IND IA-ENGLAND CRICKET RELATIONS

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Prosperous Partnership

Cricket and Indian National Consciousness

Cricket in The Age of The Empire

India’s Baptism in International Cricket

Coming of Age

Hits and Misses

The Cricket World Cup

Bilateral Ties

The Almighty Bat

Indian Premier League

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Men of Mettle

Curator’s Note

Acknowledgements

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Director General’s Note

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India-UK have a long shared history and the game of cricket has, for many years, been the lifeblood of the England-India rela�onship. It is, therefore, but natural that Cricket had to be an integral part of the celebra�on of India-UK year of Culture (2017). The Na�onal Council of Science Museums, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, is therefore privileged and honoured to curate and develop the “Cricket Connects : India-UK” exhibi�on as a part of the India-UK Year of Culture.

The exhibi�on traces the history and commonality of the cricke�ng moments that is overwhelmingly shared between the two countries. The richly illustrated exhibi�on is supplemented with a working model demonstra�ng the science of spin of the ball, mul�media presenta�ons and gigan�c sta�s�cs on the bilateral matches and also historical digital memorabilia.

I take this opportunity to sincerely thank the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, the High Commission of India in UK and The Nehru Centre, London on whose ini�a�ve, guidance and support this exhibi�on has been developed by NCSM. I sincerely thank the en�re team of Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai, a unit of NCSM, for making this exhibi�on possible. I wish the exhibi�on grand success and hope that it helps in furthering the Indo-UK partnership.

A.S. Manekar

Director GeneralNa�onal Council of Science MuseumsMinistry of Culture, Govt. of IndiaKolkata

The exhibition is an important ‘Cricket Connects’component of the “UK India Year of Culture 2017” that was announced jointly in 2015 by the honourable Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the then-British Prime Minister Mr. David Cameron. An array of diverse cultural events are being organised under the auspices of the “UK India Year of Culture” all through the year both in India and in UK and this exhibition is one such event.

Cricket has always been a unifying connect between the two Nations. What started in 1721 as a means to avoid boredom by a group of British sailors anchored off the Gujarat coast has now grown into a multibillion dollar entertainment industry that helps in cementing both cultural and economic bilateral relation between India and UK. It has drawn into its folds almost every other form of entertainment culture from movies, television and publishing. The passion for the game transcends all human barriers. What was once a sedate pastime for the wealthier classes in the UK is now a grand gala show re�ecting the throbbing hearts of well over a billion Indians.

The exhibition, curated to celebrate the spirit of Cricket, especially the UK-India cricketing ties, traces the long history of cooperation and competition between the two Nations using the cricket narrative. It draws on a wide range of research, archival resources, images, documentary, visuals and audio, to showcase the historic cricketing relationship between India and England. The curation of this exhibition has gone through long hours of research and holding very interesting interactions with more interesting people who live the game. We take this opportunity to thank the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, the Secretary Culture, Mr. Narendra Kumar Sinha, The Indian High Commission in UK, The Nehru Centre, ICCR, Prof. Ratnakar Shetty of the BCCI and several those other institutions and individuals who in a hundred different ways, made this exhibition possible. We hope that the exhibition appeals to the audience.

Curator’s Note

Shivaprasad M. KhenedDirector, Nehru Science Centre, National Gallery of Modern Art,Mumbai and Curator of the Exhibition.

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Prosperous PARTNERSHIPDuring the recent visit of UK Prime Minister, Ms. Theresa May (an ardent cricket fan) to India, from 6 – 8 November 2016, the two Prime Ministers of India and UK signed a joint statement which among other things, included celebration of the year 2017 as the India - UK Year of Culture.

The strengthening of the b i lateral relationship between India and UK is evidenced from the fact that India was the �rst country, outside of the European Union, that Ms. Theresa May, the Honourable Prime Minister of UK,chose for holding bilateral meeting of the heads of state. A year before, the Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi had visited UK, from 12th to 14th November, 2015, and had advanced the India – UK relationship to newer heights. The two Prime Ministers – Mr. Modi and Mr. David Cameroon (also a cricket fan) – had endorsed a Vision Statement sett ing out the fundamental principles on which India-UK partnership is built and outlined a roadmap for deepening the bilateral cooperation.

ricket is one of the most popular sporting and cultural connect that India shares with UK. It was therefore, no wonder that Theresa May chose to gift a silver bat to the PM of India Narendra Modi during her visit to India. It ,is also apt that one of the key components planned to celebrate the India UK Year of Culture, on the 70th year of India's ndependence (2017), is this Iexhibition, Cricket Connects. Cricket for both countries embod a iesstatement of “one ation, one passion and one team” and this sport plays a Ncementing role in strengthening of our bilateral relationship. Cricket – introduced by the British in India - is now unquestionably the most popular spectator sport in India.

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THE DIASPORA

Nasser Hussain

Monty PanesarRavi Bopara

he Indian Diaspora extended a memorable reception to the Indian PM and to Mr. Cameron at the historic Wembley Stadium in November 2015. The genesis of the Indian Diaspora goes back to the time when the British moved across continents to rule major part of the world.

Wherever the British went, they needed helpers to support the masters. The Indians therefore moved far and wide to support their masters as planters, civil servants, teachers etc and with them moved the game of cricket. Like their masters, the Indians too chose cricket as pastime and to reconnect with their mother country India. Over the years, several Indian origin players have represented the i r respect ive adopted country of residence in cricket. Some of these players include R o h a n K a n h a i , A l v i n K a l l i ch a r ra n , S h iv n a r i n e Chanderpaul and many others who have represented West Indies. Indian origin players have also represented England and the famous among them include KS Ranjitsinhji, KS Duleepsinhji,Patudi(Senior) Nasser Hussain, Monty Panesar, Ravi Bopara and others. The Diaspora's interest in India is evidenced during the cricket matches when large numbers of the Indian Diaspora turn out to watch whenever the Indians play England .

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Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji

Former Sussex and England cricketer and also the Maharaja Jam Sahib of

Nawanagar.

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TheBritish Indian Soldiers in the

World WarThe shared connections and history between the Indian and British Soldiers goes

back to World War I (WWI), which started with the British announcing its entry into

the bloody war on the 4th of August 1915. India being a part of the British overseas

empire was unwittingly drawn into the WWI.

More than a million Indian soldiers fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the British in the trenches and most inhuman conditions during WWI. They fought the famous battle of Gallipoli against the Ottoman Empire - in the most treacherous of trenches. They also fought the battle against the Germans across the European, Mediterranean, the Mesopotamian, Middle East, North and East African theatres of war. Tens of thousands of Indian soldiers perished

(75,000 plus) or were seriously wounded (67,000 plus) while fighting alongside their British officers, showing outstanding valour. Some of these soldiers were decorated with the highest wartime British gallantry award- the Victoria Cross. The India Gate in New Delhi, the Chetri Memorial in UK, other war memorials and the records from war archives reveal an exemplary battle time connect between India and Britain .

Polish, British, Indian, Australian and Czech soldiers (from left to right) standing side by side in Tobruk, where all nationalities take part in the battle against German forces.

courtesy: Imperial War Museum,London

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The Indian soldiers' participation in the war was supported by the political leaders of the country - including Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation - who were at the forefront of the struggle for India's independence.

Mahatma Gandhi

Unfortunately, history has mostly forgotten the heroism, valour and sacrifices of the Indian soldiers, which are only becoming evident and coming into the limelight hundred years on.

The British commander and Indian crew of a Sherman tank of the 9th Royal Deccan Horse, 255th Indian Tank Brigade, encounter a newly liberated elephant on the road to Meiktila, 29 March 1945.

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Indian cavalry of the Jodhpore and Mysore Lancers, 1 6 t h ( I m p e r i a l Service) Cavalry Br igade pass ing t h r o u g h H a i f a following the city's capture from Turkey (Ottoman Empire), 23 rd September 1918.

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The rich and wealthy Rajas and Maharajas from the princely states of India, who took to cricket very early on to connect with their British masters, not just supported their British masters in Cricket but also played an extraordinary role in WWI by supporting the British with men and money.

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t h e I n d i a n s l o o p NARBADA at Myebon, Burma. The gun barrels were blistered during

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Bhupinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala, w i t h G e n e r a l S i r H e r b e r t P l u m e r , commander of the British Second Army, a n d h i s s t a f f , a t Blendecques, 30 July 1918.

The Maharaja of Patiala with his troops, Egypt, 21 March 1919.

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SHAREDCOMMONHERITAGE

hese include, among others, the Railways and telegraph, which helped I n d i a n s t r a v e l a n d communicate faster and better, thereby using the newer technolog ies to further their own goals of self governance. Our shared history, most importantly, also includes the friendly yet �erce competition on the cricket grounds.

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more than two centuries of common heritage with

Britain, and with it, many other inherited institutions and arenas of

common interaction. Our shared history includes the English language (introduced by Lord Macaulay to India), the Parliamentary Democracy, free press, the judiciary etc. The British Empire in India, acted as a catalyst

in bringing the technological f r u i t s o f I n d u s t r i a l

Revolution to India.

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A page from an old Railway Timetable in India

A page from an old Railway Timetable in India

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The Spinoff benefitsfrom the British Rule

he English language advantage serves India well to this day; it also brought to India the �rst and only Nobel P r i z e i n L i t e r a t u r e , t o Rabindranath Tagore – the �rst Asian to be so honoured. The discovery of the brilliance of Ramanujan: “A Bradman class M a t h e m a t i c i a n ” b y t h e renowned mathematician G H Hardy, is another case in point that has connection with the English language. Most leaders of the nascent Indian Nation were British educated. .

ndia today produces a large number of sought after scientists and technologists, and is considered a serious competitor to the Silicon Valley in the USA.“Say no to Bangalore and yes to Buffalo”, was the mantra of the then US President Barack Obama as far back as 2005, as he tried to bring the ailing American economy back on track. Similar sentiments prevail in the US even today and the word “Bangalored” seems to have found a place in the lexicon of global economy. This vantage position that India �nds itself in is due to the English language advantage that Lord Macaulay introduced to India as far back as in 1835 with the English Education Act 1835 piloted by Lord William Bentinck.

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Nobel Prizein Literature

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Lord William Bentinck

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H Hardy - a diehard cricket a�cionado – one of the predominant English mathematicians of the pre-war era, is synonymous with pure mathematics. He is however better known to the Indians as the benevolent mentor of the Indian mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan. Hardy was extraordinarily devoted to cricket. Hardy's interest in cricket is seen in the statement of the internationally acclaimed economist Maynard Keynes, the founder of Keynesian economics and a friend of Hardy at Cambridge. He said “If Hardy had read the stock exchange for half an hour every day with as much interest and attention as he did the day's cricket scores, he would have become a rich man”.

Hardy is believed to have remarked to his sister, as he lay dying at the Evelyn Nursing Home in Cambridge in late 1947 " If I knew that I was going to die today, I think I should still want to hear the cricket scores". The �rst post Independence cricket tour that was undertaken by the Indian team was to Australia during 1947-48 where they were playing the mighty Australian's led by the legendary Don Bradman, who was Hardy's idol in Cricket. CP Snow, the author of Strangers and Brothers and The Two Cultures, was a regular companion of Hardy in cricket games. Snow has recalled that the last time he met Hardy was a week before Hardy's death at the hospital where Hardy asked him the cricket scores between India and Australia.

Ramanujan:Bradman class Mathematician -

Hardy’s Discovery

Hardy used cricketing parlance in ranking notable mathematicians and physicists. In a postcard to Snow he wrote, "Bradman is a whole class above any batsman who has ever lived: if Archimedes, Newton and Gauss remain in the Hobbs class, I have to admit the possibility of a class above them, which I �nd dif�cult to imagine. They had better be moved from now on into the Bradman class."

Srinivasa Ramanujan

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Hardy's main relaxation was cricket. Here, during a British Association meeting in Oxford in August 1926, he leads a team ofMATHEMATICIANS versus THE REST OF THE WORLD. His team included Titchmarsh, Bosanquet, Linfoot and Ferrar.

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CricketEnglishman's Gift that unites India

ricket, the Englishman's gift to India, has now become a religion and passion for most Indians, uniting people of different cultures, languages, religions, castes and creeds infusing a Nationalistic fervour among all the citizens of the Country. India now dominates the Cricket Administration both politically and economically and every cricket playing country and player loves to play cricket in India in front of thousands of our cricket crazy spectators.

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CRICKET AND

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NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS

Cricket and Indian cinema are the two main mass mediums, which besides providing entertainment, arouse passion, nationalism and arguably also unite every section of the Indian society. Both cricket and Bollywood transcend class and religious boundaries throughout the Indian subcontinent.

The game of cricket is inextricably linked to the Indian Nationalism and National consciousness.

Every Indian, irrespective of age and gender is fairly well informed about the game of cricket and they come together to support their team with heightened patr iot ic feel ings. The Bollywood exploited the links between nationalism and cricket with the movie L a g a a n – A s h u t o s h G owa r i k e r ' s A c a d e my Award nominated �lm – which primarily is a story of a group of plucky Indian villagers who beat their British rulers at cricket to rid themselves of the unjust tax burden imposed on them by the colonizers. The � l m p o r t r a y s a p r e -independent India which s h o w s c r i c k e t a s t h e u n i f y i n g f a c t o r i n developing the idea of a nation and attempts to f o r m a n a t i o n a l consciousness.

© Balaji Motion Pictures (Shobha Kapoor & Ekta Kapoor), Sony Pictures Networks: Azhar

CINEMA Connections

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© Mr. Ravi Bhagchandka & Carnival Motion Pictures- Sachin: A Billion Dreams

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CRICKET IS AN INDIAN GAME ACCIDENTALLY

DISCOVERED BY THE ENGLISH. any scholars who have written on

the rise of cricket in India have argued that the game is naturally suited to the

Indian consciousness. Ashish Nandy, one of the scholars, goes a step further and

states that “Cricket is an Indian game accidentally discovered by the English.”

One of the main factors in the ever growing link between cricket and Indian

National consciousness has been the support that the game of cricket has got

from the rulers of India ever since the game was introduced in India. The Rajas

and Maharajas from the princely states of India and also the political classes of

India have provided and continue to provide unstinted support to the game of

cricket in India.

-Ashish Nandy

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The Rajas &Maharajas

Patron of Cricket in India

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E v e n

before cricket took over from hockey as the most popular sport in India, the Indian

politicians have used this game to broaden their appeal. India's �rst Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, played cricket and his daughter Indira Gandhi, also the Prime Minister of India, used photos of her father striding out to bat, and dressed in his cricket whites, on political pamphlets for reaching out to the

cricket crazy Indians. Several cricket boards in India, including the all-

powerful BCCI, have innate connections with the ruling

and political class.

Cricket

in India re�ects or maintains a strong collective psychology of the people which gives rise to the collective identities. Cricket has also been used to achieve political motivation. It is therefore no wonder that the Indian political class and the leaders have always been supportive of this game and at varying times the Indian leadership, across the political spectrum, have always supported the game and have taken pride in hosting cricket players.

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played cricket and his daughter I n d i r a G a n d h i , a l s o t h e P r i m e Minister of India, used cricket to strengthen their bend with the public.

Jawaharlal NehruIndia's �rst Prime Minister,

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ome analysts argue that the relationship between cricket and politics in India is mutually bene�cial; cricket needs politicians in India to get money and to overcome the bureaucratic hurdles and issues and politicians use cricket and the players, who are idolised by the Indians, as a means of gaining popularity. It is not that this linkage is a post Independence or post 1983 phenomenon. The links between cricket and our l e a d e r s w e r e d e v e l o p e d e v e n b e f o r e Independence. The BCCI was formed by the Maharajahs of the Princely States, and cricket boards have always been supported by the most powerful people in the area. Two of the most prominent domestic tournaments t h e R a n j i Tr o p h y a n d D u l e e p Trophy,named after the legends of cricket from the princely class, are an example of the support that this game got from the Rajas and Maharajas and the ruling class of India.

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Ranji Trophy

Duleep Trophy

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A n o t h e r

crucial factor that has increased the link between cricket and National consciousness is

the popularity of the game post the 1983 Prudential World Cup which the Indians most unexpectedly won.

India by then had just begun its colour transmission, on the National TV Channel -the Doordarshan-, with the opening of

the Asian Games in Delhi in 1982. The economic liberalization that began in 1991 was a blessing in disguise for the popularity of

the game. One of the major sectors which were bene�tted from the economic liberalization included the Television Industry, which was deregulated in 1993 leading to exponential rise in the private TV channels. The success in the World Cup in 1983, ten years earlier, combined with the spread of new television stations brought cricket to whole new audiences throughout India. The Indian audience could now view their favourite sport sitting in the comforts of their living rooms. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch's Star Sports and ESPN channels became the mainstay for bringing cricket to an

ever-widening audience. Radio, and more particularly television, has helped make cricket the most popular

game in India. Men, women and children who were inimical to the game and had no interest in

cricket earlier have now become ardent fans – all because of its broadcast by

radio and television.

and The relationship

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With the passage of time, the effects of economic liberalisation brought in 'big money' and a proportion of the population had more and more money to spend. The developments also brought about a growing middle class who became the prime movers of National consciousnesses. The ever growing middle classe in India are now the standard bearers of nationalism and encourage the links between cricket and National consciousness. The media has deepened this link

between cricket and nationalism. This hyper nationalism comes to the fore

particularly when India plays Pakistan in cricket. In the run-up to the India/Pakistan

match in the quarter-�nals of the 2003 World Cup, the media went into overdrive

portraying a virtual war of some sort, an analogy of which can be seen with the Ashes,

when Australia play with England

One-Day Cricket (50 overs game) on television is a boon for advertisers because commercials can be shown every �ve minutes or so, after each over, this combined with the need for the new channels to �ll their schedules meant more and more matches being shown. The Multinational Corporations (MNCs) entered India as the Indian economy opened up and they needed brand ambassadors with whom the population identi�ed. Cricket players provided the perfect vehicle for this which in turn boosted the popularity of the star players. MNCs have exploited the subcontinent's love of cricket, and also for Bollywood. Using movie stars and cricketers to advertise their products, MNCs gained an extraordinary reach in the subcontinent – in India, billboards with cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar or Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan holding a Pepsi or Coca Cola became ubiquitous.

India v England, 3rd Test, Bombay, Feb 93India won the series 3-0, India v England, 3rd Test, Bombay, Feb 93.

Getty Images

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CRICKET IN THE AGE OF THE EMPIRE :CRICKET IN INDIA

1850The anglicised Parsis establish the Young Zoroastrians Club1792 1884

The Calcutta Cricket & Football Club is established making it the oldest cricket club in the world outside England.

Parsi Gymkhana established by Sir Dorab Tata

1886A Parsi team travels to England from Bombay to record the �rst Indian international cricket tour.

1889-90England sends its �rst cricket team to India under the captaincy of G.F Vernon.

The earliest evidence of cricket in India dates back to 1721, when the British sailors are believed to have played Cricket on the Kutch coast in Gujarat.

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ricket, for Englishmen, was a game par excellence and wherever they went, north, south, east or west, sooner or later, they were certain to play a match of Cricket. Climate had no bearing on their passion for the game. Cricket came to be a consolation, through which the expatriate could recreate memories of life in England and to overcome their home sickness.

Bombay Gymkhana - The scene of many hard fought matches between the communities

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Cricket, for the British in India, was a welcome retreat from the alien culture of life that confronted them in India. For overcoming this strangeness the British established social clubs in cities and cantonments, which boasted of books, space to play and drink, thus creating a space where they could reconnect with England. These clubs were named 'Gymkhanas', a portmanteau word meaning a place to eat and play. These are found even today across cities in India with Mumbai leading the pack.

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he earliest recorded Cricket match in the subcontinent took place in 1751 between a regiment of the British Army and a group of English settlers. It was not until another 50 years or so later, when the coolies (Coolies – the name assigned to the Indians by the rulers) were permitted to play cricket by the 'Sahibs'. The assimilation of Indians into Cricket began with the formal establishment of the Calcutta Cricket Club in 1792, the second-oldest cricket club in the world, next only to the Marylebone Cricket Club in London, that was formed in 1787. Soon thereafter, the game of cricket spread across the country, and there is recorded evidence of the game being played in different cities across India. The earliest Cricket in Bombay (Mumbai now) dates back to 1797. It was not until 1846 that the Madras Cricket Club was formed.

The main centres of cricketing activities during the early years of the game were Madras, Bombay and Calcutta. Records that have survived from these cities, points to the evidence of cricketing activities during the late eighteenth century and early 19th century. The �rst match of cricket in India, for which detailed records exist, was played in Calcutta on January 18 and 19, 1804, between the Old Etonians and the Rest of Calcutta. Cricket was heavily patronized by the royal families of the Princely States in India and also by England educated Indians, and in general by all those who wanted to come closer to the Britishers.Parsis were the �rst to adopt this game and it was in Bombay that Cricket got a major impetus for its mass appeal.

The earliest recorded Cricket match in the subcontinent took place in 1751 between the regiment of the British Army anda group of English settlers.

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Some members of the Calcutta Cricket Club watching the game from under a banyan Tree in 1859.

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Sir Dorab Tata

The affluent Parsi community, who had fled persecution in Iran and had settled in

Surat and Bombay, had very keenly watched a friendly cricket fixture between

a Military XI and an Island XI which was played in Bombay in the year 1797.

They took inspiration and lead from the British rulers and began to play the game with interest and

skill. The Parsis were among the �rst Indians to play cricket in India. Commerce & Culture brought Parsis

closer to the British rulers than any other Indian Community. The anglicized Parsis set up the

Oriental Cricket Club in Bombay in 1848, which unfortunately faced a premature death, but the

c o m mu n i t y t h e n e s t ab l i s h e d t h e Yo u n g Zoroastrians Club in 1850, which came up with

�nancial assistance from the famous business groups the Tatas and the Wadias. The founder of the

club was Hiraji Costa, also known as Kuka Daru. In the year 1884, Sir Dorab Tata formed the Parsee

Gymkhana and helped an All Parsee team to make the �rst ever tour of England in 1886. The Parsis in

their strange out�t of Bandis and Pyjamas, were a comic sight to the British who were attuned to the

English Gentlemen attire for the game. Parsi cricket developed strongly thereafter.

The Parsi Gymkhana, Bombay44 45

The first Parsi Cricket Team which visited England, 1886.

he �rst cricketing encounter between the Parsis and the Europeans (mostly British), from the Bombay Gymkhana, was staged in 1884. The Parsis won the match by a big margin of an innings and 38 runs. Eight years later, the Presidency matches, between the two communities, began on a regular basis, which were later turned to the famous Bombay Triangular matches. The Parsis were the �rst to have contemplated a cricket tour to England and later Australia, in 1878-79, but unfortunately these tours fell through. India's �rst shot at international cricket involved a team from Sri Lanka, which played a match in Calcutta in 1884.

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© Enduring legacy, Parsis of the 20th Century

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Two years later, in the year 1888, the Parsis again went to England under the captainship of Pestonji Kanga. This side was stronger on all points. This time around, the team achieved greater success. The leading player was M.E. Pavri. He not only captured 170 wickets at a little over 11 apiece, but also aggregated 630. The team played thirty-one matches, won eight, drew twelve and lost eleven. It met the M.C.C. at Lord's twice. The �rst it drew, but lost the second by ten wickets. R.D. Cooper led the batting averages and Pavri, the bowling. The two visits by the Parsi teams to England created great interest in Indian cricket, and it is signi�cant that the �rst English tour of India took place soon after, in 1889-90. This team was led by G.F. Vernon and it contained Lord Hawke and four other county players of eminence. In 1890 about 12,000 spectators witnessed the Parsis of Bombay play G. F. Vernon's team. “The team proved far too powerful at all points for most of the elevens in India. It played thirteen matches (including two in Sri Lanka), won ten and drew two. But the single defeat it sustained was signi�cant. It was in�icted by the Bombay Parsis. This was

s o o n f o l l ow e d by L o rd Hawke's team that toured India in 1892-93 during which two matches were played against the Parsis, wherein the spoils were shared. At this stage the history of Indian cricket is mainly the history of Bombay Parsi cricket.

he Parsis �nally sent a team on a tour of England in 1886 under the leadership of Dr. D.H. Patel, one of the leading cricketers of the time who had played cricket in England while studying medicine.

Considerable interest can be attached to the �rst tour of the Parsis to England. The tour was organized by Famji Patel, one of the �rst, if not

the �rst, of Indian cricket writers, with support from Lord Harris, then Governor of Bombay and later a pillar of English cricket administration. The results of the games played by the Parsis during their �rst tour to England were decidedly poor, only one victory in a tour of twenty-eight games, of which no less than nineteen were lost. Even so, the Parsis gained considerable experience in the variable English conditions, ultimately to the bene�t of Indian cricket. The Parsis played the M.C.C. at Lord's on May 27 and 28, and were overwhelmed by an innings and 224 runs. They felt the full force of W.G. Grace's genius. He not only scored 64 but also captured eleven wickets for 44 in all, besides holding three catches.

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The pioneers of Parsi cricket, 1873-1877

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The second Parsi cricket team in England, 1888

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48 49

W.G. Grace

CRICKET IN BOMBAY

The Hindus of Bombay, who were in direct business competition with the Parsis, had keenly watched the Parsee Community moving closer towards the British with the influence of the game of Cricket.

T h e y took inspiration

f r o m t h e Pa r s i s a n d formed their own Bombay

Union Hindu Club in the year 1866, a forerunner of the illustrious P. J. Hindu

Gymkhana. The Esplanade maidan was used by the Bombay (Mumbai now) locals for their game. At the far end of this maidan was the Bombay Gymkhana (mostly for the British and also for other Europeans), which was out of bounds for

the Indians. More and more Indians started playing cricket with the

formations of the premier Gymkhanas.

T

The Hindu team who were beaten in the finals of the Bombay Quadrangular Tournament at Bombay on November 26, 1935. Major C.K. Nayudu who captained the side is seated in the centre. While Lala Amarnath is seated at right, C.S. Nayudu (left) is on the ground.

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Bombay Triangular Bombay Quadrangular

Bombay pentangular

European

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1945-46

50 51

The development of Cricket in Bombay, unlike in the rest of the country, was on communal lines the Hindus, Mohammadans and the Parsis each having their own cricket clubs. This communal basis was later to become a bane of Indian cricket and Mahatma Gandhi's moral authority was not enough to suppress it. The game developed quickly among Indians. The players were predominantly from educated middle-class backgrounds. However there was one family from the Dalit community, the Baloo family who broke this elite and educated barrier. Palwankar Baloo and his two brothers, one of whom went on to captain the Hindus, created history by playing the game with the same or better �nesse than their upper-caste colleagues. Baloo was a leading bowler of his time who made his presence felt.

Mahatma Gandhi

Palwankar Baloo

Lord Harris

The popularity of cricket in Bombay was primarily because of the Triangular and Quadrangular annual competitive tournaments. It all started with the Presidency matches that were played in Bombay annually between Parsees and the Europeans. Lord Harris, the Governor of the Bombay Presidency (1890 to 1895) was a great advocate of these matches, which were played from 1895 to 1906 in Bombay and Poona in alternative years. He helped in earmarking land on the Mumbai sea front, for the Parsis, Hindus and Muslims to set up their respective 'Gymkhanas' and 'Maidans.' A Quadrangular match was organised regularly and these 10 days gala carnival events, that were played in Bombay, was looked forward to with great expectations by players and spectators.

Ranji Trophy

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24th September, 1891

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Hindu Gymkhana

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Hindus and Europeans 1926 at Poona

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A view of the Bombay Quadrangular 1927.

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A Presidency - Parsee match on the Esplanade. H. H. The Maharaja of Cooch Behar's Cricket XI 1909-10

The Presidency vs. Parsis Cricket Match, Poona, 1905© E

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Indian cricketers Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu, left (known as C K Nayudu, 1895 - 1967) and Nanik Amarnath Bharadwaj (known as Lala Bharadwaj 1911 - 2000) coming out to bat during the First Test Match against England in Bombay.

52 53

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Parsee Cricketers

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India's Team for the first Test v. England, 1933,Gymkhana ground ,Bombay

© Enduring legacy, Parsis of the 20th Century

S Wazir Ali leading the Muslims.

C K Nayudu leading the Hindus.

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he 'princely' in�uence and patronage for Cricket worked wonders for cricket in India. The annual Presidency match between the Europeans and the Parsis became the Triangular matches when the Hindus joined the fray in 1907. These matches went on to become the famous Quadrangular matches in 1912 with the entry of the Muslims in to the fray. The Christians and Anglo-Indians came together to form another team the 'Rest' of India team in 1937, thus making the annual event a Pentangular. This highly popular tournament that was opposed by several nationalists including Mahatma Gandhi was played till 1945-46, after which it was banned on account of its communal overtones and the event was overshadowed by the Ranji Trophy matches that was supported by the Bombay Cricket Association, BCCI and the Maharajah of Patiala. The Bombay team dominated the Ranji Trophy for many years.

54 55

INDIA'SBAPTISMIN INTERNATIONALCRICKET

1932

- The Inaugural

Test

Although the origin of cricket in India dates back to as early as

1721- yet - it was not until another 200 plus years (1932) that India

was baptised into International cricket.

y then, three Indian cricket teams had already undertaken

unof�cial tours to England. These teams included the

Parsees who had toured England in 1886, 1888

and the All India XI in 1911, which was

� n a n c e d a n d captained by the young Maharaja o f P a t i a l a , B h u p i n d e r Singh.

ne of the factors that helped India's calibre to be recognised at the international level was the supreme talent that India's premier batsman Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu (Col. Nayudu) exhibited during the matches that were played in India. Arthur Gilligan's MCC side, during their unof�cial tour to India in 1926-27, had witnessed the sublime batting talent and the majestic personality of C K Nayudu, who had scored a dashing century against the MCC team. Nayudu scored a blazing 158 off 100 balls, with 13 fours and 11 sixes, against an attack that had the brilliant Maurice Tate, George Geary and Bob Wyatt -- all �ne exponents of seam bowling.

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Team photograph of MCC and Southern Punjab (1926-27)

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Top Row: Day, Mr. K Seshachari, C Blythe, Mr. Syed Hasan, Mr. A O Snowden. Mr. M D Balsara, F E Woolley, Mr. R P Meherhomji, Mr. P Shivram, Mr. W Hearne. Mr. K Salamuddin, Fielder, Fairservice, Mr. M Bajana, Mr. M D Pai, Murrin. Middle Row: Mr. T Pawley, Huish, Mr. P Baloo, Dr. W G Baloo, Dr. W G Grace, Dr. H D Kanga, Lord Harris, Mr. E W Dillon, Mr. J M Divecha (Hon. Sec. All Indians). Mr. L H W Troughton, Mr. J S Warden. Bottom Row: Hardinge. Mr. Shafguat Hassein, Presion, Humphreys, Mr. H F Mulla.

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58 59

fter playing a match against the Rajputana and Central India at the Mayo College, Gilligan's team played a series of matches in Bombay. The �rst was against The Hindus. Nayudu was far from consistent in the matches, played at the Bombay Gymkhana, Calcutta's Eden Garden, and Chepauk in Madras. But his hard-hitting for The Hindus at the Bombay Gymkhana impressed Gilligan, who carried the message to the authorities in England that India was ready to play Test cricket.

Maurice Tate George Geary Bob Wyatt

Bombay Gymkhana

Exponentsof seam bowling

India's first opening pair Naoomal Jeoomal and Janardhan Navle

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Picture of the R M S Ranpura signed by the MCC team which toured India in 1926-1927

Team photograph of the MCC touring team of India, 1926-1927

60 61

THETOUR espite all the intrigue

over captaincy and team selection, a young Indian side made giant strides by undertaking their �rst of�cial foreign tour in 1932 to England. This tour was also made possible because the MCC was forced to cancel its visit to India in 1930-31 in the face of civil disturbances arising from t h e I n d e p e n d e n c e m o v e m e n t . T h e M C C decided instead, to invite an Indian team to England in 1931 . The t r ip was however postponed to 1932 in order to allow more time for arrangements to be made.

D

Cricket, 1932, A picture of the All India Cricket side which toured England when they played their first Test, L-R: Lall Singh, S Nazir Ali, Jehangir Khan, S Wazir Ali, SR Godambe, CK Nayudu (Captain), Amar Singh, J Naoomal, SHM Colah, PE Palia, JG Navle, India lost the one test match in the series

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62 63

y then there was political tension brewing in India . Mahatma Gandhi was making his de�ant journey - famously called the Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha an act of non-violent civil disobedience - to produce salt from the sea water in the coastal village of Dandi. Under these circumstances of n a t i o n a l i s t i c f e r vo u r t h e Bombay Quadrangular was suspended, so i t was not possible to gauge performances in this in�uential tournament to select players. Trials were arranged instead. The Hindu Gymkhana, in protest at playing cricket in England at such a time, did not send any players to the trial matches in Punjab.

B

Duleep Trophy

LP Jai VM Merchant KS Duleepsinhji

ProminentPlayers who were not part of the Indian Team

S o m e of the prominent

players that included LP Jai, VM Merchant and Champak

Mehta, who were playing for the Hindus were unavailable because of the Hindu Gymkhana's opposition to the tour in

protest against the jailing of Indian political leaders. KS Duleepsinhji, in

whose honour the Duleep Trophy is played in India, was prevented by his uncle Ranjitsinhji, who was the chairman of selectors, from participating in the tour

64 65

he Maharaja of Patiala, one of the richest patrons of Indian cricket, was �rst named captain, with Prince Ganshyamsinhji of Limbdi as vice-captain, while the Maharaj Kumar of Vizianagram, was made deputy vice-captain. The tour party was announced on February 4, 1932. Two weeks before the tour, the Maharaja of Patiala withdrew for reasons of �tness, and Vizianagram then withdrew from the team citing his poor health and lack of form. On March 15, the choice of captain fell upon the Maharaja of Porbandar, while Jahangir Khan was drafted into the party as a player in p l a c e o f Vi z i a n a g r a m . H e t o o eventually stepped down in favour of Nayudu, who captained the team at the only Test at Lord's on June 25, 1932.

The Nawab of Pataudi had also made himself unavailable for the tour citing short notice. It was speculated that this may have been because he had not been offered a position of responsibility. It was also speculated that it may have been connected with his attempts to secure a place in the England eleven. It was therefore suggested that an Englishman playing in India, like AL Hosie, CP Johnstone or RB Lagden, should skipper the side, to mollify the inevitable factions within the tour party. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) quickly resolved that the captain would be an Indian.

Nayudu

Maharaja of Patiala

Sport, Cricket, pic: circa 1930's, CottariKanakaiyaNayudu, (1895-1967) Indian batsman who played in 7 Tests for his country, He had the distinction of captaining India on their first Test Match in the game at Lord's in 1932.

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Sport. Cricket. pic: circa 1940's. Nawab of Pataudi, (Iftikhar Ali Khan) 1910-1952, who played in England for Oxford University 1928-1931 and Worcestershire 1932-1938. He captained his native country India's Test Team in 1946 when the Indians toured England.

Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi

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Vizianagram

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66 67

ALL-INDIA

Squad for the 1932tour of England

The All-India team that was finally selected to travel to

England, was a microcosm of the diversity that constituted

India, about whom nothing much was known.

Soon after Indians arrived in England on April 13, 1932, the Evening Standard commented on the socio-political signi�cance of the tour: “No politics, no caste, just cricket. This is the unof�cial slogan of the cricket team that has come from India after a lapse of 21 years.... There has never been such a team of contrasts meeting on the common footing of cricket. The 18 players speak eight to ten languages among them (and belong to) four or �ve different castes.” The team contained s ix Hindus, �ve Mohammedans, four Parsees and two Sikhs. The Mohammedans forswear alcohol by religion and most of the others do so by choice. The Sikhs, who will play cricket in turbans, are similarly denied smoking. The Hindus do not eat beef, and the Mohammedans don't eat pork and ham. So to prevent any dif�culties at meal times the hosts had issued orders that these things must not appear on any menu during the tour.

CKNayudu

AmarSingh

MohammadNissar

68 69

Sutcliffe

Holmes

“ The Hindu Bradmanin Form

at Lords”

- The STAR

The Indians played their �rst tour match against T.G. Trott's XI at Pelsham Farm, Pearmarsh near Rye on 29 April 1932. Interestingly, playing against the Indian team in this match was Duleepsinhji. While the Indians acquitted themselves well, Lall Singh, the Sikh from Malaysia leading the way, it was on 22 May 1932 in the match against the MCC that the world had a glimpse of what India's �rst home grown legend, C. K. Nayudu, was capable of. Nayudu, Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1933, smashed the �rst Indian century of the tour in style. The Star's headline on 22 May 1932 summed it all up: "The Hindu Bradman in Form at Lords". The Observer was equally eloquent: "A brilliant not out innings of 116 by C.K. Nayudu was the feature of the �rst day's play between All-India and the MCC."

he Indians played 38 matches in all, including 26 �rst-class �xtures. The team won 9 �rst-class matches, drew 9 and lost 8. The team's outstanding batsman was the right-handed CK Nayudu, who played in all the �rst-class matches, scoring 1,618 runs at an average of 40.45. The team also had a �ne pair of opening bowlers in Amar Singh (111 wickets in �rst-class matches at 20.37) and Mohammad Nissar (71 wickets at 18.09).

T

T h e Indian t e a m played its �rst of�cial three day Test against England at the historic Lord's Cricket Ground during 25-28 June 1932. England won the toss and elected to bat. The Indians shocked the English in the �rst half-hour itself. The MCC was reduced to a dismal 19-3 by some excellent Indian bowling and �elding. It was an extraordinary start to the match. Sutcliffe and Holmes, Yorkshire's record smashing opening pair, opened the innings with cool con�dence.

Cricket, 13th June 1932, Percy Holmes and Herbert Sutcliffe the two Yorkshire cricketers walking out to bat on resumption of their innings to break the World cricket partnership record with a new score of 555 in the match between Yorkshire and Essex at Leyton

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70 71

In reply, India were all out for 189. WE Bowes grabbed four quick wickets and W Voce grabbed three very quick wickets. In their second innings, England made 275 with their captain Jardine coming good once again to score an impressive 85 not out. India was set a target of 346 to achieve. In their second innings India were all out after making just 187 runs. Bowes, Voce and Brown grabbed two wickets each and Hammond grabbed four wickets. India lost by 158 runs. Nayudu and his teammates, had established themselves as a force to reckon with.

The Indians despite losing their inaugural Test had created an excellent impression on the hosts during this tour, which was evident from the fact that the MCC, taken by India's impressive Test debut at Lord's, sent a competent team to India in the winter of 1933. Signi�cantly, Douglas Jardine, born in India and master of Bodyline, was chosen leader of the party.

The Birmingham Post summed up the excellent start that the Indian's made in their debut match “The All India cricket team has administered a few shocks to the dignity and con�dence of England today. If there were among the 24,000 spectators at Lord's some who imagined that the granting of a Test match by the MCC to the tourists from the Indian empire was merely an amiable concession, then they had a very rude awakening before the close of play....”

England came out of the initial shock and recovered to make 259 runs in their �rst innings. DR Jardine, captaining his side made a steady 79 before getting caught behind of the bowling of Nayudu. LEG Ames scored 65 and WR Hammond and RWV Robins chipped in with 35 and 21 respectively. Indian pacer Nissar returned with impressive bowling �gures of 26-3-93-5. Two wickets a piece were captured by Nayudu and Amar Singh and one batsman was run out.

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Notwithstanding the creditable performance by the Indians, all was not well with the team, which was evident from the description that Bombay Chronicle carried. “It is an open secret that during the England tour of 1932 some Indian players threw all barriers of discipline to the winds. Keeping late hours and getting drunk were with them ordinary features of the day. Even when they did not restrain themselves before a Test, Nayudu as their captain called them to order and threatened to keep them out...if they did not behave themselves. He also appealed to them in the name of India's honour. This, instead of acting as a restraining in�uence on them, infuriated them still more. It is said there were squabbles and �ghts thereafter over this and the recalcitrant members pledged themselves to be after Nayudu's blood ever since.” Whatever the case may be, June 25, 1932, will forever go down in India's cricket history as a red lettered day.

ut the very �rst ball of Nissar's second over was an in-swinger which Sutcliffe edged and the ball went straight into the wicket -and one of England's greatest batsmen was out bowled by Nissar for a paltry score of 3

runs. The disappointment was redoubled and revived when the last ball

of the same over, a delivery perfect in �ight, length and pace, sent Holmes' off stump spinning through the air. With two wickets down and just 11 runs on the board it was time for Woolley and Hammond to steady the ship. That was not to be. Woolley had just scored 9 in 20 it was when he played a ball from Nissar to a point between short leg and mid-on and went for a comfortable single. For some extraordinary reason, an attempt was made to secure two runs and the �elder, the blue-turbaned Lall Singh, threw the ball to the keeper who removed the bails. The score now read 19 for 3.

BPhotograph of the Indian team visitingGunn and Moore's factory in Nottingham, England, 1932

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72 73

(1971-The watershed yearfor Indian Cricket)

COMING OF AGE

Ajit Wadekar

The year 1971 was a watershed year that remains etched in the annals of Indian cricket history. It was in that year under the new captain – Ajit Wadekar – India registered her �rst-ever overseas victories in the West Indies and England to inject a refreshing self-belief in the Indian cricket, hitherto unseen. The team backed up the two back-to-back series victories overseas with a series win against England in India a year later, thus achieving a remarkable three series wins on the trot.

The West Indies team of 1971 wasn't their strongest side, yet it consisted some of the most well known names in international cricket. Roy Fredericks, Rohan Kanhai, Gary Sobers and Clive Lloyd formed the backbone of the West Indies team. India, too, had a number of veterans in their ranks like ML Jaisimha, Salim Durrani, Dilip Sardesai and EAS Prasanna. But the one player w h o w o u l d g o o n t o m a k e a monumental difference to the team in the years to come was a 21-year-old batsman with no international experience. The youngster – Sunil Gavaskar – made the kind of debut that Test cricket had not seen till then. The 5-Test series that India played against the West Indies in 1971 is now synonymous with Gavaskar's majestic batting and Sardesai's rock-like presence at the other end.

Gary SobersClive LloydRoy Fredericks Rohan Kanhai

West Indies

Dilip Sardesai

EAS Prasanna

Bedi

Solkar

India

ML Jaisimha

Ever since India's debut in the Test cricket at Lord's, England, on 25 June 1932, for nearly 40 years, India continued to be a weak team in comparison with other Test teams, such as Australia and England.

76 77

ndia did not �eld Gavaskar in the �rst of the �ve Tests at Kingston, Jamaica due to injury. Indians made a remarkable beginning to the series by enforcing a follow on the West Indies in this Test, which shocked West Indies captain Sobers. The Test though ended in a draw.

The second Test was at Port of Spain, Trinidad and it marked the beginning of the great Test career of Gavaskar. He walked out to open batting for India for the very �rst time after Bedi and Prasanna had bowled out the West Indies for 214. Gavaskar laid the foundation of the Indian innings, scoring 65, which was strongly cemented by Sardesai (112) and Solkar (55) which led India to a score of 357. India's chances of winning the Test depended a lot on how quickly and cheaply they could get rid of the two left-handers – Clive Lloyd and Gary Sobers.

I urani came to the party and bowled Sobers for duck and, followed it up with the wicket of Lloyd - caught by Wadekar. Venkat then ran through the bottom half of the Windies with a �ve-wicket haul to restrict the home team to 261. With 124 needed for victory, Gavaskar led the run-chase with 67 not out, helping India to achieve a historic win.

The next two Test matches at Guyana and Barbados ended in draws in which Gavaskar (116, 117*) Sardesai (150) and Sobers (108*, 178*) helped themselves to plenty of runs. The �fth and the �nal Test was played at Trinidad. Since it was the last Test of the series, it was to be a six-day match. India batted �rst and scored 360 on the back of Gavaskar's 124 and Sardesai's 75. West Indies, intent on winning the match to level the series, which India was leading 1-0, piled on 526 and it was India who had to save this match. Gavaskar then played the most crucial innings of the whole series. He scored a classy 220 out of India's 427 that too with a severe toothache. West Indies, set a target of 262 to win, ended on 165 for eight at the end of the sixth day's play and that meant India had won the �ve-match series 1-0. Gavaskar amassed a mammoth 774 runs in four Tests in this historic series.

D

Sport, Cricket, Georgetown, Guyana, 23rd March 1971, West Indies v India,West Indies captain Garfield Sobers appeals for LBW after bowling to India'sSyed Abid Ali on the third day of the third test match which ended in a draw

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Gavaskar’s monumental debut

Tests

Runs

Average

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Ajit Wadekar the successful captain appeared to have learnt some captaincy tricks from Tiger Pataudi, who had helped the team in improving the attitude of the players and also in vastly getting better in fielding.

The Indian team could now aim to beat other teams away from home due to the new-found con�dence after the series win in the Caribbean. That con�dence was boosted when they followed it up with another series win in England later that year.

Chadrasekhar Venkatraghavan

The Indian team went to England - to play a 3-match Test series – two months after its tour to the West Indies in the same year of 1971. The Test matches were played in July-August that year by which time the pitches tended to wear in England and support spin. The Indian spin quartet included Bedi, Chandrasekhar, Prasanna, and Venkataraghavan.

he England team was in high spirits for they had just won the Ashes series 2-0 against their arch-rivals Australia. The England team, led by a thorough professional, Ray Illingworth, was clear favourites to win the series against India. The team also included BL D'Oliveria, a central �gure in the anti apartheid and boycott of South Africa from international cricket.

BL D'Oliveria

The Indians opened their England tour with the tour match against Middlesex at Lord's (23-25 June, 1971) which they won by 2 wickets. They however lost the next match to the Essex. They played six other tour matches, four of which were won by the Indians and two were drawn. The Indians went into the �rst Test, at Lord's (July 22-27) with con�dence.

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THEENGLANDSERIES

80 81

ndian spiners dominated the �rst Test of the series, which ended in a draw. Aided by t h r e e 5 0 - p l u s scores from captain W a d e k a r , Vi s h wa n a t h a n d

Solkar, the Indians were able to score

nine runs more than England in the �rst

innings. England was bundled out for 194 in the

second innings. Set to score 183 to win in the fourth

innings, India ended the last day with a score of 145 for 8 thus

ending the �rst Test in a draw. The Indian spin trio of Venkat, Chandra and

Bedi had dominated the England team.

I

his Test also witnessed an untoward incident. Sunil Gavaskar and John Snow were involved in this incident, The big fast bowler collided with Gavaskar when the little Indian was taking a quick run. Gavaskar went tumbling down due to the massive impact. Snow was unfortunately dropped for the next Test.

The second Test was played at the Old Trafford, Manchester. England chose to bat after winning the toss. Aided by captain Illingworth's century, England scored an imposing 386 runs. The Indians were bundled out for 212. Gavaskar and Solkar scored half centuries for the touring team. England declared their second innings at 245 for 3 with opener Luckhurst scoring a century. The Indians, set to score a massive 420 runs for the win or bat out the remaining time for a draw, were aided by the rain and the match was called off when Indians were 65 for 3.

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Manchester, England, 20th August 1971, England v India, England and Kent wicketkeeper Alan Knott (right) demonstrates Yoga with Indian spin bowler Bishen Singh Bedi (Bishan Singh Bedi) during a rainy spell in the Second Test Match

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Cricket - First Test Match - England v India - LordsBishanBedi of India bowling.

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82 83

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The scenes of this historic victory at the Oval in London were ecstatic with thousands of Indian fans thronging to the ground, where Wadekar's team had beaten England by four wickets to end the hosts' run of 26 Test matches without defeat. Each member of India's XI was a hero during and after this magni�cent win, but the one who really stood out was the legendary leg spinner Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, who helped the team to the historic win.

The year 1971 and the three successive series victories including two overseas for the Indians has helped the team to come of age and ever since the Indian team has continued to move up in the ranking, both in Test cricket and One-day Internationals. India now stands among the top ranking cricket nations and are one of the most talented cricket teams in the world. As on 14,May 2017 the Indian team is now ranked N0.1 in ICC Test ranking with 41 matches,4983 points and 122 rating and No.3 in the ODI rankings with 31matches,3632 points 117 rating a shade below the Australian who are rated 118. The roots for this success were sown by the teams that won three back to back series that started in West Indies in 1971.

ith the series level at 0-0, both teams met at the Oval in the �nal match. England who won the toss and elected to bat, were bowled out for 355. In reply, India made 284 runs as the hosts took a 71-run lead i n t h e � r s t i n n i n g s . Chandrasekhar was magical with the ball, picking up a match-winning six-wicket haul to bundle out England for a paltry 101 in the second innings. Chandra �nished with �gures of 8 for 114 in the match. India chased down the target of 173 with four wickets in hand to record a historic series win at the Oval on 24th August, 1971.

The three Indian spinners along with Prasanna took 197 of the 244 wickets to fall in the entire tour, thus dominating the bowling and paving the way for an era of spin that was to follow in India.

The England team came to the subcontinent the following year (1972) and found the spin trio too hot to handle once again on the spin-friendly tracks in India. The visitors were handed a 2-1 defeat in the subsequent �ve-match series at home with Wadekar registering his third successive series win as captain.

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December 20th, 1972, England's Bob Cottam (centre) leaps with delight after bowling India's F,M, Engineer in the first day of the New Delhi first test match

AjitWadekar , 24th August 1971: Indian skipper AjitWadekar and teammate B S Chandraserhar wave to cheering crowds at the Oval afterIndia won the Test Series against England.

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During the 100 plus years of long cricketing history between India and England, there have been extraordinary cricketing moments, with many hits and some misses as well, which will remain eternally etched in the memories of cricket loving audience. Some of these moments include:

ThePerfectTen

e achieved this remarkable feat in the Australians' 2nd innings of the 4th Ashes Test at Old Trafford in 1956. Laker returned with indomitable magical match �gures of 19 wickets for a paltry 90 runs (9 for 37 in the �rst innings and 10 for 53 in the second), helping England beat arch-rivals Australia by an innings and 170 runs, with just over an hour left for the Test to end.

Laker'sMatch

Jim Laker is the first player in the annals of cricketing history to take all 10 wickets in a Test match innings.

Jim Laker

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The Old Trafford Test was full of drama and will continue to be recognised as one of the most exciting yet controversial matches for a long time. The controversy arose over the preparation of the dusty Manchester pitch, which attracted much attention during and immediately after the game. The excitement was when Laker successfully appealed for a LBW decision against Maddocks claiming a perfect 10 in the second innings. Tension had mounted as Laker captured his eighth and ninth wickets. Rain had all but ruined the prospects of an English victory and retention of the Ashes. Laker therefore did not have the luxury of his comrades giving him an opportunity to claim his tenth wicket to go down in history. Bowling at the other end, Laker's spin partner Lock repeatedly beat the bat, fortunately for Laker it was not his day and not his match.

The momentous occasion came at twenty-seven minutes past �ve when Laker scalped the last Australian wicket and a perfect 10 in an innings to spin Australia to an innings defeat at the Old Trafford to win the Test and series for England. He had earned his triumph by remarkable control of length and spin.

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AK74Kumble'sJumbo Feat

Source- Twitter-handle of Mr Anil

Kumble-@anilkumble1074

im Laker's unique feat of a perfect 10 was replicated by the Indian spinner Anil Kumble. It was on February 7, 1999 that Kumble achieved the Jumbo (his nickname) feat of scalping all 10 wickets in an innings in the Test match against Pakistan at the Ferozeshah Kotla in New Delhi. The leg-spinner's �gures of 10 for 74 were instrumental in India's 212-run win over their arch-rivals.

Kumble single-handedly crushed the Pakistanis and this momentous achievement was imaginatively captured by one of the Indian national newspaper in its headline AK-74: Kumble guns down Pakistanis, referring to Anil Kumble's 10 for 74. "A ' P e r f e c t Te n ' i s n ' t something you set out t o a c h i e v e a s a cricketer. I would a t t r i b u t e t h e eve n t s o f 7 t h February 1999 to d e s t i n y , " -Kumble .

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Kumble's 10

TOGETHERTHEY AIDeD

The �oodgates opened with Afridi's dismissal. When Kumble got the �rst eight wickets in fair ly quick succession, post a century o p e n i n g s t a n d by t h e Pakistani opening pair, the teammates strategised to let Kumble grab all 10. Javagal Srinath was bowling at the other end when the ninth wicket fell.

He bowled wide of the stumps with a clear strategy not to take a wicket! Waqar Younis, the last man, went for a heave in that over, and skied

the ball in the long-leg region. The ball was moving towards Sadagopan Ramesh, but Srinath and his teammates yelled

at Ramesh not to go for the catch and it was Srinath - the bowler – who shouted the loudest! Kumble

�nished off the innings by taking the wicket of Wasim Akram caught

by Laxman.

umble, unlike Laker, was lucky to be supported by his teammates in achieving a perfect 10. Sachin Tendulkar did his bit to turn things around. He started handing Kumble's cap and sweater to the umpire at the start of an over, in an attempt to 'bring Kumble luck' and it worked and it so happened that whenever he did that, a wicket fell.

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ANIL KUMBLE / INDIAN LEG SPINNER With the ball with which he took all 10 wickets in a test v Pakistan, Delhi 1999

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Half a decade earlier when Kapil was on the cusp of breaking the world record of most wickets in Test matches held by Richard Hadlee, Kumble had bowled wide off the stumps against Sri Lanka to allow Kapil to get there. Kumble's teammates had paid back his team contribution by allowing Kumble to etch his name in the annals of history alongside Jim Laker.

Richard Hadlee Kapil Dev

A pleasant coincidenceThere was one man - Richard Stokes – who witnessed both of these momentous incidents on the ground. He was 10 years old when he went to watch the 1956 Ashes Test at Old Trafford with his father, where Laker had s c a l p e d h i s p e r f e c t 1 0 . Coincidentally, Stokes was on a business trip to New Delhi from Germany where he works and chose to watch the cricket match on 7th Feb 1999 for it was his birthday and he wanted a break from his work. For, as luck would have it, he gave himself a unique birthday gift .He entered into the history book for watching both the feats of Laker and Kumble taking perfect 10 in an inning on the ground.

Cricket - The Ashes - Fourth Test - England v Australia - Fifth DayEngland's Jim Laker (second r) walks off the �eld at Old Trafford after taking all ten Australian wickets for just 53 runs in the second innings to win England the match and increase his personal haul for the match to a world-record 19 wickets .

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Left : India v England - 2nd Test MatchAnil Kumble celebrates taking 8 for 125 in the 2nd Test match between India and England at the Chidambaram Stadium in Madras, 15th February 1993. India won by an innings and 22 runs.

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he dawn of ODI and T20 matches have transformed the game of cricket and heralded an era of the art of hitting the ball out of the park for six runs, which every batsman looks to master. However there are just two instances in the international matches where batsmen have been successful in hitting six sixes in a row.

12-ball half-centuryinternational cricket

record

The �rst to achieve this feat was the South African Herschelle Gibbs, who hit six sixes in an over in a One-Day International (ODI) match against minnows Netherlands in the 2007 World Cup at St Kitts, Basseterre.

The third and fourth sixes were rocketed over extra cover and point and the �fth �ew over midwicket. Yuvraj did not disappoint the rapturous crowd and launched the last ball of the over in the stands at long-on to the tumultuous applause from the crowd. In the process, he went on to score a 12-ball half-century, which continues to be a record in all forms of international cricket.

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uvraj Singh, one of the most �amboyant cricketers in the modern-day cricket, is the only other batsman to achieve this feat in an International match that too against an established English bowler and against England. The occasion was the T20 World Cup in the year 2007,when Yuvraj went all guns blazing against Stuart Broad to smash six ruthless maximums in an over. Spurred by comments from Andrew Flintoff, and with adrenalin gushing through, Yuvraj launched the �rst ball of Broad for the �rst six of the over and followed it up with a massive second six over backward square leg.

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Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh (L) receives a special award for his achievement of hitting six sixes in an over in the Twenty20 World Cup during a ceremony in Karachi on June 27, 2008.

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England v India - Twenty20 Super EightsDURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - SEPTEMBER 19: Yuvraj Singh hits a six during one over from Stuart Broad of England in which he hit six consecutive sixes to reach his half century in a record 12 balls during the ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Championship Super Eights match between England and India at Kingsmead on September 19, 2007 in Durban, South Africa.

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Cricket from the early times, ever since the English aristocrats started playing the game, has been decreed as a gentleman's game, meaning no cheating or adopting any unfair means to win the game. The game of cricket is meant to go beyond the letter of the law and follow the true spirit of cricket. Cricket is supposed to be invoked to correct a wrong — a wrong that violates both the letter and the spirit of the law.

The phrase 'It's not cricket' used for unfair practice,truly symbolises the spirit of the game. This decree notwithstanding, there are innumerable incidents like Douglas Jardine's bodyline, Trevor Chappell's under-arm bowling and Gavaskar's walk-out- among others-that have �awed the true spirit of the game. However Gundappa Vishwanath - the captain of the Indian cricket team – while playing for the historic Jubilee Test against England in Mumbai in 1980 – embodied the true the spirit of the game by his extraordinary deed.

That's cricket

Bob Taylor

Ian bell

A similar incident of a batsman being recalled was repeated in the 2nd Test match played at Trent Bridge between India and England in 2011. This time however the circumstances were different but the end result was the recall of the batsman who was declared out. Ian Bell was declared run out by the umpire, the ruling of which was technically correct but ethically there were questions. Bell was declared run out when he was found to be out of his crease while the ball was technically still in play and the Indian players had appealed for the run out. Nothing in the spirit and the letter of the law had been violated in all this. The drama followed at tea time when, at an appeal from the English captain and coach, MS Dhoni, the Indian captain (after a team meeting), decided to withdraw their appeal against Bell, and Bell walked into the �eld after the break to the rapturous applause from the spectators who had been shocked to see Bell declared out.

Jubilee Test Match - India v EnglandIndia captain GundappaViswanath withdraws the appeal against England batsman Bob Taylor during the Jubilee Test match between India and England at Wankhede Stadium, Bombay, India, 17th February 1980. Taylor was adjudged caught behind by wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani by umpire Hanumantha Rao but Viswanath, �elding at �rst slip, felt there had been no contact with the ball by Taylor and persuaded the umpire to reverse the decision. The non-striking batsman for England is Ian Botham.

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Vishy (Vishwanath), the soft-spoken stylish batsman known for his grace, exempli�ed the spirit of cricket through his remarkable gesture of recalling the English batsman Taylor who was adjudged caught behind and declared out by the umpire off Kapil Dev. England were in dire straits when Taylor was adjudged caught behind by umpire Hanumantha Rao and the game may have tilted completely in favour of the hosts. Vishwanath, who was standing in the slips, believed Taylor that he had not nicked the ball. He walked up to Taylor to check if he had

really nicked the ball. When Taylor answered “no”, Vishy walked up to the umpire requesting him to recall the batsman. Although India went on to lose the Jubilee

Test, the sporting gesture of Vishwanath continues to be remembered even to this day. When asked - years later - what compelled him to recall the batsman Vishy said, “For me, spirit of the game is paramount rather than winning or losing a Test.”

Sportsmanship however, has never interfered with Dhoni’s winning instincts. Here he is

seen with the series trophy after the match on the �nal

day of second Test match between India and England at

PCA stadium in Mohali on December 23, 2008, one of the

many wins in his career as the Indian Captain..

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Infamous Innings in the inaugural

WorldCup

Sunny's

was hosted in 1975 by England, the only nation that was able to organise huge resources to stage an event of such magnitude at that time. The inaugural match of the World Cup - involving the minnows India against the hosts England - witnessed one of the most infamous innings in the international limited overs cricket. It involved Sunil Gavaskar, the �rst man to reach 10,000 runs in Tests and the player who had carved out a special name for himself in his debut series against the mighty West Indies in 1971.

The inaugural Cricket World Cup,a flagship event of the internationalcricket calendar, Dennis Amiss Chris Old

Dennis Amiss (137) notched upthe maiden hundred of the big tournament

Chris Old 50scored the fastest which came off only balls30

India, then a novices in limited-overs cricket, started off the tournament pathetically. In the inaugural match, the English batsmen made merry and smashed the Indian bowlers to pulp to record the �rst 300-plus score (334/4) in an ODI. Dennis Amiss (137) notched up the maiden hundred of the big tournament. Chris Old scored the fastest 50 which came off only 30 balls. India made a disastrous debut in the inaugural ODI World Cup. Needing a massive 335 to win in the given 60 overs, India ended their innings disastrously at a leisurely 132 for three after batting the full quota of 60 overs. Gavaskar played one of the slowest ODI knocks, as he carried his bat through the innings to score a slothful 36 not out facing 174 balls and scoring just one boundary.

This infamous innings of Gavaskar can best be seen when juxtaposed with the innings of another player from his own city - Rohit Sharma. Rohit scored a mammoth 264 - the highest ODI international score till date- facing 173 balls, one ball less than what Gavaskar had faced. To be fair to Gavaskar, the inaugural World Cup (the ODI matches) was virtually an experimental tournament, with most cricket lovers and players - all babes in the new format - ignorant of the way to go about things and so was Gavaskar. If there is one thing that Sunil Gavaskar would like to see changed in his otherwise glorious career, it has to be this infamous 36 not out innings against England. Sunil Gavaskar of India

LORDS - JUNE 7 : Sunil Gavaskar of India hits out during the Prudential World Cup match between England and India held at Lord's, London, Great Britain on the 7th of June 1975.

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TheVaselineincident

Bedi alleged that Lever was able to retain the shine of the ball by rubbing it with the Vaseline that he had applied. This, according to the Indian captain, helped him in getting prodigious swing normally not expected from the old ball. Lever �nished with an impressive �gure of 5 for 59 in the Madras Test. Lever was reported by the Umpire for ball tampering. The umpires reported that Lever was carrying a strip of gauze that was impregnated with Vaseline, the use of which helped him in swinging the ball. The ball and Lever's gauze were tested and said to have traces of Vaseline. The matter, however, was quietly buried and Lever --- who took 26 wickets in that series --- was let off.

Tony Greig Bishan Singh Bedi

3rd Test Match - India v EnglandA banner in the crowd protests at the tactics of England bowler John Lever (not in picture), who had been reported for carrying a strip of gauze impregnated with Vaseline during India's 1st innings of the 3rd Test match between India and England at Madras (Chennai), 18th January 1977.

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John LeverA portrait of John LeverJan 1977: A portrait of John Lever the cricketer accused of cheating during the third test match against Inidia in Madras, India. Credit: Adrian Murrell/Allsport

o one is infallible - cricketers are no exception to this cardinal reality. There are infamous instances of alleged wrong doing on the part of cricket players that are forgettable. One such incident is the infamous Vaseline episode, which is known to be the �rst ball –tampering controversy in international cricket. It involved the English pacer John Lever. Lever – a fast medium swing bowler - playing in the 3rd test match (14th to 19th January, 1977) between India and England at Madras (now Chennai), under severe humid conditions had applied Vaseline on his brows purportedly to avoid sweat running into his eyes. Lever was accused by India captain Bishan Singh Bedi of using Vaseline to polish the ball to extract copious amounts of swing. Tony Greig's England thrashed India 3-1 in that series.

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He adopted a no holds bar approach to pay back the opposition in their own terms. During a spectacular match in the NatWest series �nal played at the Lords in 2002, batting �rst the English team scored an impressive 325 for 5 with centuries from Trescothick and Nasser Hussain, captain of England. Needing 326 runs to win the Indians started with a be�tting century opening partnership (106 runs in 14.2 overs) between Sehwag and Ganguly before Ganguly fell for a well made 60 from just 43 balls. It was then that the �oodgates opened and helped England regain control of the match pegging back the Indians to a paltry 146

for 5 when the �fth wicket of Tendulkar fell. With all the 5 established players - Sehwag,

Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman and Dravid – back to the pavilion and a further 180

runs needed to win in just 26 overs, the match was all but written off for India

and the Indian spectators had started to walk out of the

s t a d i u m s e n s i n g t h e inevitable.

infamyamidst glory

Ganguly's moment of

Sourav Ganguly – one of the most aggressive and successful captains of the Indian team - is credited

for making the Indian team tough competitors.

It was then that two youngsters - Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif - put on a remarkable century (121 runs) partnership in one of the best ODI matches played by India. The lesser-known players helped India to stage India's spectacular comeback to achieve a remarkable victory from the jaws of defeat. India won the match with three balls to spare. Ganguly, who was witness to an incident of Andrew Flintoff celebrating a win against India in the 6thODI match between India and England played at Wankhede Stadium by removing his shirt and running across the entire stadium with his shirt off, could not

control his emotions and repeated the infamous behaviour of Flintoff from the players' balcony. Ganguly removed his shirt

and wildly started celebrating India's victory by waving his shirt to the spectators with his bare body in full public glare.

He had also asked his other teammates to follow him. However it was the wise counsel of senior players

like Tendulkar that ensured that Ganguly did not get the company of his

fellow players.

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Mike Denness, Scottish cricketer who played for England, referee for the match played at Port Elizabeth in South Africa, had made a controversial decision of banning six Indian players including cricket idol, Tendulkar for excessive appealing and ball tampering. This incident infuriated the Indian players and they were joined by the BCCI of�cials resulting in Jagmohan Dalmiya, the BCCI president, calling on his counterpart in South Africa to address this issue. The incident also, unfortunately, came up for discussion in Parliament which was in session with MPs cutting across party lines, criticising the decision of match referee Denness.

Adding insult to injury for Denness, both India and South Africa mutually agreed to replace him as match referee much to the dismay of ICC, who nulli�ed the of�cial status of the match. The players who were red-�agged by Mike Denness included Tendulkar for alleged ball tempering and Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Shiv Sundar Das, Deep Dasgupta as well as skipper Sourav Ganguly for excessive appealing.

Jagmohan Dalmia

This was one occasion where the �nancial might of the Indian board and its in�uence on the South African board was used to red �ag a match referee. This incident also led to an unseemly confrontation b e t we e n t h e B C C I a n d t h e International Cricket Council.

Umpires are central to the very spirit of the game and the decision of the umpires is final and binding that keeps the sports venerable.

owever this edict was broken in a Test match that was played between India and South Africa. The Indian players questioned the decision of the England match referee and were joined by, among others, the cricket board of�cials from India and South A f r i c a a n d a l s o t h e I n d i a n p a r l i a m e n t a r i a n s w h o unparliamentarily raised this issue in the parliament.

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The CricketWorld Cup: Ultimate Glory

The genesis for the one day game of cricket goes back to the aborted Test match between England and Australia at Melbourne in 1971. This match affected badly by rain, was converted into a forty over one day contest, to compensate the frustrated crowd with some game of cricket. The accidental limited over game of cricket became an instant alternative f o r t h e a u d i e n c e a n d l e d t o t h e serendipitous beginning of the ODI games, culminating to the cricket world cup.

Eight teams participated in the first tournament in 1975:

Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and the West Indies (the six Test nations at the time), together with Sri Lanka and a composite team from East Africa. One notable omission was South Africa, who was banned from international cricket due to apartheid. The tournament was won by the West Indies, who defeated Australia by 17 runs in the �nal at Lord's under their captain Clive Loyd,played magni�cently .

The 1979 World Cup too was hosted by England and had eight teams - six Test- playing nations as well as Sri Lanka and Canada, the �nalists of the 1979 ICC Trophy. England reached the �nals with favourites, defending champions West Indies. In the �nal clash for the trophy, the West Indies started poorly and were four down for a modest 99 runs. It was then that the Richards' hurricane struck the English bowlers. Thanks to a brilliant �fth-wicket stand of 139 in 77 minutes between Collis King and Richards (who scored a century), the West Indies posted a challenging 286 for 9. England, despite an opening partnership of 129 between Mike Brearley and Geoff Boycott, ran out of steam and lost by 92 runs,Loyd’s West Indies team.

TheCricketWorldCupUltimate Glory

The World Cup, a flagship event of the international cricket calendar, is one of the world's most viewed sporting events, which every cricket-playing nation aims to win.

he inaugural Cricket World Cup was hosted in 1975 by England, the only nation which was able to organise huge resources to stage an event of such magnitude at that time. The �rst World Cup tournament started on 7 June 1975 and ever since every four years or so the World Cup has regularly been organised by the ICC .The last World Cup was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand in 2015 and the next World Cup is scheduled to be hosted by England in 2019, followed by India in 2023.

The �rst three World Cups were held in England and were of�cially known as the Prudential Cup named after the sponsors Prudential Insurance. The matches consisted of 60, six-ball overs per team, played during the daytime in traditional form, with the players wearing cricket whites and using red cricket balls. Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket changed the whole dimension of the game, which has now evolved as one of the most colourful spectacle. In the eleven ICC Cricket World Cups held so far, since 1975, Australia has been the most successful team winning the tournament a record �ve times (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015) followed by West Indies (1975 and 1979) and India (1983 and 2011).England, where the Cup originated, is yet to open its account although it has been successful in reaching the �nals thrice (1979, 1987 and 1992).

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DEV'SDEVILS1983 PrudentialWorld Cup

There are moments in sporting history that live forever. Indian captain Kapil Dev holding aloft the Prudential World Cup in 1983 on the balcony at Lord's in London is one of them.

larger than life legends the

incomparable Vivian

Vivian Richards

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Michael Holding Andy Roberts

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ndia winning the 1983 World Cup in England, dethroning the mighty West Indies, was nothing short of a miracle. The West Indies team included the crème de la crème of international cricket - larger than life legends including the incomparable Richards, arguably the best batsman in the world, the menacing pacemen - Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding and Andy Roberts. The Indians, against all odds, dethroned the defending champions, defeating them by 43 runs in a low-scoring �nals held at the historic Lord's ground on 25th June 1983.

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The tournament witnessed one of the m o s t u n f o r g e t t a b l e b a t t i n g performances from Kapil Dev against t h e u n f a n c i e d Z i m b a b w e a t Tunbr idg e Wel l s . Th is match continues to remain as one of the all-time classics in the World Cup history. On a cold, cloudy morning, Kapil Dev won the toss and elected to bat. The Indian batting crumbled and the score read a pathetic 17 for 5. W i t h m o s t o f t h e specialist batsmen back in the dressing room, the situation was precarious

for India. It was then that Kapil Dev played the most

incredible innings of his career and ultimately of the

World Cup. In a spirit-lifting display of controlled aggression,

Kapil hammered an unbeaten 175, the highest individual score ever in a

World Cup match then and also the �rst century by an Indian in the tournament.

Single-handedly, Kapil had transformed an imminent defeat into an exciting victory.

ndia - the underdogs in the 1983 Prudential World Cup tournament - against all odds, had managed to reach the �nal. Kapil Dev's 'devils' had produced the most spectacular team performance through the tournament, despite their unimpressive past record, and were rightfully the victors of the tournament beating the invincible, mighty West Indies, the winners of the previous two World Cup in 1975 and 1979, in a low scoring nail-biting cliff-hanger �nal. It was undoubtedly Indian cricket's �nest hour.

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TheReliance CUP1987

The Indian cricket administrators, buoyed by their team winning the 1983 Prudential World Cup, emboldened their bid for staging rights for the 1987 World Cup jointly with Pakistan. Moving the World Cup away was not simple. It required a complicated negotiation between India and Pakistan - their leaders, politicians, cricket administrators and businessmen. Despite all odds and several complications the dye had been cast primarily because of the �nancial considerations that hosts India and Pakistan managed to lure the eight full members and 21 associate members of the ICC.

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) pitched in with the �nancial resources required for hosting the cup. The Reliance Cup hosted jointly by India and Pakistan in 1987, also marked the beginning of the sport go ing g lobal and attracted several Indian sponsors to the game, who have continued to support most World Cups ever since. It also marked a step in the shifting of the headquarters of the game - from Lord's to Eden Gardens - culminating in the election of Jagmohan Dalmiya as the �rst Asian president of the ICC.

Jagmohan Dalmiya

The 1987 World Cup marked the first step towards altering international cricket's power dynamics, and gave birth to the rotation system for hosting the World Cups.

Indian Team, 1987England Team, 1987

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The Reliance Cup saw the revival of the Australian team, who under Allan Border created history by beating England in the closely-fought �nal at the historic Eden Gardens in front of a massive cricket crazy crowd. The sub-continental conditions reduced the 60-over format to 50 overs with eight teams participating in the tournament. The tournament was played across 24 venues of which 14 were in India and 10 in Pakistan. In all, 27 matches were staged with India staging 17 and Pakistan 10.Graham Gooch

Cricket's oldest rivalry took centrestage in the Reliance Cup (1987) �nals, which was played between England and Australia at the colossal Eden Gardens, Calcutta (Kolkata) in front of a massive 90,000-plus cricket-crazy crowd. The �nal was a nail-biting contest and Border's Australian team held their nerve to register their maiden World Cup win. Australia won the toss and chose to bat. David Boon (75 from 125 balls, 7 fours) top-scored for Australia, who posted 253 for 5 at the end of their allotted

50 overs. Needing 254 to win, the Englishmen started disastrously, losing opener Tim Robinson bowled for a �rst-ball duck. Bill Athey steadied the

innings with a resolute 58 (from 103 balls) and England were almost on target, when captain Mike Gatting after scoring a breezy 41 from 45 balls

including a six and sharing a growing partnership of 69 runs in 13 overs between him and Athey, was out trying to reverse-sweeping Border. The captain's wicket handed back the initiative to the Australians. Allan Lamb (45 from 55 balls, 4 fours) kept England's hopes alive, but it was in vain as the required run-rate began to rise. When England failed to score 17 runs from the �nal over, the cup went to Australia.

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The Aussies take a lap of honour while Eden Gardens rises to them

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The tournament also witnessed some Indian moments to cherish. Sunil Gavaskar, known for his infamous 36 not out, facing 174 balls during the inaugural World Cup in1975, scored an unbeaten century,despite running a temperature and the Indian pacer Chetan Sharma achieved the �rst hat-trick of the World Cup in the same match – against New Zealand at Nagpur.

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he tournament was a major success with packed crowds and huge stadiums playing host to the matches. Both the host teams, India and Pakistan, performed exceptionally well with impressive performances in the group stage and ended up group toppers and quali�ed for the semi-�nals. India were pitted against England in the semi �nal that was played in Mumbai in front of a massive crowd. Put in to bat, after losing the toss, the England posted a reasonable score of 254 courtesy a century from opener Gooch, who scored 115 and skipper Gatting pitching in with 56. India failed to live up to expectations in front of a massive home crowd and were all out for 219, losing by 46 runs. Pakistan too lost its semi �nal against Australia.

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1992WorldCup

t was hosted by Australia and New Zealand and featured for the �rst time all eight Test-playing teams that included South Africa who were playing for the �rst time in the World Cup. South Africans were the darlings of the crowd and the world came to witness athleticism in �elding and the acrobatic run out that Jonty Rhodes effected in running out Inzamam-ul-Haq continues to inspire players across the world even to this day. The high standards in �elding that we witness today, owes its genesis to Rhodes. For the �rst time, matches were played in coloured clothing and some games were also played under �oodlights with a white ball. It was also for the �rst time that the rules governing rain-interrupted matches were framed.

The Reliance Cup paved the way for the 1992 World Cup to move to Australia.

Johnty Rhodes

outh Africa started their campaign with a bang with victories over host Australia, West Indies, Pakistan, India and Zimbabwe, which propelled them to the semi-�nals. They faced England at Sydney in the second semi-�nals. In a truncated match of 45 overs, England scored a respectable 252 with a top contribution from GA Hick. In reply, the South Africans were cruising along and needed just 22 runs from their last 13 deliveries to defeat the new favourites, England, and reach the World Cup �nal. The

anticipated climax turned out to be a damp squib. The new rules governing rain interrupted matches had ruined the game. South Africans dream was

shattered when the massive scoreboard displayed the revised target of 22 runs to be scored off one delivery. England had moved to the �nals,

their third in �ve contests, yet were embarrassed in the way they had progressed. Pakistan won the World Cup for the �rst time, beating

England by 22 runs in front of a mammoth 87,000-strong Melbourne crowd. The global television audience

exceeded one billion, in 29 countries.

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The Indians won the 2011 World Cup played on home soil. It was the sixth record time that the master blaster, Sachin Tendulkar, was participating in the World Cup which he idolised and dreamt of being a part of the World Cup winning team. It was therefore a be�tting tribute and gift that his teammates gave him by winning this World Cup, which would have been the last one for the little master. Sachin bid adieu to the World Cup with the historic images of Indian players carrying him on their shoulders in a victory march all across the Wankhede Stadium with the World Cup held high.

Sachin Tendulkar

Indian team celebrates winning the 2011ICC World Cup against Sri Lanka in Mumbai

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The Indians along with Australia were in sublime form in the 2003 World Cup that was jointly hosted by South Africa. Both the teams reached the �nals, which was played at the Wanderers. The Indians lost tamely in the �nals to the deserving winner, Australia.

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BILATERAL TIES

1933-34 (India)

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The team for India's first home Test, against England in 1933-34:

(l-r) R.J.D. Jamshedji, S. Wazir Ali, V.M. Merchant, C.S. Nayudu (sub for injured S.H.M. Colah), L. Amar Singh, L.P. Jai, C.K. Nayudu (capt0, L. Ramji, J.G. Navle (wicketkeeper), L. Amarnath, Mahomed Nissar

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The Indian's performance in their inaugural Test accentuated England's first official Test series tour to India in 1933-34.

The famous Bombay Gymkhana, which was inextricably linked with cricket in India, was the venue for the �rst of�cial Test in India that was played from Dec 15 -18 in 1933. The visiting English team was captained by Douglas Jardine, who had helped England regain the Ashes in Australia by adopting the infamous bodyline tactics. It was a homecoming for Jardine, for he was born in Bombay and therefore had a very soft corner and liking for India. The Indian team was captained by CK Nayudu.

Lala Amarnath

inaugural Test in India on all the four days of the Test in Bombay. India was bundled out for a paltry 219 in their �rst innings with the young debutant Lala Amarnath returning with the highest score of 38. England, true to their form, scored an impressive 438 runs. India started poorly in their second innings losing two early wickets for just 21. Nayadu and Amarnath created history and were involved in a record third wicket partnership with the young stylist debutant Amarnath scoring a debut century. Amarnath outshined his illustrious partner and captain Nayadu who preferred to play second �ddle to the young debutant Amarnath. The two played remarkably and were involved in a record partnership in the match. Amarnath was eventually out for 118 runs.

A record 25000 plus cricket crazy crowd witnessed the

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The next two Tests were played in Calcutta Madras and and India lost the series 2-0 loosing at Bombay and Madras and managing a creditable draw at Calcutta. India may have lost the series but the Indians had seen what Test Cricket is all about.

he Indian team from a strong position of 207 for 2 were bundled out for 258 in their second innings leaving England with a very low score to win the Test. England won the inaugural Test in India by 9 wickets. The Test also was witness to a memorable incident which came from Jardine the man who was

despised by Australians for his infamous bodyline tactics. India saw a softer and benevolent side of Jardine in the match. An enthusiast spectator ran on to the �eld to garland the centurion Amarnath. Skipper Nayadu ran towards the spectator to shoo him away from Amarnath forgetting in the process that the ball was not dead yet. The wicket keeper was all but ready to run out Nayadu when suddenly he was stopped from doing so by Jardine, who signalled the keeper not to do so, showing how much he loved India and Indians.

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but their chances were severely hampered when Lala Amarnath was sent home for disciplinary reasons before the �rst Test by the Captain, the Maharaja of Vizianagaram. In the weeks leading up to the �rst test, Lala Amarnath proved himself invaluable by scoring over 600 runs. He was also the team's best bowler with 32 wickets. India won only four of 28 matches. Though some compromise seemed to have been worked out with the mediation of the Maharaja of Bhopal, Lala Amarnath could never rejoin the team in this series. England won the Lord's and Oval Tests by nine wickets, but India held on at Old Trafford and, facing �rst-innings arrears of 368, scored 390 for 5 with hundreds from Vijay Merchant and Mushtaq Ahmed.

India's inaugural performance gained them a full tour and three Tests to England,

Result:

England 2 India 0 Drawn 1

3rd Test Match - England v All India

England and All India pose for a combined team photograph prior to the start of the the 3rd Test match at the Oval in London, 15th August 1936. England won by 9 wickets to win the series 2-0. Back row (left-right): Dilawar Hussain, BaqaJilani, George Duckworth, CotahRamaswami, LaurieFishlock. Middle row: Charles Barnett, Stan Worthington, Syed Mohammad Hadi, Arthur Fagg, Mushtaq Ali, Amar Singh, Mohammad Jahangir Khan, Mohammad Nissar, Hedley Verity, Bill Voce, Vijay Merchant, Jim Sims. Front row: Maurice Leyland, Major CottariKanakaiyaNayudu, Gubby Allen, Maharaj Kumar of Vizianagram, Wally Hammond and Syed Wazir Ali.

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Cricket, 1936, A picture of the All India Cricket side which toured England for a Test Series, L-R: VM Merchant, SM Hadi, Maharaj Sir VijayaVizianagram (Captain), Dilawar Hussain, S Banerjee, M Jahangir Khan, CS Nayudu, C Ramaswami, Mushtaq Ali, Amir Elahi, and S Wazir Ali, together with D Smith and Sutcliffe (Mr HDG Leveson-Gowers XI), India lost the series 2-0

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he series was however seriously marred by the rumours of bitter feud between the Indian Captain, the Nawab of Pataudi Sr. and the ace batsman, Vijay Merchant. It appeared to the viewers that Vijay Merchant and Vijay Hazare, both consummate players, were made to pit against each other by the Nawab of Pataudi. Mushtaq Ali, who was rather neutral, was deeply pained and wrote to his mentor C. K. Nayudu lamenting about the state of affairs and intrigue in the Indian team. The Indians performance in the County matches showed that they had tremendous talent, which was lauded by the British Media, though these were individual sparks rather than concerted team performances. This individualism in a team sport haunted India for a long time to come.

Alec Bedser Vinoo Mankad

England1946

Result:

England 1 India 0 Drawn 2

England went so far as to name a side to tour India in 1939 but the outbreak of war in September 1939 meant that this was cancelled.

It was not until the end of the World War II that the next Test series could be played between the two teams. It was played in England in 1946. The only Test result in this series came in the opening Test at Lord's when Alec Bedser took 11 for 145 on his debut as England won by 10 wickets. Vijay Merchant was outstanding, scoring 2385 runs at an average of 74.53 while Vinoo Mankad took 129 wickets.

Attlee At The TestBritish Prime Minister Clement Attlee (1883 - 1967), watching a test match between England and India from the shelter of the Pavilion at the Oval cricket ground in London, 17th August 1946.

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Cricket - England v India - First Test - First Day - Lord's Spectators at Lord's tuck into their lunch on the boundary.

Sport. Cricket. pic: circa 1940's. Nawab of Pataudi, (Iftikhar Ali Khan) 1910-1952, who played in England for Oxford University 1928-1931 and Worcestershire 1932-1938. He captained his native country India's Test Team in 1946 when the Indians toured England.

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India1951-52

Maiden Test winfor the Indians

It was for the first time that Independent India was playing against its ruler, England, in the Test

match and that too in India.

The next two series in 1952 and 1959, both played in England, were dominated by the English who white washed the Indians winning 8 of the 9 matches with one draw.

England, no doubt did not �eld their best side, but India deserved their success nevertheless. Slow pitches dulled England's quick men and their spinners were most disappointing. Pankaj Roy, a de�nite discovery, scored more runs than any other Indian batsman in a Test series against England (382) and Vijay Hazare made centuries in the �rst two Tests.

Vinod Mankad took 12 wickets and gave India their �rst Test win over England at Madras. Indians were aggressive and united as never before. They had sensed victory in at least two of the drawn tests and the England win in Kanpur incensed them. At 3 PM on 10th February 1952, when CD Gopinath took a catch to dismiss Statham, Hazare had led India to its �rst ever Test victory in history.

Result:

India 1 England 1 Drawn 3

Queen Elizabeth II And Vinoo Mankad At Lords:Queen Elizabeth II shakes hands with Indian cricketer Vinoo Mankad as she meets the Indian Cricket Team prior to the 4th day of play of the 2nd Test against England at Lord's Cricket Ground in London, June 23rd 1952.

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India Cricket TeamThe India cricket team during their tour of England in June 1952. Back row (left-right): G.S.Ramchand, P.R.Umrigar, P.Sen, G.A.Ahmad, N.R.Chowdhury, M.K.Mantri, R.Divecha, H.G.Gaekwad, C.D.Gopinath. Seated: C.T.Sarwate, H.R.Adhikari, V.Hazare (captain), S.G.Shinde, D.G.Phadkar. Sitting on ground: P.Roy, D.K.Gaekwad, V.L.Manjrekar.

MCC Touring Team In IndiaThe MCC Cricket Team pictured with the Nizam of Hyderabad and his wife during the 1951-52 Tour of India, Pakistan and Ceylon, circa 1st January 1952. Back row (left-right): Richard Spooner, Brian Statham, Don Kenyon, Eric Leadbeater, Cyril Poole, Frank Lowson, Malcolm Hilton, John Robertson, Derek Shackleton, Albert Watkins, Fred Ridgway, Roy Tattersall, Tom Graveney and Don Brennan. Seated: Geoffrey Howard (Team Manager), left, and Donald Carr (Captain), right.

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By then the Indians had played the mighty Australians in Australia just after India attained Independence. They had seen Bradman very closely and the team was rearing to play their rulers in India. Having attained its tryst with destiny in political freedom from its rulers, India created history in the �nal Test of the 5 test series, winning their maiden Test match at Madras where they thrashed England by an innings and eight runs to square the series. The Indians dominated the series with three draws and one win each. The Indians controlled the �rst two Tests but at Kanpur, England took the lead with an eight-wicket win as Malcolm Hilton and Roy Tattersall, the spinners, found form.

"First Of�cial Test Victory for India”

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ndia, captained by Nari Contractor, created history winning the �rst ever Test series against their erstwhile rulers. Although England did not �eld their best players, India deserved to win. The �rst three Tests in the 5 match series were drawn and the stage was set for the new comer Salim Durrani to shine with his bowling. He captured 8 wickets in the fourth Test at Calcutta and was ably supported by the all round performance of Chandu Borde who scored back to �fties and also picked up 4 wickets in the �rst innings, as India won the Test by 187 runs to go 1-0 up in the series. The hosts carried their con�dence to the last Test that was played at Madras. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi's century helped India pile up a massive 400 plus runs in their �rst innings. Salim Durrani's slow left arm spin bowling baf�ed the English batsmen who had no answers to the guile of Durrani. India won the Madras Test and for the �rst time, also the series.

The 1963-64 series in India was one of those drab Test series, were every one of the 5 Tests played at Kanpur, Delhi, Calcutta, Mumbai and Chennai ended in a tame draw. It was the beginning of the discontentment among the Test watching spectators who had paid to watch spectacular matches but returned disappointed. The English whitewashed the Indians in the 1967 Test series winning all the three Tests played at Birmingham, Lords and Leeds.

The next two series, the �rst in 1971 played in England and the one that followed in 1972-73 played in India, were part of the coming of age series for India. The Indians won both these back to back series 1-0 and 2-1 respectively. This was the era of the quartet Indian spinners Bedi, Chandra, Venkat and Prasanna.

1961-62 India

Result:

India 2 England 0 Drawn 3

AjitWadekar24th August 1971: Indian skipper AjitWadekar and teammate B S Chandraserhar wave to cheering crowds at the Oval after India won the Test Series against England.

Delighted Indian FansIndian fans invade the pitch at the Oval, London, 25th August 1971, after India won the Third Test against England by four wickets to win the test series 1-0.

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India vs England, 1961-62: Rival captains: Nari Contractor and Ted Dexter (England)

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England1974

The Indians, who had won all the three series they contested prior to this series - two of them abroad and one at home, had an enviable record of four wins and only one loss in the 13 previous Tests prior to the series, were in for a rude shock.

DL Amiss MH Denness AW Greig

The weather was outrageously unkind to the tourists while they prepared for the Test Series. It was at its coldest and wettest during the opening Test, at Old Trafford. The team had its shortcomings and the England played the tried and trusted Indian spinners with con�dence. England won the �rst Test at Old Trafford by 113 runs. England scored a mammoth 629 in their �rst innings in the second Test at Lords with three centurions led by DL Amiss (188), MH Denness (118) and AW Greig (106). The Indians replied with 302 and were made to follow on. The second innings was a disaster for the Indians. They were bundled out for their lowest ever Test score of 42 with just one batsman entering into the double �gure. The Indians also lost the third and �nal Test of the series played at Edgbaston by an innings and 78 runs. Indians also lost the ODI series losing 2-0.

ODIs: England 2 India 0

Result: TESTS

England 3 India 0 Drawn 0

1st Test Match - England v IndiaIndian batsman Bhagwat Chandrasekhar is out, stumped by England wicketkeeper Alan Knott and England wins the 1st Test match between England and India at Old Trafford, Manchester, 11th June 1974. The England players are (left to right): Mike Denness, Mike Hendrick, Bob Willis, Chris Old, Dickie Bird (umpire), Alan Knott and Keith Fletcher.

1st Test Match England v IndiaEngland captain Mike Denness shields Sunil Gavaskar of India from celebrating Indian fans after Gavaskar had completed his century on the third day of the 1st Test match at Old Trafford in Manchester, 8th June 1974. England won by 113 runs.

1st Test Match - England v IndiaSunil Gavaskar of India batting during his �rst innings score of 101 in the 1st Test match between England and India at Old Trafford, Manchester, 8th June 1974.

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England won the �rst three Tests before India fought back to win the Bangalore Test, courtesy Bishan Bedi and Chandrasekhar who bowled them to a 140-run win, and at Bombay the series ended with an exciting draw as Karsan Ghavri grabbed 5 for 33 to put the skids under England's run chase. This was the last tour where England abroad was known as MCC.

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IndiaTall, handsome and charismatic Tony Greig led the England team to victory in India.

Result: TESTS

India 1 England 3 Drawn 1

Bishan Bedi Chandrasekhar Karsan Ghavri

2nd Test India v England Calcutta January 1976-77CALCUTTA - JANUARY 3: A view of Eden Gardens showing the completely packed ground, the crowd was estimated at over 100,000, 2nd Test India v England Calcutta January 1976-77

3rd Test India v England Madras January 1976-77MADRAS - JANUARY 18: BishenBedi, 3rd Test India v England Madras January 1976-77

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GundappaViswanath batting for India during the 3rd Test match between India and England at Madras

(Chennai), India, 15th January 1977.

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1979 EnglandGeoff Boycott David Gower Ian Botham

Gundappa Viswanath Dilip Vengsarkar Sunil Gavaskar

India made a poor start to a four-Test series following the World Cup but gradually found their feet and ended by coming agonisingly close to levelling in the final Test.

Result: TESTS

England 1 India 0 Drawn 3

Big hundreds from Geoff Boycott (155) and David Gower (200) followed by good seam bowling gave England an innings win at Edgbaston. At Lord's, Ian Botham (5 for 35) bowled India out for 96 but rain and hundreds from Gundappa Viswanath and Dilip Vengsarkar earned them a creditable draw. The third Test was also ruined by the weather, but in late-summer sunshine at the Oval a glorious 221 from Sunil Gavaskar,took India within nine runs of scoring 438 to win the match in a thrilling draw.

1980

Result: TESTS

India 0 England 1

England played a one-off Test in Bombay to mark the Golden Jubilee of the Indian board. Although the English won this match in style by ten wickets the match i s r e m e m b e r e d f o r V i s h y ' s sportsmanship.

England in IndiaIndia

Madan Lal and Kapil Dev ended with ten wickets as England was bowled out for 102 chasing 241 in the only Test which witnessed a result. The rest of the 5 Tests were pedantic with poor entertainment and dull over rate. The �nal result India won the six test series 1-0 but failed to win the hearts of its spectators. India also wrapped up the ODI series 2-1.

1981-82

Result: TESTS

India 1 England 0 Drawn 5 ODIs: India 2 England 1

India hosted a six Test series with India winning the lone Test match in Bombay and the rest 5 Tests ending in a tame draw.

Prime Minister of India Mrs Gandhi28 Dec 1981: Prime Minister of India Mrs Gandhi meets the England team before the Third Test match at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, India. The match ended in a draw.

Jubilee Test Match - India v EnglandIndia captain GundappaViswanath withdraws the appeal against England batsman Bob Taylor during the Jubilee Test match between India and England at Wankhede Stadium, Bombay, India, 17th February 1980.

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India again played the English team in the same year 1982 and this time the English were victorious winning both the three Test series 1-0 and the ODI series 2-0.

ODIs: England 2 India 0

Result: TESTS

England 1 India 0 Drawn 2

This Test series is also remembered for Vengsarkar's brilliant century (157) and all round play by Botham who scored a career best score of 208 at the Oval.

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Phil Edmonds Pat Pocock

1984-85

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England cricket team before the 1st Test match between England and India at Lord's Cricket Ground, London, 9th June 1982. Back row (left-right): Derek Randall, Chris Tavare, Paul Allott, Derek Pringle, Phil Edmonds, Geoff Cook, Allan Lamb

Front row: Bob Taylor, David Gower, Bob Willis (captain), Ian Botham, Geoff Miller

India

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India captain Sunil Gavaskar with former Indian cricketer Vijay Merchant after the 1st Test match between India and England at Wankhede Stadium, Bombay, India, 3rd December 1984.

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The series was eclipsed by the colossal tragedy of the assassination of the Indian Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi and also the murder of the British High Commissioner weeks later.

ODIs: India 1 England 4

Result: TESTS

India 1 England 2 Drawn 2

1985: David Gower of England holds the trophy aloft after the Fifth Test against

India at Green Park in Kanpur, India. The match ended in a draw.

The series continued despite serious doubts that were marred by disturbances all across the country. Laxman Sivaramakrishnan scalped 12 wickets in the �rst Test at Bombay helping India take lead despite Mike Gatting's maiden Test hundred. Phil Edmonds and Pat Pocock's bowling helped England strike back at the Delhi Test winning the Test by eight-wickets. England also won the last Test at Madras by nine wickets courtesy 11 for 163 from Neil Foster and double hundreds from gatting and Graeme Fowler.

England also gave India a drubbing in the ODI series winning 4-1.

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The next bilateral series that was to be played in India did not happen due to political reasons after India refused to grant visas to Graham Gooch, the captain, and Rob Bailey.

Graham Gooch

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1988-89 INDIAEngland

India won the 1986 Test and ODI series in England winning the Test series 2-0 and also on the basis of scoring rate, the one-day Texaco Trophy.It was India's first Test series win in England since the epic one in 1971.

ODIs: England 1 India 1

Result: TESTS

England 0 India 2 Drawn 1

1986

25th October, 1989, MRF World Series for Jawaharlal Nehru Cup : India vs England in Kanpur.

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The India cricket team before the 1st Test match between England and India at Lord's Cricket Ground, London, 5th June 1986. Back row, left to right: Sandeep Patil, Chetan Sharma, Manoj Prabhakar, Raman Lamba, Maninder Singh, VB Prabhudesai (assistant manager), Kiran More, Kris Srikkanth, Mohammad Azharuddin, ChandrakantPandit; front row: Roger Binny, DilipVengsarkar, MohinderAmarnath, Kapil Dev (captain), Raj Singh (manager), Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar, Shivlal Yadav.

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India won the ODI series 2-0 but were confronted by Gooch's striking form in the Test series, which the English won 1-0. Gooch scored triple century (333) and followed it up with another century helping England to a 247-run win. The series also witnessed young Sachin Tendulkar's century (119) and two successive centuries by Mohammad Azharuddin. There was nothing to separate the teams, except the toss at Lord's and India choosing to bowl �rst and England scoring 653 for 4.

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ODIs: England 0 India 2

Result: TESTS

England 1 India 0 Drawn 2

ODIs: India 3 England 3

Result: TESTS

India 3 England 0 Drawn 0

The English team led by Graham Gooch faced a humiliating 3-0

whitewash in the Test series and ended up drawing the ODI series 3-3.

1992-93

INDIASachin Tendulkar of India reaches 100 during his innings of 117 in the 2nd Test match between England and India at Old Trafford, Manchester, 14th August 1990. The England fielder is Angus Fraser.

1996: 2nd Test Match - England v India

The Indian Team after winning the 1992-93 series against England

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England1996

ODIs: England 2 India 0

Result: TESTS

England 1 India 0 Drawn 2

Ganguly Dravid

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England batsmanNasser Hussain acknowledges the crowd after completing his century in the first innings of the 1st Test match between

England and India at Edgbaston in Birmingham, 9th June 1996. Hussain went on to score 128 runs. England won by 8 wickets.

The series gave India two stars who dominated the cricket �eld for several years. Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid made their dream debut with the former scoring a debut century (131) and the latter, a classy 95.

Indian batsman Saurav Ganguly acknowledges the

crowd after reaching his century during the 2nd Test match between England and

India at Lord's cricket ground, London on 20th June 1996. The match ended in a draw.

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India lost both the Test and ODI series, 1-0 and 2-0 respectively.

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It took almost 10 years for England to tour India.

ODIs: India 3 England 3

Result: TESTS

India 1 England 0 Drawn 2

The �rst Test ended in a heavy, 10 wicket-loss for the tourists. The Indian spin duo of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh won the match for the Indians in Mohali. England had the better of the two in next two drawn matches. Hussain's strategy of restricting Tendulkar with leg-side bowling at Bangalore caused controversy but proved effective.

The English players returned back to play the six ODI matches after Christmas in January. India was leading the six-match series 3-1 and England came from behind to win the next two matches to level the series 3-3. The decider at Mumbai is infamously remembered for the shirtless Flintoff racing round the stadium in delight. Tendulkar was the man of the series.

he series was played just after the 9/11 terrorist attack on New York and continued even after the terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament when the English team were in India. The teams were involved in three Tests and six ODIs which were played amidst apprehension of the safety of players. The English team was led by Nasser Hussain and missed the services of some of leading players.

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Nasser Hussain / England captain with Saurav Ganguly before the toss at the 1st test India v England at Mohali 2001...

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2002

Indians toured England for a four-Test series and a triangular ODI series that involved India, England and Sri Lanka.

ODIs: India 2 England 1

Result: TESTS

India 1 England 1 Drawn 2England

The teams shared the honours for the Test series with one win each and two draws. The series witnessed high-scoring games with centuries coming at ease from both the teams.

India and England reached the �nals of the NatWest trophy eliminating the Sri Lankans and were levelled at 1-1. India came back from certain defeat to clinch the trophy in the �nals chasing a mammoth 326 runs with just 3 balls to spare at Lord's.

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India's Rahul Dravid celebrates scoring his century during the third day of the 4th power Test Match against England at The Oval in London 07 September 2002.

NatWesttrophy

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Andrew excelled both with the bat and bowl. The series is also remembered for the Flintoffnondescript player Munaf Patel, son of a farmer, who took seven wickets in the second Test match at Mohali, to win it for India. The Indians swept the seven matches the ODI series 5-1 with one match abandoned due to rain.

IndiaThe three-Test match series ended 1-1 with one drawn match.

2005-06

Rain played spoil sport to deprive England of their rightful victory in the �rst Test which ended in a draw with England needing just one wicket for the victory. Zaheer Khan's aggression helped India win the second Test and lead the series 1-0. Indians piled up a massive 664 runs in the �nal Test with Kumble scoring a century. The Test though ended in a draw to earn the Indians their �rst Test series victory over England in two decades.

England fought back to win the seven-match NatWest ODI series 4-3. The series witnessed payback time for Yuvraj Singh who was hit for �ve sixes in a over by Dimitri Mascarenhas.

England

The Indians played a three-Test series and seven ODI matches in England.

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07

ODIs: England 4 India 3

Result: TESTS

England 0 India 1 Drawn 0

Dimitri Mascarenhas

Munaf Patel

The Indian team celebrate their series win against England during day five of the Third Test match between England and India at the Oval on August 13, 2007 in London, England.

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Anil Kumble on the second day of the third Test match between India and England at The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, 19 March 2006.

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but as fate would have it, the ODI series was curtailed to �ve matches as Mumbai was struck by a terrorist attack on November 26. The English team returned back bravely, to a rousing welcome, to play the two match Test series.

Indians whitewashed the ODI series winning all the �ve ODIs and also winning the Test series 1-0. Sachin Tendulkar - who scored his 41st century - was the architect of India's historic victory at Chennai, where the Indians chased a massive 387 runs to win the Test. Sachin dedicated his century and the victory to the resilience of Mumbaikars who had moved on from the heinous terrorists attack.

ODIs: India 5 England 0

Result: TESTS

India 1 England 0 Drawn 0

India2008-09

The series involved seven match ODI series and two Test matches,

Indians began their quest with a well made double century by Chateshwar Pujara in the opening Test. Indians won the Test by nine wickets despite a spirited 176 by Alastair Cook. England hit back, winning the second and third Tests and the series. Monty Panesar proved his mettle with the bowl scalping 11 wickets in the second Test including the wicket of his childhood idol, Tendulkar, in both the innings of the Test. Panesar and Graeme Swann took 19 wickets apiece to win the series 2-1 for England. Joe Root one of the leading batsmen of modern times, made his debut in this series.

The Indians won the ODI series and levelled the T20 series 1-1.

India2012-13The English team was raring to beat India in their backyard while India was waiting to avenge their humiliating defeat in England, where they

were beaten 4-0 in the Test matches

Chateshwar Pujara Alastair Cook Monty Panesar

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T20s: India 1 England 1

Result: TESTS

India 1 England 2 Drawn 0

ODIs: India 3 England 2

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Trophy Final cricket match between England and India.

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England

England toured India for a 5 match Test series, 3 match ODI and 3 match T20 series in 2016-17. Indians were in sublime form and cricket pundits had predicted a white wash for the visitors. That was not to be. The Englishmen excelled in batting in the opening Test played at Rajkot with three centurions and came very close to winning the game which, fortunately for the hosts, ended in a draw.

The Indians came back hard on the visitors with the spin duo of Ashwin and Jadeja, with support from Shami and Umesh, dominating the English batsmen all through the Test series which the hosts won 4-0. Virat Kohli led the team from the front and was rightfully declared the man of the series. Karun Nair scored an outstanding triple century in the �nal Test remaining unconquered on 303.

The ODI series witnessed a feast of runs. The visitors scored a massive 350 runs in the opening ODI yet ended up on the losing side courtesy centuries from Kohli and Jadeja, who helped India score 356 for 7 with 11 balls to spare. The second ODI witnessed the vintage batting from Yuvraj whose 150 was ably supported by Dhoni's knock of 134 taking the hosts to an unassailable score of 381. The visitors made a match of it - courtesy their captain's century knock – yet fell short by mere 15 runs to lose the ODI and the series. All round batting performance from the visitors helped them win a consolation match in the third and �nal ODI, which they won by 5 runs.

The Hosts also won the T20 series 2-1 with the visitors winning the �rst T20 and the hosts coming back to win the 2nd and 3rd T20 matches and the series.

India 2016-17

England (top row: Ian Bell, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Chris

Woakes, Chris Jordan and Moeen Ali. front row: Stuart Broad, Joe Root,

captain Alastair Cook, Sam Robson and Jos Buttler) after winning the 5th Investec Test match between

England and India at The Kia Oval on August 17, 2014 in London, England.

2014

ndia toured England in 2014 for a 5 match Test series, 5 ODI matches and one T20. India survived a scare to draw the �rst Test and handed a shock defeat to the hosts in the second Test - courtesy, scintillating bowling by Ishant Sharma who took 7 for 74. The hosts staged a remarkable comeback producing exciting cricket to win the next three Tests and the series 3-1. The hosts thrashed the visitors by an innings in the 5th and �nal Test. The victory also provided a much needed respite for their captain, Cook, who had faced severe criticism for the lacklustre performance of the team. Joe Root, Moin Ali, Anderson and Stewart Broad, among others came good for the hosts.

The Indians came back hard on their hosts leading the 5 match ODI series 3-0 at the end of the 4th ODI with the opening match abandoned. The hosts however managed a consolatory victory in the �nal ODI to give the visitors a 3-1 series victory. The hosts won the lone T20 match winning the thriller game courtesy a swashbuckling innings of 71 from 31 balls from skipper Eoin Morgan.

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India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni bats during play on day 1 of the first cricket Test match between England and India at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, central England, on July 9, 2014

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Virat Kohli of India plays a delivery

late during the International

Twenty20 (T20) match

R. Jadeja

R. Aswin

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THE ALMIGHTY BAT

Sachin has carried the hopes and aspirations of one billion plus Indian cricket fans for all of 23 long years that he played the game. S a c h i n ' s u n p a r a l l e l e d achievements and his simplicity and humility have led to his fans placing him on a God's pedestal.

Sachin Tendulkar of India walks off the field and acknowledges the crowd as the first player in history to reach a double century in a one day international, February 24, 2010 in Gwalior, India playing against South Africa.

Sachin Tendulkar reacts after scoring his hundredth century during the one day international (ODI) Asia Cup cricket match between India and Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka

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SACHINis GoD!

If cricket is a religion...

Sachin Tendulkar, a spectacularly talented prodigy, is more than a mere cricketer for Indians.

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'Arrival of a Cricket God' by Manjunath Kamath is a reflection of every fan's belief that Sachin is God - Deconstructed Innings: A tribute to Sachin Tendulkar” exhibition

Sachin's fan following and his revered position is mirrored in the articulations of the art work titled “Arrival of a Cricket God” by Manjunath Kamath. This work formed a part of an exhibition “Deconstructed Innings: A tribute to Sachin Tendulkar” that was exhibited at the premier art institute of the India, the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai. The artist essays the birth of Sachin as an auspicious occasion where little Sachin is blessed by mythical godly �gures. The artist draws his inspiration from Indian Calendar Art, popular culture, and epics to celebrate the legendary stature of Sachin Tendulkar and presents a visual imagery, which includes metaphoric mythical elements that are juxtaposed with the childhood image of Sachin's arrival at the centre. There is also a book titled “If Cricket is Religion, Sachin is God” written by Vijay Santhanam and S B Subramanyam, which also juxtaposes the position of Cricket and Sachin for Indians.

More often than not, India's chances for success rested on the shoulders of Sachin. Entire stadiums erupted at the very sight of seeing the little master walk out to the wicket from the pavilion and the very crowd entered into a deadly silence, and often emptying the stands, when the bowler got the better of Sachin. Sachin was born in Mumbai, one of the prime cities having a very rich cricket history. In a work titled “The City of Dreams” exhibited at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai the artist, Remen Chopra presents a sculptural representation of Sachin's Cricket career in a skyline of his city of dreams that is symbolic of his unprecedented achievements on the �eld.

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n the history of Indian Cricket, no one has had a following bigger than Sachin – more than a billion. Cricket Fans all across the globe keep the spirit of Sachin alive long after he has laid his bat to rest. He has connected Indians to cricket and to his own play more than anyone else. His performance used to be the reason for whole country's happiness or sadness. Harsha Bhogle, an erudite and highly respected commentator, once said "India sleeps well when Sachin plays well". The crazy and unsportsmanly attitude of the crowd at the Eden Garden during the semi-�nal world cup match against Sri Lanka after Sachin was out, stands testimony to the dependence of the cricket fans on Sachin.

The crowd at the Wankhede played its part in Sachin Tendulkar's emotional send-off, India v West Indies, 2nd Test, Mumbai, 3rd day, November 16, 2013

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Sachin Tendulkar heads down to the presentation after his final Test, India v West Indies, 2nd Test, Mumbai, 3rd day, November 16, 2013

Sachin Tendulkar claims a stump as a souvenir after India's win

Many of Sachin's fans have come dangerously close to believing that Tendulkar is/was God. Certainly much of Tendulkar's batting seemed like a gift from above. But the impression short-changes him, for no one worked harder to hone natural talent than Sachin. Sachin, who is a devout Hindu, does not like the comparisons. In one of his recent interactions with his adoring fans, he said that " he is not a god as he makes mistakes and gods do not", but that had little impact on many of his fans. Every 'God' has his share of non-believers. The great Sachin too had some. Some critics started writing his cricketing obituary when he was past 35. He bounced back and proved his critics, who had coined a new phrase 'End'ulkar, to signal the end of Tendulkar,wrong. At the age of 37, he had his most fertile year (2010); scoring more than 1500 Test runs and also achieved a feat not witnessed until that point of time in cricketing history, a double century in an ODI.

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Sachin Tendulkar is the youngest ever recipient of the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. The honour was conferred by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee. Tendulkar at 40, is the first sports person, to receive the most coveted award.

Bharat Ratna Award

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India's highest civilian award.

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Among his innumerable fans one man, Mr Sudhir Chaudhary, from Odisha is conspicuous. He is

seen with his body with the whole painted colours of the national �ag and at the bottom are three words: 'the god of cricket'. Like a true disciple he has followed Tendulkar wherever he has gone. Likewise there are several other diehard fans of Sachin who are equally passionate about their idol including Mr Manu Singh, from Australia, Pavan Kumar from Hyderabad and Hasnain Masood from UAE, who continue to keep the spirit of Sachin alive. The exhibition “Deconstructed Innings” at the NGMA is an outcome of the reverence that Indians have for their idol.

Superfan Manu Singh with Sachin Tendulkar at the Bradman Oval

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At the World Cups, he has been more proli�c than anywhere else, his total tally at WCs (2278 Runs) being 30.6% greater than his closest and arch rival Ricky Ponting (1743 runs). And if you think he has played more,you are mistaken, he has played 1 match less than Ponting in WCs. He has also hit 6 centuries and 21 half tons. Sachin's achievements can best be summarised in the words of Ponting who wrote in his foreword for a book ‘Tendulkar in Wisden: An Anthology’, “For me, he's the greatest batsman after Don Bradman. While I hold Brian Lara in high regard because of his match winning ability, I don't think any batsman can achieve more out of the game than Sachin has".

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Sachin Tendulkar poses with a bat ahead of his first international tour, to Pakistan, October 1, 1989

2nd Test Match - England v India, Sachin Tendulkar of India reaches 100 during his innings of 117 in the 2nd Test match between England and India at Old Trafford, Manchester, 14th August 1990. The England fielder is Angus Fraser.

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Sachin with Kapil and Azhar

Sachin has to his credit an unprecedented record of scoring 100 hundreds in international matches, playing in a record 200 Tests, highest scorer in both Tests and ODI and several other records which are hard to conquer. Sachin however had to wait for a long time to get to his 100th hundred. He says “When I got to my 100th international century, I was not jumping or celebrating. My �rst question to God was why did it take so long? What did I do wrong? With a billion plus people waiting for this, it shouldn't have taken so long”.

Sachin played 664 international matches in 24 years. It means around 27.67 matches per year, and still maintained an average of approximately 44 and 54 in ODIs and Tests respectively. So although the average is less than Bradman's, the matches are way higher. His consistency, keeping in mind his longevity in the game, the varying opponents and conditions, is probably the best at the international stage.

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Sachin Tendulkar's coach, Ramakant Achrekar, watches him get his100th century, Delhi, March 16, 2012

Celebrating daughter's birthday in the slums

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Our human mind is programmed to relate and picturise events, ideas, objects and persons. So whenever the word 'batsman' pops up, we either relate to Sachin Tendulkar or Sir Donald Bradman.

Cricket to Sachin was not just a game but the 'word of God'. He is the reason cricket has become a religion in India and every child in the 90s was born with an innate passion for cricket.

Cricket is said to be a game dominated by the batsmen. Although the argument is debatable, it seems more than partially true to the naked eye.

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INDIANPREMIER LEAGUE

Sourav Ganguly

Rising Pune SupergiantsKolkata Knight RidersGujarat LionsSunrisers HyderabadMumbai IndiansDelhi DaredevilsKings XI PunjabRoyal Challengers Bangalore

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The tenth successful edition of the cash rich Indian Premier League (2017) took off in style on the 5th April 2017

The IPL 2017 opened with performances by the Indian Film Industry, that goes by the popular name of Bollywood, and felicitation to the �ve leading Indian cricket stars Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag. The tournament will culminate with the �nals on the 21st May 2017. The player auction for the IPL 2017 season saw English players, led by Ben Stokes, getting the top bids.

The IPL, a 45 days extravaganza, has financially benefitted players

from across the globe and upcoming stars and youngsters from India.

English players were the toast this year's auction. IPL 2017 auctions for the players, from the 8 franchises, saw the England all-rounder Ben Stokes emerge as the most expensive player in the auction, fetching a whopping Rs 14.5 crore (2.5 million USD) from the Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) outbidding four other Franchisees. Ben Stokes has become the costliest ever foreign player to play in the T20 league. The most eye-catching acquisition also involved an England player. Tymal Mills, a 22-year-old English fast bowler who has never played international Test-Cricket, was acquired by Royal Challengers Bangalore for the season, at a contract worth 1.75 Million USD,

making him the second most valuable overseas player in its 10-year history. These contracts, involving the

English players, in this year's IPL signi�es the importance of the IPL tournament from the

English player's point of view. The Rising Super Giant Pune were truly rewarded by Ben

Stokes performances. He was the driving force for the RPS to reach the 2nd spot in

the IPL 2017 play off. The RPS team will miss the services of Ben stokes as they take on Mumbai Indians for a place in the �nals.

Ben Stokes

The five leading

Indian cricket stars

who recieved

felicitation

Sachin Tendulkar Sourav Ganguly Rahul Dravid VVS Laxman Virender Sehwag

Tymal Mills

Ben Stokes

The IPL has not only bene�tted the cricket players but also has made a positive impact on the Indian economy. The BCCI appointed KPMG Sports Advisory Group, who had undertaken a survey on the economic impact generated by the IPL, have stated that the 2015 IPL contributed Rs.11.5 billion ($182 million) to India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The survey also points to the total economic output associated with IPL matches in India, for 2015, to be estimated at INR 26.5 billion (USD 418 million). This is the aggregate value of

all transactions that took place as direct, indirect or induced effect of the economic activity of the 2015 matches. The IPL broadcasting rights, which are currently with Sony Pictures, are estimated to be valued at $4 billion. According to the Broadcast Audience Research Council of India, the total TV viewership of IPL during the year 2016 was estimated to be more than one billion . A report by Management Consultancy �rm KPMG puts the total impact of IPL on the Indian economy at Rs. 11.5 billion , which is more than 0.6% of the country's GDP.

The advantages of IPL are so many, especially for the cricketers, which can be substantiated by the survey result conducted by the Federation of

International Cricketers' Associations (FICA). They took an opinion among 45 foreign players, and came to the conclusion that IPL is the most important game for them professionally.

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The IPL 2017 tournament has pitted eight star-studded teams against each other in the Twenty20 format, which is an abridged and heavy-hitting version of the sport that was launched in 2003.

The Indian Premier League provides the much-needed �nancial security, especially to those lesser-known players who may never play for the country yet may have spent major part of their life, playing cricket.

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Tendulkar celebrated his 36th birthday with friends and teammates in South Africa during the Indian Premier League Twenty20.

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Nita Ambani poses with the Mumbai Indians team at the party hosted by her to celebrate her team’s victory in IPL finals.

Rajasthan Royals, the winners of the first IPL(2008),pose withtheir captain Shane Warne

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Sachin | Ponting | Bhajji

We should thankthe IPL because

that’s wherethe cricketers

come from,it is the platform

youngsters are gettingto showcase their

RAVI SHASTRI

talent.

IPL provides a unique platform for players from across the continent to jell well.

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Lalit Modi

Eoin Morgan Kevin Pietersen Jos Buttler

The genesis of this highly successful tournament goes back to September, 2007, when Lalit Modi, the key architect of IPL, was handed a US $ 25 million cheque from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, for formalising and launching a new cricket league. Modi's challenge was to build a sustainable business model, which would create appropriate incentives to motivate players, broadcasters, franchise owners, and various cricket boards to join in this effort. He had just seven months to accomplish it all. When the �rst draft of the Indian Premier League was outlined, its architects would have hardly imagined it would turn into the gigantic success that it is today.

The IPL has now become a spectacular exhibition of a brand of cricket that has rewritten the gospels of the game and continues to attract the cricketing world. It has, in many ways, turned the game into a thriving industry with Bollywood and captains of the Indian Industry joining hands to take part in this annual sporting event that appeals to every section of Indian society. The IPL has helped Cricket from being an international game to becoming a global sport. The incentives of playing the IPL are far more enticing—not just money, which is huge, but the exposure that the players get is also matchless.

Shane Watson and Steve Smith

Brett Lee celebrates

the fall of a wicket

There has been fierce bidding for star players by the franchises each benefitting directly the players and for this year the major beneficiaries have been the two

English players.

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Pat Cummins and other team members of Kolkata, Knight Riders

The �rst editionof the IPL started in

2008

The inaugural edition of the IPL started in 2008, with the business house DLF as its title sponsors. Ever since, various business houses have been associated with IPL and this year the title sponsors are VIVO. The IPL has been a sporting event full of extravaganza and has instantly become popular among the entire community of cricket loving Indians. IPL is Twenty 20 cricket, famously referred to as T20. The IPL cricket tournament does not represent any Nation; rather it is played almost like club tournaments. It consists of a mix of Indian and foreign cricketers. Each team has a franchise (this year eight in all). Selection of the players by the franchises is one of the most interesting aspects of the IPL. Different franchises bid for the cricketers of their choice for their team and the franchise who is the highest bidder for a particular player wins the bidding, and the player has to join that team. There has been �erce bidding for star players by the franchises, each bene�tting the players directly. This year the major bene�ciaries have been the two English players.

Bollywood film actor and owner of Kolkata Knight Riders,Shah RukhKhan waves during a IPL match

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Cricket, like many other sports, is highly competitive and more so when countries play against each other. It has whipped up passions and anger both among spectators and also players. The IPL provides a platform for players from disparate backgrounds to play for the same franchisee and share the same dressing room thus bringing together players who otherwise would have been at loggerheads. Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh put behind their acrimony to turn out for Mumbai Indians and be the best of pals all through the tournament.

IPL also provides a golden opportunity to young Indian players to rub shoulders with the best in the world in a congenial environment, which is so essential for learning.

Andrew Symonds Harbhajan Singh

The IPL platform can be used to draw many social bene�ts, the example of which was evident during the 2009 version of the IPL that was held in South Africa. The best part of this IPL was not the wins, the spectacular sixers or the Bollywood stars, but the frequent recognition of hundreds of children, teachers, and schools in every game. Much-needed scholarships and gifts were given out in each game to children and schools. The IPL platform can be used to publicise socially relevant messages like the Swachh Bharat campaign and ensure it reaches every one of them.

The IPL platform can be used to publicise socially relevant messages like the Swachh

Bharat campaign and ensure it reaches every one.

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Bhajji and Symonds

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It is not just that only the Indian players are idolised by the cricket crazy IPL fans but also international players. Ever since its beginning in 2008, IPL has unveiled frenzied chases and whipped up shrill debates about after match parties. Amidst the cacophony, the IPL's few but signi�cant contributions cannot be overlooked. Exposure, money and the camaraderie that brie�y erases jingoism, are intrinsic to the league. Unfortunately IPL has had its share of controversies resulting in one of the most successful franchisee, the Chennai Super Kings, getting disquali�ed and is now no longer in the fray. For some purists there could perhaps be many things wrong with the IPL, but it must be recognised that it has become a giant platform for energising not just the cricket crazy masses in India, but elevating the visibility of the game itself. Irrespective of how one feels about the IPL, the fact is that it provides three hours of pure excitement and entertainment to millions of cricket enthusiasts worldwide. A match winning performance equally lures brand managers and selectors.

Although the English Cricketing season starts during early May and clashes with the IPL, yet Several English players have been a part of the IPL and have huge fan following as their Indian counterparts.

Deccan Chargers celebrate winningthe DLF Indian Premier League, 2009 at

The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg on May 24

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MEN OF METTLEPeople love to make comparisons. Comparison of great men and women has always been a judgemental pastime for human society and cricket has been no different. In the Indo-England cricketing ties few such comparisons of great players - Men of Mettle - warrant merit.

Sunil Manohar Gavaskar and Geoffrey Boycott - from the same genre - elevated the art and pro�le of opening batsmanship all through their career. Boycott may have believed that he had a better technique than Gavaskar, but his illustrious Yorkshire mate Dicky Bird – known for his extraordinary umpiring – differed with him and believed Gavaskar was better. Notwithstanding the argument who was better, one thing is common; both lived u p r i g h t f u l l y t o t h e d e m a n d i n g responsibility to anchor the innings. They both belong to a period when a lengthy tenure at the crease was more often than not considered a necessity in combating bowling that tested the skill and resolution of the batsmen. Both can claim legions of followers, who continue to debate who was better with no clear winner in sight.They both are famed for their impeccable technical perfection and mastery on all conditions. Gavaskar �nally appears to have nudged ahead of Boycott in terms of numbers, having played more Tests, �nishing with an aggregate of 10,125 runs at 51.25 from his 125 matches in the Test matches. It was however Boycott who �rst

surpassed the highest ever score - that of the legendary Sobers - in Test cricket, when he went

past the score of 8032 Test runs. Boycott’s �nal tally of 8,114 runs from 108 Tests at 47.72, while

fractionally lower than Gavaskar’s, can yet be acknowledged as one of the best, as it re�ects a

career when he faced legendary pace men who

Sunil Gavaskar Geoff Boycottswung the new ball viciously on seaming conditions at home, where he played most of his matches. Beyond mere statistics, however, Gavaskar and Boycott have a relevance which transcends cricket. In a country which found respect on the cricket �eld hard to come by, Gavaskar propelled himself, his team-mates and his country to levels of professionalism they could not otherwise have achieved. In the case of Boycott, this introverted loner dragged himself to the top of his profession and danced to no-one’s tune but his own. Despite appearances, the initially bespectacled, socially awkward right-hander was the ultimate cricket rebel.Two great opening batsmen, two great cricketing traditions, Boycott and Gavaskar occasionally buckled under the weight that their countries incessant demands placed upon them. Neither was a saint, and each could be dif�cult, but their shared desire for perfection drove each man on to a Test career lasting almost two decades. The battle of Gavaskar and Boycott, therefore, can justi�ably be classed as a draw, albeit a very high scoring one. The high standards that they both set on �eld while batting, continues off the �eld as well with both excelling in the commentary arena

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Kapil DevNotwithstanding the humility

shown by Kapil Dev in his recent interview where he said

that he was among the least lethal with the ball among his illustrious

peers Imran, Hadlee and Botham, the fact remains that he was one

among those four greatest of all rounders (Imran, Hadlee, Botham and

Kapil) who ruled the 1980s which marked an emergence of outstanding

a l l - r o u n d e r s w h o d o m i n a t e d International cricket arena. Ian Botham and Kapil Dev were complete all-rounders, who showed their exemplary skills in every aspect of the game - batting, bowling and �elding. They could win matches single- handedly either with the bat or bowl.

Going purely by numbers, Kapil stands tall among his illustrious peers. He took most wickets (434) and scored most runs (5,248) amongst the four of them. The secret of his success was his longevity. He played a staggering 131 Tests during the 16 year period of his career (1978-94). He also scored 3783 runs in 225 one day internationals and was responsible for India’s historic winning of the 1983 World Cup. He also captured 253 ODI wickets, which speaks volumes for his �tness. Kapil took 64 catches in tests and 71 catches in one day matches. His running between the wickets was the best in comparison with all the Indian cricketers in the 1980s.

Ian Botham was a man of all seasons who could easily walk into any team for any country purely on his all round abilities. He was primarily the reason and the major force behind the overwhelming successes of England in the 1980s. In the 102 Tests that he played Botham scored 5200 runs with 14 centuries and also captured 383 Test wickets. He also took 120 catches as well. In 116 one day Internationals, Botham scored 2113 runs with 9 half-centuries and captured 145 wickets and 36 catches. Botham had tremendous control over swing. He did not have express pace. But he had the control to move the ball in swinging conditions. Among the greatest all rounders, he was c o n s i d e r e d t h e m o s t accomplished batsman.Both Kapil Dev and Botham were outstanding cricketers in t h e i r ow n e s t e e m , a n d International cricket became p o o r e r w i t h t h e i r retirement.

Ian Botham

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Jack Hobbs

Sachin has been talked about in volumes for he is revered as God of cricket in India. Jack Hobbs, although from completely a different era bears a similarity with

Sachin Tendulkar speciality when it comes to statistics

and century records. Sachin holds an enviable records of

scoring 100 hundreds in the International matches (Tests and

ODI) while Hobbs too has an enviable record, which he holds, for

the most First Class hundreds (199) and runs (61,760).

Both are/were sublime artists in their stroke play, and both seem to have gotten

better with age. Hobbs scored half of his hundreds after his 40th birthday. Tendulkar

was no different, his outstanding form, post the disastrous 2007 World Cup, was as good as his late

90s peak. The way Sachin bounced back to prove his critics and detractors wrong and recreate a magical

connect with his fans and admirers �nds a resonance with Hobbs, who was a lone wolf from the cricketing fraternity who

did not turn up to register for the Great War in which several cricketers joined and many perished. Carrying the baggage of his so called

ante national stand he went on to win the hearts of his fans.Hobbs career can be divided into two periods, each different from the other in style and

Sachin Tendulkar

tempo. Before the war of 1914-1918 he was quick to attack and played strokes all over the �eld. He was very nimble with his wrist and executed some of the most beautiful wrist strokes. Post the war when cricket was resumed in 1919, Hobbs was inching towards his thirty-seventh birthday, and already he was regarded as a cricket veteran. Hobbs adopted changed stance and tactics in his second period and dispensed some of the daring punitive strokes of his youthful raptures. His style became as serenely poised as it was in his early career and helped him score centuries effortlessly. The same could also be said of Te n d u l k a r , w h o t o o mellowed down with his age and changed from his early style of attacking, when he was known as the destroyer of Warne in 1998. His style and form continued post a brief period of darkness until the time he called quits.

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Ken Barrington and Rahul Dravid, two players from different era, have greatest of resemblances, primary among them being their indomitable spirit to stonewall the opponents while batting. The nick name “The Wall” given to Rahul D r av i d , e q u a l l y a p p l i e s t o K e n Barrington. They can well and truly be classi�ed under the category of greatest of gentlemen in cricket who exemplify the adage “cricket is a gentleman’s game”.Both of them, purists and classical Test m a t c h b a t s m e n w i t h o r t h o d o x techniques with immense levels of concentration were �nest of batsmen during their respective eras, who could make the opposition bowlers to sweat over to dismiss them. Patience elegance and dedication among other attributes were common to both of them. Ken Barrington served well as a successful manager/ coach for England who never shied from helping a player in the nets and Dravid too has started proving his mettle as a coach and his stint as the coach of the under 19 proves the point.Just like Ken Barrington, whose fame was subdued by his contemporary players that included Peter May, Colin Cowdrey, Ted Dexter and Tom Graveney, Dravid’s achievements too have been partially

Rahul Dravid

Ken Barrington

eclipsed and overshadowed by mass appeal players like Sachin, Sehwag, Laxman, who were his contemporaries and stylist and dashing players much loved by the crowd.Barrington’s statistics are remarkable. He played 82 Tests between 1955 and 1968, and scored 6,806 of his 31,714 �rst-class runs in them. There were 20 centuries. His Test average of 58.67 stands tall behind Bradman. Dravids statistics too are monumental. He played 164 Test matches and amassed 13288 runs with 36 hundreds at an average of 52.31. Whacking the ball was anathema to Dravid, yet he adapted himself to the modern day ODI and T20 cricket. He played 344 ODI matches and amassed 10889 runs at a respectable average of 39.16 with 12 centuries.

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Nasser Hussain5764 runs at an average of 37.18 with 14 centuries. Under his captainship England won 4 series in a row. England always brought out the best in Sourav Ganguly. He made his dream debut against the England team in which he scored a memorable Test century at Lord’s in 1996 and followed it up with another ton in the same series. His no holds barred approach and his relentless effort to instil the so called killer instinct, which the Indians always lacked, among the players made the game very competitive. His magical elegance in the cover drives can best be remembered from the articulations of the famous Geoffrey Boycott from the commentary box, for who Ganguly was the Prince of Kolkatta. His leadership stood out during 2003 World Cup as well and when it came to the 2002 tour and the historic victory against Steve Waugh’s team during the 2001 series. Like all �ne captains, Ganguly not only managed to get the best from his players, but he also excelled when it came to identifying the right men for the job. That is why the players whom he blooded remain ever grateful to him. Dada was one of a kind who made Indian cricket special to watch. Ganguly played in 113 Tests and 311 ODI and amassed 7212 and 11363 runs respectively with 16 hundreds in Tests and 22 hundreds in ODIs. He was also handy with his bowling.

Sourav Ganguly

Ganguly and Nasser Hussain are too highly competitive captains whose winning spirit can best be compared to the ruthless Douglas Jardine of Bodyline infamy. Both of them were highly articulate captains and tough competitors who never hesitated to adopt a no holds barred approach to pay back the opposition in their coin. They gave opposition captains sleepless nights. Nasser Hussain’s duel with India captain Sourav Ganguly added spice to India - England contests in the early 2000s. India will remember how he got spinner Ashley Giles to bowl negatively to Sachin Tendulkar in the 2001-02 series in India. Hussain’s century effort is often forgotten when cricket lovers recall India’s sizzling win in the 2002 NatWest Series �nal at Lord’s which witnessed a miracle thanks to Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif. Hussain forged a �ne partnership with Coach Duncan Fletcher in helping things turn around the ailing English cricket. Hussain may have not had the pleasure of beating Australia in a Test series, but his work as captain helped Michael Vaughan’s England team in some measure to reclaim the Ashes in the summer of 2005. Nasser played 96 Tests and amassed

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o Library, S. G. S. Medical College, KEM Hospital, Mumbaio PJ Hindu Gymkhana, Mumbai, India o Islam Gymkhana, Mumbai, Indiao ABP, Kolkatao Calcutta Cricket & Football Club (CCFC), Kolkatao Mrs Pheroza Godrejo Raja Randhir Singh o Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhio Rajinder Amarnatho Mr. Clayton Murzelloo Mumbai Indianso Mr. Anil Ambani o Mudra Communicationso Lok Sabha Secretariat/ Parliament Museum & Archives, New Delhio Press Trust of Indiao Central Railway, Mumbaio Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India.o Alkaji Foundationo Prof. Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI, Mumbai, Indiao Mr. Monty Panesaro Mr. Ravi Bhagchandka & Carnival Motion Pictures - Sachin: ABillion Dreamso Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi

he National Council of Science Museums, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, gratefully appreciates and acknowledges the benevolent support of the following institutions and individuals for their contribution and guidance, directly or indirectly, in the development of the “Cricket Connects: India &England Cricket Relations” exhibition. Our particular thanks are due to the of�cers and staff of the Nehru Science Centre, who made this exhibition possible.

o Prime Minister's Of�ce, New Delhi o Ministry of Culture, Government of Indiao Indian High Commission, London, UK o British High Commission New Delhi, Indiao The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Mumbai, India o Marylebone Cricket Club, London, Englando Maharashtra State Archives, Mumbai, Indiao Mumbai Cricket Association, Mumbai, Indiao Photo Division, New Delhi o Getty Images o The Hindu o Times Archives o Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, New Delhi o National Archives, New Delhi o The Marine Sports, Mumbai, India o Imperial War Museum, London, UKo National Film Division, Mumbai o Sachin Tendulkar (SRT Of�ce) o ESPN cricinfoo Amir Khan Productions: Lagaan o Ten Art,Mumbai o NGMA, Mumbai o The Bradman Foundation, Bowral, Australia

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