1970s

History of Indian cricket-1970s

Indian cricket in the 1970’s had much to brag about. Winning against West Indies and England was one of the greatest landmarks achieved by the Indian team till then.

India’s tour of West Indies – 1970-71

The 1970-71 tour of West Indies was important for three primary reasons. The first one being that it was India’s first victory in the Caribbean; the second one was the spirit and the grit of the team throughout the series and the third one, being the most important, the emergence of Sunil Gavaskar who would go on to secure his place in cricket’s Hall of Fame.

The Indians sniffed their first taste to glory in the second match at Post of Spain where they defeated the West Indies by 7 wickets. The West Indies were bowled out for a mere 214 on the board in the first innings. The Indians replied with a masterful 112 by Dilip Sardesai and 65 to the name of Sunil Gavaskar playing in his maiden Test.

After a first innings lead of 138, the Indians managed to bowl out the West Indies in the second innings and were set a target of 124 runs. It was again a half-century by Gavaskar that helped India achieve the target.

The remaining Tests did not threaten to overturn the lead that the Indians had managed to gain. They won the series against the West Indians 1-0.

Arrival of Gavaskar - 1971

Gavaskar’s neoteric style of batting was a benchmark for all to see. Not even the greatest practitioners of clairvoyance could have predicted the onset of a career that would leave indelible prints on the annals of Indian cricket history. He gave flesh and blood to the dwindling spirit of the team. With 774 runs in his debut series at an average of 154.80, Gavaskar soon became a force to reckon with.

India topple England – 1971

Fresh after their victory against the West Indies, a rejuvenated Indian side went to England to do what had been never done before. They defeated the English in their own backyard.

After the first two Tests ended in a draw, the Indians went on to clinch the Third Test at Kennington Oval, London by 4 wickets. The English went on to score 355 in the first innings. The Indians were bowled out for a mere 284. The second innings saw the Englishmen being bowled out for 101 thanks to some fine bowling by Bhagwat Chandrasekhar.

The Indians had no difficulty in chasing the target of 173 runs due to vital contributions by Ajit Wadekar and Dilip Sardesai. This way the Indians made history by winning the series 1- 0.

The 1975 Cricket World Cup

The year 1975 saw the first World Cup being organized in England. Each side played a total of 60 overs. India were grouped with England, New Zealand and East Africa.

India began their World Cup journey under dubious circumstances. With the English putting up a mighty score of 334, Gavaskar did not do much good for the team by scoring 36 off 174 balls.

Source : www.zeenews.com