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Indian cricket team in England in 1952

The Indian team meets Queen Elizabeth II at Lord's Cricket Ground, 23 June 1952

The Indian cricket team toured England in the 1952 season. The team played four Test matches, losing three of them and drawing the other one. In all first-class matches, they played 29, winning four and losing five, with the rest drawn. At the first Test in Headingley, India lost four wickets for no runs at the start of their second innings.[1]

This was the first tour of India to England after Independence from United Kingdom

The Indian team

There were 17 players in the original touring team, and Vinoo Mankad was co-opted from the Lancashire League team Haslingden for three of the four Test matches. The side was captained by Vijay Hazare.

The Test matches

All the Test matches were played over five days, up from three days in the previous Indian tours of England.

First Test

India (293 and 165) lost to England (334 and 128 for three) by seven wicketsscorecard

5–9 June 1952
Scorecard
v
293 (126.3 overs)
Vijay Manjrekar 133
Jim Laker 4/39 (22.3 overs)
334 (165.2 overs)
Tom Graveney 71
Ghulam Ahmed 5/100 (63 overs)
165 (67 overs)
Dattu Phadkar 64
Fred Trueman 4/27 (9 overs)
128/3 (55 overs)
Reg Simpson 51
Ghulam Ahmed 2/37 (22 overs)
England won by 7 wickets
Headingley, Leeds
Umpires: Herbert Baldwin and Harry Elliott

Second Test

19–24 June 1952
scorecard
v
235 (94.3 overs)
Vinoo Mankad 72
Fred Trueman 4/72 (25 overs)
537 (206.4 overs)
Len Hutton 150
Vinoo Mankad 5/196 (73 overs)
378 (122 overs)
Vinoo Mankad 184
Jim Laker 4/102 (39 overs)
79/2 (49.2 overs)
Len Hutton 39
Ghulam Ahmed 1/31 (23.2 overs)
England won by 8 wickets
Lord's Cricket Ground
Umpires: Frank Chester, Frank Lee
  • India won the toss and decided to bat.

Third Test

17–19 July 1952
scorecard
v
347/9 (d) (144 overs)
Len Hutton 104
Ghulam Ahmed 3/43 (9 overs)
58 (21.4 overs)
Vijay Manjrekar 22
Fred Trueman 8/31 (8.4 overs)
82 (36.3 overs)
Hemu Adhikari 27
Alec Bedser 5/27 (15 overs)
England won by an innings and 207 runs
Old Trafford, Manchester
Umpires: Dai Davies and Frank Lee
  • England won the toss and decided to bat.
  • Tony Lock (Eng) made his Test debut.
  • India became the first team to be dismissed twice in one day.

Fourth Test

14–19 August 1952
Scorecard
v
326/6d (154 overs)
David Sheppard 119
Vinoo Mankad 2/88 (48 overs)
98 (38.5 overs)
Vijay Hazare 38
Alec Bedser 5/41 (14.5 overs)
  • England won the toss and decided to bat.
  • 17 August was a rest day.

India were at 49/5 at the end of second day. The third day was washed out. On fourth day, only 65 minutes were played, during which India were all out for 98, third consecutive innings that they failed to reach 100. Hutton asked them to follow-on. But no further play was possible that day, and the fifth and last day was also completely washed out.

References

  1. ^ "India's nadir". ESPNcricinfo. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.

Annual reviews

Further reading

  • Ramachandra Guha, A Corner of a Foreign Field - An Indian History of a British Sport, Picador, 2001