On this day in 1974: India played their first ODI

The 12th match in ODI history witnessed England host India for the first time in the 50-over format on this very day in 1974. The Asian side were led by Ajit Wadekar, India’s first-ever limited-over captain. The Indians were invited to bat first in the contest after England’s Mike Denness won the toss at Headingley.

Batting first in the historic contest, the Asian outfit got off to a sedate start after a strong opening partnership between Sunil Gavaskar and Sudhir Naik. However, the Indians were pegged back after losing both openers in quick succession. Gundappa Viswanath also departed cheaply as the home side started to dominate proceedings.

With the team in a spot of bother, skipper Wadekar stitched a solid partnership with Farokh Engineer to revive the innings. The iconic skipper became the first Indian batter to breach the 50-run mark in white-ball cricket.

Although the Indian skipper resurrected the batting innings with his valiant knock, middle-order batter Brijesh Patel stole the show with his counterattacking innings. The cricketer from Baroda, who got his place in the side after a prolific stint in the domestic circuit, smashed 82 runs off just 78 deliveries to take India to a competitive total of 265 runs.

England, in their reply, lost Dennis Amiss after a sturdy start. However, unperturbed by that loss, the hosts solidified their position in the match, thanks to John Edrich’s sensational innings. The Surrey batter registered his best ODI score, compiling 90 off 97. Despite his innings, the visitors tried to claw their way back into the match courtesy of three quick wickets.

But India’s hopes of a historic win in their first-ever 50-over game took a major hit after the iconic Tony Greig’s belligerence. The star all-rounder blazed 40 runs off just 28 deliveries to bring his side to the cusp of victory. Wicketkeeper-batter Alan Knott did the rest as England got over the line comfortably in the end.