicket and were separated just after lunch. Luckhurst was the fourth man out at 209 but Alan Knott
and West Indian Shepherd
then added 96 runs quickly. Gavaskar had been rested, and the Indian openers were dismissed before close on the first day. The first five fell for 52 but yet again the lower half of the Indian batting outscored the top order. Despite a lead of 228, Denness chose to bat again and set Indians 408 to win in over a day. On a very cold final day, Viswanath
and Mankad
took the score to 137 for 1 at lunch but Shepherd dismissed Mankad and Sardesai
in one over. Viswanath, however, scored his second successive hundred and shielded the later batsmen.
v Leicestershire
This match proved to be the turning point for the Indians who now began to win consistently. The match was played in warm sunshine before a crowd that included many Indians. Dudleston
and Steele began with a stand of 50 runs in an hour before Chandra caught and bowled Steele. Baig
ran Dudleston out for 51 and Solkar
took a spectacular catch at short squareleg to dismiss Davison. Leicestershire were dismissed before tea for 198. Gavaskar
and Wadekar
added 231 for the second wicket. Wadekar once swung Birkenshaw
over fineleg, shattering the window panes. India was 120 for 1 at close on the first day, and added another 125 without loss before lunch on the second. Wadekar was well caught by Birkenshaw at short midwicket having made 126 with 18 fours and the six. Gavaskar made 165 in five and a half fours with 21 fours. India declared after tea with a lead of 218. Leicestershire lost quick wickets on the last day before Balderstone
and Roger Tolchard
added 72 for the fifth wicket. Tolchard was dropped by Solkar but Gavaskar had him caught at slip. The match ended ten minutes after lunch. Chandra returned figures of 5 for 63 and 6 for 64 (11 for 127).
v Warwickshire
Indians recovered from a bad start to win by an innings. On the first day Jameson
set about the Indian bowling to score 231 in 265 minutes with 31 fours and four sixes - one each off Bedi, Govindraj, Abid Ali and Prasanna
. India rested Chandra for the match. Warwickshire scored 130 without loss in 30 overs before lunch on the first day. Bedi dismissed John Whitehouse and Kanhai
in four balls. Jameson and Smith then added 241 in 149 minutes. Jameson was dropped at 132 and 143. On the latter occasion, Prasanna let the ball go off his hands for six, Govindraj being the bowler. After Warwickshire declared at the fall of Jameson, India made 94 for two on the first day, and another 416 runs on the second. Wadekar
and Sardesai
made 144 for the third wicket and Sardesai and Viswanath
118 for the fourth wicket. Sardesai scored 120 and Viswanath missed his third consecutive century by ten runs. India batted into the third day for Abid Ali to score a hundred. He missed it by seven runs and India was all out for 562. It was India's highest first class score in England. Jameson fell early, caught hooking Abid Ali. Bedi and Prasanna shared the other nine wickets as Warwickshire lost by an innings. India defeated Warwickshire for the first time in seven attempts.
v Glamorgan
Farokh Engineer
was released by Lancashire
to play in this match. Wadekar
won his fourth toss in successive matches. Several Indian batsmen had a good start without going on to make a big score. Engineer top-scored making 62 of the 94 runs added by the last six wickets. Sixteen wickets fell on the second day. Majid Khan played a fine innings of 78 with 11 fours before Bedi bowled his with an arm-ball. But the last six Glamoran wickets added only 25. Venkataraghavan took 6 for 76. India lost the first three for 46 but Wadekar scored 73. Venkataraghavan made 57 including a six off Peter Walker
. Needing 337 in the second innings, Glamorgan closed the second day on 11 for no loss. On the final day, Engineer missed two chances from Nash
who was also dropped by Baig
. Nash top scored with 75. After being 185 for four at tea, Glamorgan were all out for 224. This time Bedi took six wickets. Both he and Venkat took nine wickets in the match.
v Hampshire
v Surrey
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
fixtures, winning 7, losing only one and drawing 11.
India played three Test matches
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
and surprisingly won the series against England 1–0 with two Tests drawn. This was India's first ever series win in England. The First Test at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
and the Second Test at Old Trafford were drawn. India pulled off a historic win in the Third Test at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
by 4 wickets after being 71 behind on first innings. They bowled England out for only 101 in the second innings with Bhagwat Chandrasekhar
Bhagwat Chandrasekhar
Bhagwat Subramanya Chandrasekhar is a former Indian cricketer who specialised in leg spin. Considered amongst the top echelon of leg-spinners, Chandrasekhar along with E.A.S. Prasanna, Bishen Singh Bedi and Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan constituted the Indian spin quartet that dominated...
claiming 6–38.
The Indian team was captained by Ajit Wadekar
Ajit Wadekar
Ajit Laxman Wadekar is a former international cricketer. He played domestic first-class cricket for the Mumbai cricket team....
. Besides Wadekar and Chandrasekhar, the team included other notable players in Dilip Sardesai
Dilip Sardesai
Dilip Narayan Sardesai was a former Indian Test cricketer. He was the only Goan-born cricketer to play for India, and was often regarded as India's best batsman against spin bowling.-Early career:...
, Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan
Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan
Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan ; is a former Indian cricketer. He played for Derbyshire in English county cricket from 1973 to 1975. He played Test cricket for the Indian cricket team, and later became an umpire on the elite International Cricket Council Test panel...
, Gundappa Viswanath
Gundappa Viswanath
Gundappa Rangnath Viswanath is a former Indian cricketer. He was one of India's finest batsmen throughout the 1970s. He played Test cricket for India from 1969 to 1983 making 91 appearances and scoring over 6000 runs. He also played in One Day Internationals from 1974 to 1982 including the World...
, Bishan Singh Bedi
Bishan Singh Bedi
Bishan Singh Bedi is a former Indian cricketer who was primarily a slow left-arm orthodox bowler. He played Test cricket for India from 1966 to 1979 and formed part of the famous Indian spin quartet. He also captained the national side in 22 Test matches...
and the young Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
. Farokh Engineer
Farokh Engineer
Farokh Maneksha Engineer is a former Indian cricketer of Parsi background who played 46 Tests for India and played first-class cricket for Mumbai in India and Lancashire in England. Engineer's active international career started in 1961 and continued to 1975, and he was India's first-choice...
, who had a contract with Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
was made available for the Tests and a few other matches.
Background
With South AfricaSouth African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
out of Test cricket, England was arguably the best cricket team in the world at this point of time. Earlier in the summer, they had fortuitously managed to defeat Pakistan 1–0 but coming into the series England had gone 24 Tests without defeat. They were to extend it to a record 26 Test matches before losing the third Test.
India had not won a Test abroad till 1968 and had had no success in their previous six Test tours of England. However, under the new captain Ajit Wadekar
Ajit Wadekar
Ajit Laxman Wadekar is a former international cricketer. He played domestic first-class cricket for the Mumbai cricket team....
, India defeated West Indies in an away series in early 1971. The victory in that series was built around the batting of Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
and Dilip Sardesai
Dilip Sardesai
Dilip Narayan Sardesai was a former Indian Test cricketer. He was the only Goan-born cricketer to play for India, and was often regarded as India's best batsman against spin bowling.-Early career:...
who scored 774 and 642 runs respectively. Chandrasekhar
Bhagwat Chandrasekhar
Bhagwat Subramanya Chandrasekhar is a former Indian cricketer who specialised in leg spin. Considered amongst the top echelon of leg-spinners, Chandrasekhar along with E.A.S. Prasanna, Bishen Singh Bedi and Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan constituted the Indian spin quartet that dominated...
had been a controversial omission from the West Indies series. Chief Selector Vijay Merchant
Vijay Merchant
Vijaysingh Madhavji Merchant , real name Vijay Madhavji Thakersey was an Indian cricketer. A right-hand batter and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler, Merchant played first class cricket for Mumbai cricket team as well as 10 Test matches for India between 1929 and 1951...
called his inclusion for the tour of England "a calculated gamble".
Touring party
M. L. JaisimhaM. L. Jaisimha
Motganhalli Laxminarsu Jaisimha was an Indian Test cricketer.M.L. Jaisimha a right-handed batsman who was noted for his style on and off the field. He bowled medium pace, often opening the bowling for India, and off breaks and was a brilliant fielder. But it was the way he went about things that...
, Salim Durani
Salim Durani
Salim Aziz Durani is a former Indian cricketer who played in 29 Tests from 1960 to 1973. An allrounder, Durani was a slow left-arm orthodox bowler and a big hitting left-handed batsman and famous for his six hitting prowess...
and Rusi Jeejeebhoy were excluded from the team that toured West Indies.
First Test: India v England (22 – 27 July)
You may be too young to remember, but in 1971, during a Test match, I collided with England fast bowler John Snow and lost my bat. Snow picked it up and handed it to me. But at the time, many papers wrote that Snow had flung the bat at me. It all depends on your point of view, or what you are trying to portray.... - Sunil GavaskarSunil GavaskarSunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
Picture
The England fast bowler John Snow
John Snow (cricketer)
John Augustine Snow played cricket for Sussex and England in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite being the son of a country vicar and publishing two volumes of poetry Snow was England's most formidable fast bowler between Fred Trueman and Bob Willis and played Test Matches with both of them at either end...
rescued the England first innings when he came in at 183/7 and made 73 to hoist the total up to 304. This was Snow's highest Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
and equal highest First Class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
score, but he was disappointed not to realise his boyhood dream of a century at Lords when he was caught off a Chandrasekhar
Bhagwat Chandrasekhar
Bhagwat Subramanya Chandrasekhar is a former Indian cricketer who specialised in leg spin. Considered amongst the top echelon of leg-spinners, Chandrasekhar along with E.A.S. Prasanna, Bishen Singh Bedi and Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan constituted the Indian spin quartet that dominated...
googly
Googly
In cricket, a googly is a type of delivery bowled by a right-arm leg spin bowler. It is occasionally referred to as a Bosie , an eponym in honour of its inventor Bernard Bosanquet.- Explanation :...
. India needed 183 to win in the fourth innings when Snow had the opener Ashok Mankad
Ashok Mankad
Ashok Vinoo Mankad was a former Indian cricketer. A right-handed batsman, he played for India in 22 Test matches....
caught by Knott
Alan Knott
Alan Philip Eric Knott is a former Kent County Cricket Club and English cricketer, as a wicket-keeper-batsman....
for 8 and India were 21–2 when Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
was called for a quick single after hitting the ball to mid-wicket. Snow went for the ball and knocked him over, "I could imagine the horror on the faces of everybody watching the game from the committee room at Lord's". They were both uninjured, got up and continued with the game after and Snow tossed Gavaskar's bat back to him. A similar incident had happened in Georgetown in 1967–68 with Clive Lloyd
Clive Lloyd
Clive Hubert Lloyd CBE AO is a former West Indies cricketer. He captained the West Indies between 1974 and 1985 and oversaw their rise to become the dominant Test-playing nation, a position that was only relinquished in the latter half of the 1990s...
, but the 5'4" Indian received far more sympathy than the 6'4" West Indian who nearly trampled Snow into the ground. From afar the incident had looked much worse and was replayed repeated on slow-motion television with a media furore and press demanding disciplinary action. The replay can be seen in the Indian episode of the BBC documentary Empire of Cricket and it certainly appears that Snow recklessly barged into the Gavaskar as he knocked him over. Many were more angry about the throwing of the bat back than the knocking him over in the first place. At lunch Snow returned to the dressing room he apologised to the chairman of selectors Alec Bedser
Alec Bedser
Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE was a professional English cricketer. He was the chairman of selectors for the English national cricket team, and the president of Surrey County Cricket Club...
and promised to do so to Gavaskar when an enraged Mike Griffith
Mike Griffith
Mike Grenville Griffith, born at Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire on 25 November 1943, was a cricketer who played for and captained Sussex. A middle-order right-handed batsman, he also kept wicket occasionally....
charged in and shouted "That's the most disgusting thing I've ever seen on the field". Illingworth took him out and Snow waited until he had calmed down before apologising to Gavaskar on the field after lunch. When he later saw the replay he said "Oh well, the scene's been far too quiet without me anyway". and realised he could not avoid being dropped for the Second Test. The game was rained off with India needed 38 runs, but with England wanting only two wickets.
Second Test: India v England (5 – 10 August)
Third Test: India v England (19–24 August)
Snow returned for the Third Test and tore off Gavaskar's chain and medallion with a bouncer that zipped under his chin and made him fall over. He bowled the Indian for 6 in the first innings and had him lbwLeg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
for a duck in the second, but this was not enough to prevent India winning the Test and the series by four wickets. It was only the second Test defeat Snow had seen since he had become and England regular in 1966 and ended England's run of 27 Test without loss.
v MiddlesexMiddlesex County Cricket ClubMiddlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
-
- At Lord's, June 23, 24, 25. Middlesex (233 and 131) lost to the Indians (168 and 198–8) by two wickets.
Eric Russell and Mike Smith added 89 for the first wicket after Mike Brearley
Mike Brearley
John Michael Brearley OBE is a former cricketer who captained the England cricket team in 31 of his 39 Test matches, winning 17 and losing only 4. He was the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club in 2007–08.-Early life:...
won the toss and batted. Russell, dropped three times, became the third batsman - after John Jameson
John Jameson (cricketer)
John Alexander Jameson MBE is a former English cricketer who played in four Tests and three ODIs for England from 1971 to 1975. Jameson represented Warwickshire from 1960 until 1976....
and Zaheer Abbas
Zaheer Abbas
Syed Zaheer Abbas Kirmani , popularly known as Zaheer Abbas, is a former Pakistani cricketer, regarded as one of the finest batsman produced by that country. He is widely known as the "Asian Bradman", a reference to former Australian great Sir Donald Bradman...
- to complete 1,000 runs for the season. He was caught at mid-off for 84 in three and a half hours. Middlesex, 164 for 2 at the time of Russell's dismissal, was all out for 233. Price took the wickets of Abbas Ali Baig
Abbas Ali Baig
Abbas Ali Baig is a former Indian cricketer who played in 10 Tests from 1959 to 1966.He was named one of Indian Cricket 's five Cricketers of the Year for 1959/60....
and Wadekar
Ajit Wadekar
Ajit Laxman Wadekar is a former international cricketer. He played domestic first-class cricket for the Mumbai cricket team....
off successive balls as India ended the first day on 41 for 3. They slid further to 94 for 6 before Viswanath
Gundappa Viswanath
Gundappa Rangnath Viswanath is a former Indian cricketer. He was one of India's finest batsmen throughout the 1970s. He played Test cricket for India from 1969 to 1983 making 91 appearances and scoring over 6000 runs. He also played in One Day Internationals from 1974 to 1982 including the World...
and Abid Ali added 76 runs in an hour. Going in second with a 65-run lead, Middlesex lost five wickets for 20 runs in 40 minutes after tea. Bedi took 6 for 29 and India needed 197 to win. Price took two wickets off consecutive balls for the fourth day in a row, Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
and Sardesai
Dilip Sardesai
Dilip Narayan Sardesai was a former Indian Test cricketer. He was the only Goan-born cricketer to play for India, and was often regarded as India's best batsman against spin bowling.-Early career:...
being the batsmen this time. This time the first five wickets fell for 79 but Solkar
Eknath Solkar
Eknath Dhondu 'Ekki' Solkar was an Indian all-round cricketer who played 27 Tests and seven One Day Internationals for his country...
and Abid Ali added 56 and Bedi finished the match pulling Parfitt
Peter Parfitt
Peter Parfitt is an English former cricketer. He attended Fakenham Grammar School, and King Edward VII Grammar School, in Kings Lynn, Norfolk....
for four. On a wearing wicket, Middlesex missed Titmus
Fred Titmus
Frederick John Titmus MBE was an English cricketer, whose first-class career spanned five decades. Although he was best known for his off spin , he was an accomplished lower-order batsman who deserved to be called an all-rounder, even opening the batting for England on six occasions...
who had been rested.
v EssexEssex County Cricket ClubEssex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
-
- At Colchester, June 26, 28, 29. Indians (164 and 231) lost to Essex (328-8 decl and 68 for 4) by six wickets.
The match was played in very English conditions - the wicket hardly differed foom the outfield, there was a near gale-force wind and it rained. Boyce
Keith Boyce
Keith David Boyce played 21 Tests and 8 One Day Internationals for the West Indies in the 1970s, he died from the effects of chronic cirrhosis of the liver while sitting in a chair at a pharmacist in Speightstown, Barbados in 1996.Boyce was the first man to take eight wickets in a List A match; he...
dismissed Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
with the last ball of the first over. Lever
John Lever
John Lever MBE is an English former cricketer, who played in twenty one Tests and twenty two ODIs for England from 1976 to 1986...
hit Jayantilal
Kenia Jayantilal
Hirji Kenia Jayantilal is a former Indian cricketer who played in one Test in 1971....
on the boot with his first ball, had Wadekar
Ajit Wadekar
Ajit Laxman Wadekar is a former international cricketer. He played domestic first-class cricket for the Mumbai cricket team....
caught behind off the fifth, and yorked Viswanath
Gundappa Viswanath
Gundappa Rangnath Viswanath is a former Indian cricketer. He was one of India's finest batsmen throughout the 1970s. He played Test cricket for India from 1969 to 1983 making 91 appearances and scoring over 6000 runs. He also played in One Day Internationals from 1974 to 1982 including the World...
with the second ball of his second over. None of the batsmen scored and India was 3 for 4 after 20 balls. India eventually ended up with 164. In the Essex reply, Fletcher
Keith Fletcher
Keith Fletcher is a former English cricketer, who played for Essex and England. He later became England's team manager. His nickname was "The Gnome of Essex", so christened by his Essex team-mate, Ray East, because Fletcher's winklepickers had begun to curl up at the toes due to wear...
scored his third hundred of the season in 223 minutes. Just before the declaration, Lever hit 37 in 25 minutes with 2 fours and 3 sixes. After reaching 163 for 3 an hour before tea on the final day, India lost five wickets in 20 overs. Essex needed 68 in 18 overs and managed it just in time.
v DH Robins' XI
-
- At Eastbourne, June 30, July 1,2. DH Robins' XI (228-8 decl and 258-5 decl) drew with Indians (305-8 decl and 132-4).
Sardesai
Dilip Sardesai
Dilip Narayan Sardesai was a former Indian Test cricketer. He was the only Goan-born cricketer to play for India, and was often regarded as India's best batsman against spin bowling.-Early career:...
, Venkat
Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan
Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan ; is a former Indian cricketer. He played for Derbyshire in English county cricket from 1973 to 1975. He played Test cricket for the Indian cricket team, and later became an umpire on the elite International Cricket Council Test panel...
and Solkar
Eknath Solkar
Eknath Dhondu 'Ekki' Solkar was an Indian all-round cricketer who played 27 Tests and seven One Day Internationals for his country...
were rested and Govindraj played his first match. He took 2 for 20 in 12 overs in his opening spell. By tea, Robins' XI had lost seven wickets for 148. Old
Chris Old
Chris Old is an English former cricketer, who played in forty six Tests and thirty two ODIs from 1972 to 1981....
and O'Keefe added 71 for the ninth wicket when the innings was declared half an hour before the close. Still trying to solve the problem of the opening batsmen, India picked all the four openers in the touring party. Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
and Baig
Abbas Ali Baig
Abbas Ali Baig is a former Indian cricketer who played in 10 Tests from 1959 to 1966.He was named one of Indian Cricket 's five Cricketers of the Year for 1959/60....
opened, Jayantilal
Kenia Jayantilal
Hirji Kenia Jayantilal is a former Indian cricketer who played in one Test in 1971....
went in at one down and Mankad
Ashok Mankad
Ashok Vinoo Mankad was a former Indian cricketer. A right-handed batsman, he played for India in 22 Test matches....
at five. After the quick exit of Baig and Jayantilal, Wadekar scored 45 with nine fours, four of them in a Greig
Tony Greig
Anthony "Tony" William Greig is a former English Test cricketer and currently a commentator.Born in Queenstown, South Africa, Greig qualified to play for England by virtue of his Scottish father. He was a tall batting all-rounder who bowled both medium pace and off spin. He became captain of the...
over. Viswanath
Gundappa Viswanath
Gundappa Rangnath Viswanath is a former Indian cricketer. He was one of India's finest batsmen throughout the 1970s. He played Test cricket for India from 1969 to 1983 making 91 appearances and scoring over 6000 runs. He also played in One Day Internationals from 1974 to 1982 including the World...
scored a hundred in 200 minutes with 15 fours. Robins' XI declared just before tea setting India 182 in around two hours. Baig scored 38 with six fours after which the match ended in a draw.
v KentKent County Cricket ClubKent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
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- At Canterbury, July 3,5,6. Kent (394-8 decl and 176-4 decl) drew with Indians (163 and 264-7).
Venkataraghavan
Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan
Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan ; is a former Indian cricketer. He played for Derbyshire in English county cricket from 1973 to 1975. He played Test cricket for the Indian cricket team, and later became an umpire on the elite International Cricket Council Test panel...
captained the Indians. Dropped on 19, Luckhurst
Brian Luckhurst
Brian William Luckhurst was an English cricketer, who played his entire county career for Kent County Cricket Club. He played for Kent from 1958 to 1976, usually opening the batting, then in 1985, in an emergency, played in one more match against the Australians. He was cricket manager from 1981...
scored 118 in three and a half hours with 15 fours and a six off Venkat. Luckhurst and Denness
Mike Denness
Mike Denness is a former Scottish cricketer who played for England, Scotland, Essex and Kent. Scotland did not have a representative international team at the time of Denness' career, so he could only play for England at Test and ODI level. Denness became the first Scotsman to captain England...
made 125 for the first wicket and were separated just after lunch. Luckhurst was the fourth man out at 209 but Alan Knott
Alan Knott
Alan Philip Eric Knott is a former Kent County Cricket Club and English cricketer, as a wicket-keeper-batsman....
and West Indian Shepherd
John Shepherd (cricketer)
John Neil Shepherd is a former West Indian cricketer who played in five Tests from 1969 to 1971...
then added 96 runs quickly. Gavaskar had been rested, and the Indian openers were dismissed before close on the first day. The first five fell for 52 but yet again the lower half of the Indian batting outscored the top order. Despite a lead of 228, Denness chose to bat again and set Indians 408 to win in over a day. On a very cold final day, Viswanath
Gundappa Viswanath
Gundappa Rangnath Viswanath is a former Indian cricketer. He was one of India's finest batsmen throughout the 1970s. He played Test cricket for India from 1969 to 1983 making 91 appearances and scoring over 6000 runs. He also played in One Day Internationals from 1974 to 1982 including the World...
and Mankad
Ashok Mankad
Ashok Vinoo Mankad was a former Indian cricketer. A right-handed batsman, he played for India in 22 Test matches....
took the score to 137 for 1 at lunch but Shepherd dismissed Mankad and Sardesai
Dilip Sardesai
Dilip Narayan Sardesai was a former Indian Test cricketer. He was the only Goan-born cricketer to play for India, and was often regarded as India's best batsman against spin bowling.-Early career:...
in one over. Viswanath, however, scored his second successive hundred and shielded the later batsmen.
v LeicestershireLeicestershire County Cricket ClubLeicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
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- At Grace Road, Leicester July 7,8,9 Leicestershire (198 and 168) lost to Indians (416-7 decl) by an innings and 50 runs.
This match proved to be the turning point for the Indians who now began to win consistently. The match was played in warm sunshine before a crowd that included many Indians. Dudleston
Barry Dudleston
Barry Dudleston is a former first-class cricketer and umpire. He was a right-handed batsman and occasional wicketkeeper who played cricket for Rhodesia, Gloucestershire and Leicestershire. By the end of his career of 295 first-class games he had made 14,747 runs at 32.48, with 32 hundreds and 241...
and Steele began with a stand of 50 runs in an hour before Chandra caught and bowled Steele. Baig
Abbas Ali Baig
Abbas Ali Baig is a former Indian cricketer who played in 10 Tests from 1959 to 1966.He was named one of Indian Cricket 's five Cricketers of the Year for 1959/60....
ran Dudleston out for 51 and Solkar
Eknath Solkar
Eknath Dhondu 'Ekki' Solkar was an Indian all-round cricketer who played 27 Tests and seven One Day Internationals for his country...
took a spectacular catch at short squareleg to dismiss Davison. Leicestershire were dismissed before tea for 198. Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
and Wadekar
Ajit Wadekar
Ajit Laxman Wadekar is a former international cricketer. He played domestic first-class cricket for the Mumbai cricket team....
added 231 for the second wicket. Wadekar once swung Birkenshaw
Jack Birkenshaw
Jack Birkenshaw, MBE was an English cricketer, who later stood as an umpire and worked as a coach...
over fineleg, shattering the window panes. India was 120 for 1 at close on the first day, and added another 125 without loss before lunch on the second. Wadekar was well caught by Birkenshaw at short midwicket having made 126 with 18 fours and the six. Gavaskar made 165 in five and a half fours with 21 fours. India declared after tea with a lead of 218. Leicestershire lost quick wickets on the last day before Balderstone
Chris Balderstone
John Christopher Balderstone was an English professional in cricket and football, and one of the last sportsmen to combine both sports over a prolonged period. He played football as a midfielder for Huddersfield Town, Carlisle United, Doncaster Rovers and Queen of the South...
and Roger Tolchard
Roger Tolchard
Roger William Tolchard is an English former cricketer, who played in four Tests and one One Day International for England in the late 1970s.-Life and career:Tolchard was a wicket-keeper...
added 72 for the fifth wicket. Tolchard was dropped by Solkar but Gavaskar had him caught at slip. The match ended ten minutes after lunch. Chandra returned figures of 5 for 63 and 6 for 64 (11 for 127).
v WarwickshireWarwickshire County Cricket ClubWarwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
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- At Edgbaston, Birmingham July 10,12,13 Warwickshire (377-3 decl and 182) lost to Indians (562) by an innings and 3 runs.
Indians recovered from a bad start to win by an innings. On the first day Jameson
John Jameson (cricketer)
John Alexander Jameson MBE is a former English cricketer who played in four Tests and three ODIs for England from 1971 to 1975. Jameson represented Warwickshire from 1960 until 1976....
set about the Indian bowling to score 231 in 265 minutes with 31 fours and four sixes - one each off Bedi, Govindraj, Abid Ali and Prasanna
E. A. S. Prasanna
Erapalli Anantharao Srinivas Prasanna is a famous former cricket player from Bangalore, India. He was a spin bowler, specializing in off spin and a member of the Indian spin quartet. He is an alumunus of National Institute of Engineering , Mysore.-Career:Prasanna played his debut Test cricket...
. India rested Chandra for the match. Warwickshire scored 130 without loss in 30 overs before lunch on the first day. Bedi dismissed John Whitehouse and Kanhai
Rohan Kanhai
Rohan Bholalall Kanhai is a former West Indian Cricket player of Indo-Guyanese descent. He is widely considered as one of the best batsmen of the 1960s. Kanhai featured in several great West Indian teams, playing with, among others, Sir Garfield Sobers, Roy Fredericks, Lance Gibbs, and Alvin...
in four balls. Jameson and Smith then added 241 in 149 minutes. Jameson was dropped at 132 and 143. On the latter occasion, Prasanna let the ball go off his hands for six, Govindraj being the bowler. After Warwickshire declared at the fall of Jameson, India made 94 for two on the first day, and another 416 runs on the second. Wadekar
Ajit Wadekar
Ajit Laxman Wadekar is a former international cricketer. He played domestic first-class cricket for the Mumbai cricket team....
and Sardesai
Dilip Sardesai
Dilip Narayan Sardesai was a former Indian Test cricketer. He was the only Goan-born cricketer to play for India, and was often regarded as India's best batsman against spin bowling.-Early career:...
made 144 for the third wicket and Sardesai and Viswanath
Gundappa Viswanath
Gundappa Rangnath Viswanath is a former Indian cricketer. He was one of India's finest batsmen throughout the 1970s. He played Test cricket for India from 1969 to 1983 making 91 appearances and scoring over 6000 runs. He also played in One Day Internationals from 1974 to 1982 including the World...
118 for the fourth wicket. Sardesai scored 120 and Viswanath missed his third consecutive century by ten runs. India batted into the third day for Abid Ali to score a hundred. He missed it by seven runs and India was all out for 562. It was India's highest first class score in England. Jameson fell early, caught hooking Abid Ali. Bedi and Prasanna shared the other nine wickets as Warwickshire lost by an innings. India defeated Warwickshire for the first time in seven attempts.
v GlamorganGlamorgan County Cricket ClubGlamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
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- At Sophia Gardens, Cardiff July 14,15,16 Indians (284 and 245-6 decl) df Glamorgan (203 and 224) by 102 runs.
Farokh Engineer
Farokh Engineer
Farokh Maneksha Engineer is a former Indian cricketer of Parsi background who played 46 Tests for India and played first-class cricket for Mumbai in India and Lancashire in England. Engineer's active international career started in 1961 and continued to 1975, and he was India's first-choice...
was released by Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
to play in this match. Wadekar
Ajit Wadekar
Ajit Laxman Wadekar is a former international cricketer. He played domestic first-class cricket for the Mumbai cricket team....
won his fourth toss in successive matches. Several Indian batsmen had a good start without going on to make a big score. Engineer top-scored making 62 of the 94 runs added by the last six wickets. Sixteen wickets fell on the second day. Majid Khan played a fine innings of 78 with 11 fours before Bedi bowled his with an arm-ball. But the last six Glamoran wickets added only 25. Venkataraghavan took 6 for 76. India lost the first three for 46 but Wadekar scored 73. Venkataraghavan made 57 including a six off Peter Walker
Peter Walker (cricketer)
Peter Michael Walker MBE is an English former cricketer, who played in three Tests for England in 1960.-Life and career:Walker was born in Bristol, but educated partly in South Africa...
. Needing 337 in the second innings, Glamorgan closed the second day on 11 for no loss. On the final day, Engineer missed two chances from Nash
Malcolm Nash
Malcolm Nash, is a Welsh cricket coach and former first-class cricketer.- Glamorgan Cricketer :Born in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Nash was a left arm medium pace bowler who played largely for Glamorgan....
who was also dropped by Baig
Abbas Ali Baig
Abbas Ali Baig is a former Indian cricketer who played in 10 Tests from 1959 to 1966.He was named one of Indian Cricket 's five Cricketers of the Year for 1959/60....
. Nash top scored with 75. After being 185 for four at tea, Glamorgan were all out for 224. This time Bedi took six wickets. Both he and Venkat took nine wickets in the match.
v HampshireHampshire County Cricket ClubHampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
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- At Dean Park, Bournemouth July 17,19,20 Hampshire (198 and 271) lost to Indians (364 and 106 for 5) by five wickets runs.
v Minor Counties
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- At County Ground, Lakenham July 28,29,30 Minor Counties (203-5 decl and 199-6 decl) drew with Indians (252-3 decl and 26-0).
v SurreySurrey County Cricket ClubSurrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
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- At The Oval July 31, August 1,2 Surrey (269 and 257-4 decl) drew with Indians (326-8 decl).
External sources
Annual reviews
- Playfair Cricket AnnualPlayfair Cricket AnnualPlayfair Cricket Annual is a compact annual about cricket that is published in the United Kingdom each April, just before the English cricket season is due to begin. Its main purposes are to review the previous English season and to provide detailed career records and potted biographies of current...
1972 - Wisden Cricketers Almanack 1972