MarketIndian cricket team in England in 1971
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Indian cricket team in England in 1971

The Indian cricket team toured England in the 1971 season and played 19 first-class fixtures, winning 7, losing only one and drawing 11.

Background
With South Africa out of Test cricket, England was competitively on top. Earlier in the summer, they managed to defeat Pakistan 1–0 but coming into the series England had gone 24 Tests without defeat. They were to extend it to a record 26 Test matches before losing the third Test. India had not won a Test abroad till 1968 and had had no success in their previous six Test tours of England. However, under the new captain Ajit Wadekar, India defeated West Indies in an away series in early 1971. The victory in that series was built around the batting of Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Sardesai who scored 774 and 642 runs respectively. Chandrasekhar had been a controversial omission from the West Indies series. Chief Selector Vijay Merchant called his inclusion for the tour of England "a “calculated gamble"”. ==Touring party==
Test series
First Test Second Test Third Test ==Other matches==
Other matches
v Middlesex :;At Lord's, 23, 24, 25 June. Middlesex (233 and 131) lost to the Indians (168 and 198–8) by two wickets. India went from 31/0 to 57/4 with Tom Cartwright taking all the wickets. Solkar was dropped on 17, and survived again when Peter Robinson stepped on the ropes while taking a catch. Cartwright also dismissed Abbas Ali Baig after a fifth wicket stand of 71. He took 5/72 in a single spell of 29 overs. Solkar and Abid Ali added 134 for the sixth wicket. Solkar made 113 in 170 minutes with 18 fours and a six. India declared 22 minutes into the second day when Abid completed his hundred. He took 145 minutes over it and hit two sixes and 15 fours. Bad light affected play on the first two days and there was no result despite two declarations on the final day. Brian Close scored his fifth hundred of the season, scoring 103* in 210 minutes with 15 fours. Somerset declared 123 runs behind. Wadekar made 74 (12 fours and one six) for India in the second innings. Somerset were 38/1 at tea and ended on 127/2. Cartwright completed a hundred wickets in a season for the eighth time and was awarded a silver tankard. v Worcestershire :;At New Road, Worcester 1, 2, 3 September Indians (383-3 decl and 150-8 decl) drew with Worcestershire (248 and 250-5).{{cite web Wadekar and Gavaskar started the match with tour aggregates of 909 and 811 runs. Just before tea on the first day, Wadekar completed his 1000. At the break he was 98 not out. After Jayantilal fell for two, Wadekar and Gavaskar added 327 for the second wicket. It was a record for the English season, improving on 301 by Phil Sharpe and Doug Padgett for Yorkshire against Glamorgan. Wadekar hit 16 fours, and two sixes off Kevin Griffith in his 150 in 321 minutes. His hundred took 234 minutes. India ended the first day on 363 for 2, Gavaskar 188 not out. Gavaskar completed his thousand on the second morning but fell for 194. It was the highest score made for the Indians in the tour. The declaration came soon after at 383 for 3. Worcestershire's fifth wicket fell at 92 but John Parker and Keith Wilkinson added 100 for the sixth wicket. The 19-year-old Parker making his debut for the county, scored 91 and would go on to captain New Zealand. India declared at lunch on the final day 285 ahead and 210 minutes left. Worcestershire fell 40 runs short with Jim Yardley reaching a century. v TN Pearce's XI :;At North Marine Road Ground, Scarborough 4, 6, 7 September TN Pearce's XI (357-3 decl and 199-3 decl) drew with Indians (306 and 252-5).{{cite web Tom Pearce's XI put up 357 for 3 on the first day. Roy Virgin made a stylish century (176), adding 155 with Brian Bolus for the first wicket and 146 with Keith Fletcher for the third. Bolus was run out by Viswanath. Mankad carried his bat for 154* for India. He scored his fifty in 140 minutes and hundred in over four hours. Solkar hit a half century in 70 minutes. Pearce's XI made 87 for one at the end of the second day. Bolus hit a six and 14 fours in 106*. Set 251 in 240 minutes after a declaration, India won with half an hour to spare. Gavaskar scored 128 in 155 minutes with ten fours and four sixes. He brought up his fifty in 65 minutes and hundred in 120, hitting Peter Parfitt for two sixes and a four in one over and Brian Close for a six and a four off consecutive balls in another. ==References==
Annual reviews
Playfair Cricket Annual 1972 • Wisden Cricketers Almanack 1972 ==External links==
tickerdossier.comtickerdossier.substack.com