Flashback: India’s first Test win in England

The Indian cricket team played their first-ever Test match against England in 1932 and hosted the Britishers in a Test series the following year. However, luck did not favour them on both occasions as they were vanquished by a far superior England outfit.

Since then, it was a long wait for India for decades to eventually snap their inglorious Test record against England. However, it was after nearly four decades that the Indian team finally went on to register their maiden Test victory on English soil by coming out on top in the historic Oval Test of 1971.

When India registered their first-ever Test win in England

England and India locked horns in the third Test match at the Oval from August 19 to 24. The Indian team was captained by the late Ajit Wadekar. The team had a point to prove this time around as they had not found any success on English soil on their previous six visits. However, they were oozing with confidence after defeating the mighty West Indies in an away series earlier that year.

Both England and India competed in a three-match Test series and the first two matches played at the Lord’s and the Old Trafford had ended in a stalemate and the third game was all about ‘Winner Takes It All’.

The hosts posted a stiff total of 355 in their first innings after skipper Ray Illingworth called it right at the toss and elected to bat first. Eknath Solar took 3/28 while Bishan Singh Bedi, Bhagwath Chandrashekar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan took two wickets each.

India in reply were bowled out for 284 riding on half-centuries from Dilip Sardesai and Farokh Engineer. England in their second innings were skittled for just 101 courtesy of an outstanding six-wicket haul from Bhagwath Chandrashekar who finished with figures of 6/38.

Thus, India were given a target of only 173 runs. Nonetheless, the Indians were given a run for their money despite chasing an easy total as they suffered a dramatic batting collapse with the Sunil Gavaskar walking back without troubling the scorers.

The heroes of the first innings – Wadekar (45) and Dilip Sardesai (40) – then steadied the Indian ship. Even after the duo was dismissed, Farokh Engineer took up the responsibility of taking India home and the visitors eventually got over the line by four wickets to register their first-ever Test series victory in England.