India played their first ODI in 1974 this day

Since 1974, India has played a total of 940 One Day Internationals (ODIs), winning 484, losing 409, tying 7, and with 40 matches ending without a result. This gives India an overall win percentage of 54.16.

On this day in 1974, the Indian cricket team played its inaugural ODI against England at Leeds, marking a significant milestone in Indian cricket history. Although ODIs had started in 1971, it took three years for India to debut in this format.

England won the toss and opted to field first. India started steadily, with openers Sunil Gavaskar and Sudhir Naik putting on a 44-run partnership for the first wicket. Naik was the first to fall for 18, dismissed by medium-pacer Robin Jackman. Gavaskar followed soon after, bowled for 28 by Geoff Arnold.

Gundappa Vishwanath was dismissed cheaply by Bob Woolmer, leaving India at 60/3. A 70-run partnership ensued between skipper Ajit Wadekar and wicketkeeper-batter Farookh Engineer, but it ended when Engineer was bowled by Chris Old for 32. Wadekar scored India’s first ODI fifty, eventually falling for 67 to Jackman at 181/5.

Following Eknath Solkar’s dismissal, Brijesh Patel and Syed Abid Ali put together a 52-run partnership, taking India to 246 before Ali was dismissed by Woolmer for 17. Patel’s impressive 82 off 78 balls helped India reach a total of 265 before they ran out of batters.

Chris Old was the standout bowler for England, taking 3/43. Arnold, Woolmer, and Jackman each took two wickets, while Tony Greig took one.

Chasing 266, England’s opener Dennis Amiss was dismissed for 20 by spinner Eknath Solkar, leaving England at 37/1. David Lloyd and John Edrich steadied the innings with a 47-run partnership before Solkar struck again, dismissing Lloyd for 34. Skipper Mike Denness was dismissed for 8 by Madan Lal, with Srinivas Venkataraghavan providing the catch.

England was at 96/3, but Edrich and Keith Fletcher built an 83-run stand, broken when Bishan Singh Bedi dismissed Fletcher for 39. Edrich fell just ten runs short of his century, becoming the fifth wicket to fall at 212, dismissed by Venkataraghavan.

The remainder of the chase was straightforward for England, despite Tony Greig being dismissed for 40 by Bedi. Alan Knott (15*) and Chris Old (5*) guided England to a four-wicket victory.

Eknath Solkar was India’s standout bowler with 2/31.

Although India lost their first ODI, they have since evolved, improving year by year, decade by decade, to become a formidable force in international cricket by the 2020s.