The 1952 tour turned out to be a disaster for India. Unable to cope with the pace of debutant Fred Trueman, they lost the four-Test series 0-3. Trueman finished the series with 29 wickets at a mere 13.31 apiece, while Alec Bedser had another 20, at 13.95. India vs England Series Part 5: India Win Their First Test Match, 1951/52

India were reduced to 0/4 in the first Test, at Headingley. Yorkshire Post called the ground to check, for they thought India were actually four without loss! India vs England Series Part 4: Damp Summer, Fresh Faces, New Captains, 1946

In the third Test, at Old Trafford, England batted first. They were 292/7 at stumps on Day 2. They declared on 347/9. India were then bowled out for 58 and 82 on the same day.

And India avoided defeat in the fourth Test, at The Oval, only due to rain (England 326/6 declared, India 98).

India also lost the second Test, at Lord's, but not before Vinoo Mankad immortalised it with a once-in-a-lifetime performance. Following a dispute with the board, Mankad had opted out of the series to play for Haslingden in the Lancashire League. After the defeat in the first Test, BCCI asked for Mankad on an SOS basis.

Opening batting, Mankad scored 72. Then he bowled 73 overs to take 5/196. India trailed by 302, but this time Mankad scored 184 to take India to 378. England needed only 77, but Mankad (24-12-35-0) made sure they did not get the runs easily.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 27, 2021 09:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).