>MrOllie at 11:52, 8 March 2021

2021-03-08T11:52:40Z

New page

The '''[[Indian cricket team]]''' toured [[England]] in the [[1974 English cricket season|1974 English domestic cricket season]]. After matches against many of [[county cricket]] and other minor teams, in April and May, the Indian team played three [[Test cricket|Test match]]es and two One-day Internationals against the [[England cricket team]]. The tour was a total disaster for the Indian cricket team with England winning all five of the matches.

The season became known as the "Summer of 42",[http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/india/content/player/35933.html] referring to the number of runs scored by India in its second innings in the Second Test at [[Lord's]] (also a reference to the film ''[[Summer of '42]]'' which won an [[Academy Award|Oscar]] in 1972; a follow-up, ''[[Class of '44]]'' had been released in 1973). Blamed for his team's poor showing, Indian captain [[Ajit Wadekar]] retired from Test cricket after the tour.<ref>[http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/india/content/player/35933.html]</ref>

==Background==
India could make a fair claim in the early 1970s to be the top Test-playing nation. In 1970-71, the team had beaten the [[West Indian cricket team|West Indies]] in the Caribbean; in the English season that followed, 1971, the team had won its first-ever victory on English soil and with it the first series victory in Anglo-Indian Tests in England; and that victory was repeated, with a 2-1 margin, when [[Marylebone Cricket Club|MCC]] toured India in 1972-73.

The basis of India's success was the [[Indian spin quartet|quartet of world-class spin bowlers]] – [[Bhagwat Chandrasekhar]], [[Bishen Singh Bedi]], [[E.A.S. Prasanna|Erapalli Prasanna]] and [[Srinivas Venkataraghavan]] – backed up by world-class batting from [[Sunil Gavaskar]] and [[Gundappa Vishwanath]]. [[Ajit Wadekar]] was regarded as an astute captain, while [[Farokh Engineer]] was an extrovert wicketkeeper-batsman.

==Test matches==

===First Test===
{{Test match
| date =6–11 June 1974
| team1 ={{cr-rt|ENG}}
| team2 ={{cr|IND}}

| score-team1-inns1 =328/9[[Declaration and forfeiture#Declaration|d]] (143.3 overs)
| runs-team1-inns1 =[[Keith Fletcher]] 123[[not out|*]] (289)
| wickets-team1-inns1 =[[Syed Abid Ali|Abid Ali]] 3/79 (30.3 overs)

| score-team2-inns1 =246 (84 overs)
| runs-team2-inns1 =[[Sunil Gavaskar]] 101 (251)
| wickets-team2-inns1 =[[Bob Willis]] 4/64 (24 overs)

| score-team1-inns2 =213/3d (70 overs)
| runs-team1-inns2 =[[John Edrich]] 100* (188)
| wickets-team1-inns2 =[[Eknath Solkar]] 1/24 (7 overs)

| score-team2-inns2 =182 (85.1 overs)
| runs-team2-inns2 =[[Sunil Gavaskar]] 58 (140)
| wickets-team2-inns2 =[[Chris Old]] 4/20 (16 overs)

| result =England won by 113 runs
| venue =[[Old Trafford]], [[Manchester]]
| umpires =[[Dickie Bird]] (Eng) and [[David Constant]] (Eng)
| report =[https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/17213/scorecard/63125 Scorecard]
| toss =England won the toss and decided to bat.
| rain =
| notes = [[Mike Hendrick]] (Eng), and [[Brijesh Patel]] and [[Madan Lal]] (both Ind) made their Test debuts.
}}

In the First Test, played from 6 June to 11 June at [[Old Trafford Cricket Ground|Old Trafford]], England won the toss and batted first, scoring 328-9 declared, with a century for [[Keith Fletcher]] (123). Indian opening batsman [[Sunil Gavaskar]] scored 101 in India's reply of 246 all out, assisted by 71 added down the batting order by [[Syed Abid Ali|Abid Ali]]. England reached 213-3 in their second innings, declaring with [[John Edrich]] on 100 not out. India were bowled out a second time for 182, and England won by 113 runs.[http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/34/34267.html]

===Second Test===
{{Test match
| date =20–24 June 1974
| team1 ={{cr-rt|ENG}}
| team2 ={{cr|IND}}

| score-team1-inns1 =629 (182.5 overs)
| runs-team1-inns1 =[[Dennis Amiss]] 188 (303)
| wickets-team1-inns1 =[[Bishan Singh Bedi]] 6/226 (64.2 overs)

| score-team2-inns1 =302 (101.5 overs)
| runs-team2-inns1 =[[Farokh Engineer]] 86 (118)
| wickets-team2-inns1 =[[Chris Old]] 4/67 (21 overs)

| score-team2-inns2 =42 [[Follow-on|f/o]] (17 overs)
| runs-team2-inns2 =[[Eknath Solkar]] 18[[not out|*]] (17)
| wickets-team2-inns2 =[[Chris Old]] 5/21 (8 overs)

| result =England won by an innings and 285 runs
| venue =[[Lord's]], [[London]]
| umpires =[[Arthur Fagg]] (Eng) and [[Tom Spencer (cricketer)|Tom Spencer]] (Eng)
| report =[https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/17213/scorecard/63126 Scorecard]
| toss =England won the toss and decided to bat.
| rain =
| notes = [[David Lloyd (cricketer)|David Lloyd]] (Eng) made his debut in Tests.
}}

In the Second Test, played from 21 June to 24 June at [[Lord's]], England again won the toss and batted first, scoring a monumental 629 all out, with centuries for opening batsman [[Dennis Amiss]] (188), captain [[Mike Denness]] (118), and [[Tony Greig]] (106); in addition, John Edrich was out for 96. Indian spin bowler [[Bishen Bedi]] took six wickets, but conceded 226 runs in 64.2 overs. In reply, India scored 302 all out. Called to [[follow on]], India were dismissed a second time for only 42, and England won by an innings and 285 runs inside 4 days. [[Chris Old]] took 5-21, to add to his 4-67 in the first innings, and [[Geoff Arnold]] took 4-19.[http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/34/34328.html]

===Third Test===
{{Test match
| date =4–8 July 1974
| team1 ={{cr-rt|IND}}
| team2 ={{cr|ENG}}

| score-team1-inns1 =165 (59.2 overs)
| runs-team1-inns1 =[[Farokh Engineer]] 64[[not out|*]] (111)
| wickets-team1-inns1 =[[Mike Hendrick]] 4/28 (14.2 overs)

| score-team2-inns1 =459/2[[Declaration and forfeiture#Declaration|d]] (140 overs)
| runs-team2-inns1 =[[David Lloyd (cricketer)|David Lloyd]] 214[[not out|*]] (396)
| wickets-team2-inns1 =[[Erapalli Prasanna]] 1/101 (35 overs)

| score-team1-inns2 =216 (67.4 overs)
| runs-team1-inns2 =[[Sudhir Naik]] 77 (165)
| wickets-team1-inns2 =[[Mike Hendrick]] 3/43 (14.4 overs)

| result =England won by an innings and 78 runs
| venue =[[Edgbaston]], [[Birmingham]]
| umpires =[[Bill Alley]] (Eng) and [[Charlie Elliott]] (Eng)
| report =[https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/17213/scorecard/63127 Scorecard]
| toss =India won the toss and decided to bat.
| rain =
| notes = [[Sudhir Naik]] (Ind) made his debut in Tests.
}}

In the Third Test, played from 3 July to 8 July at [[Edgbaston Cricket Ground|Edgbaston]], India won the toss and batted first, scoring 165 all out. Wicket-keeper [[Farokh Engineer]] top scored with 64 not out. English reached 459 for 2 declared in reply, with [[David Lloyd (cricketer)|David Lloyd]] scoring 214 not out, [[Mike Denness]] dismissed for exactly 100. India were bowled out for 216 in their second innings, and England won by an innings and 78 runs.[http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/34/34398.html]

==ODI matches==
=== First ODI ===
{{Limited overs matches
| date = 13 July 1974
| team1 = {{cr-rt|IND}}
| score1 = 265 (53.3 overs)
| score2 = 266/6 (51.1 overs)
| team2 = {{cr|ENG}}
| runs1 = [[Brijesh Patel]] 82 (78)
| wickets1 = [[Chris Old]] 3/43 (10.5 overs)
| runs2 = [[John Edrich]] 90 (97)
| wickets2 = [[Eknath Solkar]] 2/31 (11 overs)
| result = England won by 4 wickets
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/17213/scorecard/64951 Scorecard]
| toss = England won the toss and elected to field.
| venue = [[Headingley Cricket Ground]], [[Headingley]]
| umpires = [[Bill Alley]] (Aus) and [[Dickie Bird]] (Eng)
| motm = [[John Edrich]] (Eng)
| rain =
| notes = This was India's first ODI match.<ref>{{cite web |title=First Prudential Trophy Match, England v India 1974 |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/150282.html |publisher=ESPNcricinfo |work=Wisden |access-date=14 August 2018}}</ref>
*''[[Robin Jackman]] (Eng) and the entire Indian team made their debut in ODIs.
}}
The First ODI was played on 13 July at [[Headingley Cricket Ground|Headingley]]. England won the toss and put India in to bat. India scored 265 all out, bowled out with 7 balls to bowl. England reached their victory target with 6 wickets down and 23 balls to spare.

=== Second ODI ===
{{Limited overs matches
| date = 16–17 July 1974<ref>{{cite web |title=Second Prudential Trophy Match, England v India 1974 |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/150283.html |website=Wisden |publisher=ESPNcricinfo |access-date=14 August 2018 |quote=The match went into a second day because the weather interfered shortly after the completion of India's innings on [16 July].}}</ref>
| team1 = {{cr-rt|IND}}
| score1 = 171 (47.3 overs)
| score2 = 4/172 (48.5 overs)
| team2 = {{cr|ENG}}
| runs1 = [[Ashok Mankad]] 44 (61)
| wickets1 = [[Chris Old]] 3/36 (9.3 overs)
| runs2 = [[Keith Fletcher]] 55[[not out|*]] (79)
| wickets2 = [[Syed Abid Ali|Abid Ali]] 1214 (11 overs)
| result = England won by 6 wickets
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/17213/scorecard/64952 Scorecard]
| toss = India won the toss and elected to bat.
| venue = [[The Oval]], [[London]]
| umpires = [[Charlie Elliott]] (Eng) and [[Arthur Jepson]] (Eng)
| motm = [[Keith Fletcher]] (Eng)
| rain =
| notes = [[Gopal Bose]] and [[Ashok Mankad]] (both Ind) made their ODI debuts.
}}
In the Second ODI, played on 16 July at [[the Oval]], India won the toss and batted. They scored 171 all out in 47.3 overs. England reached their victory target with 4 wickets down and over 6 overs to spare.

==External sources==
* [http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1970S/1974/IND_IN_ENG/ Tour home] at [[ESPNcricinfo]] archive
* [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/series/62274.html Tour home] at ESPNcricinfo
* {{Cricketarchive|ref=Archive/Events/0/India_in_British_Isles_1974|name=India in British Isles 1974}}

==Annual reviews==
* [[Playfair Cricket Annual]] 1975
* [[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack]] 1975

==Further reading==
* [[Bill Frindall]], ''The Wisden Book of Test Cricket 1877-1978'', Wisden, 1979
* [[Ramachandra Guha]], ''A Corner of a Foreign Field - An Indian History of a British Sport'', Picador, 2001

== References ==
<references />

{{Indian cricket tours of England}}
{{International cricket tours of England}}

[[Category:1974 in English cricket]]
[[Category:Indian cricket tours of England|1974]]
[[Category:International cricket competitions from 1970–71 to 1975]]

Indian cricket team in England in 1974 - Revision history

>MrOllie at 11:52, 8 March 2021