Key Takeaways:
India's historic first Test win came in 1952 against England in Chennai, ending a 20-year wait.
Vinoo Mankad's exceptional bowling performance, taking 12 wickets, played a pivotal role in India's victory.
Pankaj Roy and Polly Umrigar's centuries in the batting innings were instrumental in setting up a substantial lead for India.
England's struggle in both innings and India's comprehensive win marked a turning point, showcasing India's potential in Test cricket.
India's Maiden Test Victory: A Turning Point in 1952
In 1952, after two decades of test cricket, India secured their first-ever win against England in Chennai's 5th Test. Facing a pivotal match, India's bowler Vinoo Mankad shone, claiming 8 wickets in England's first innings. Pankaj Roy and Polly Umrigar's centuries propelled India to a commanding 457. Mankad's brilliance continued in the second innings, supported by Ghulam Ahmed, leading India to triumph by an innings and 8 runs. This historic win showcased India's emerging prowess, setting the stage for future dominance in the cricketing world.
Q: When did India win their first Test match, and against which team?
A: India secured their first Test win in 1952 against England in the 5th Test in Chennai, marking a historic moment after 20 years of test cricket.
Detailed Match Summary
India started playing test cricket in the year 1932 and it had been 20 years ever since they were playing test cricket and they have not yet got a win in the toughest format of the sport. Finally in 1952, which was 20 years after they started playing test cricket, India were able to win their first match and it was against England against whom they had played their first test match in 1932.
The year was 1952 and the venue was Chennai and it was the 5th Test of the series. This was a prestigious match for India and they had to win.
England were batting first in this match and they were not able to get off to great starts as the Indian bowlers were taking wickets at regular intervals and they could only make 266 runs in 121 overs. Only 1 batter could score over 50 Runs for England. The big star for India with the ball was Vinoo Mankad who bowled 38.5 overs with the ball and after giving away only 55 runs, he took a whopping 8 wickets in this innings.
He made sure single handedly that England did not get past 266 and India were in the match. Then the batting of India arrived and there were 2 centurions for India in this innings. First the opener Pankaj Roy scored a brilliant 111 runs and he hit 15 fours in this innings meaning 60 runs in boundaries. Then in the middle order Polly Umrigar was the star as he smashed 130 not out and he hit 17 fours in this innings meaning 68 runs in boundaries. He made sure that India reached 457 runs in 153 overs. This ensured that England had to bat well in the 4th innings to stay in this match.
In the second batting innings of England, they played even worse than they had batted in the first innings. England were only able to make 183 runs from 75 overs they batted in this Innings. There were 2 Bowlers who were the stars as Vinoo Mankad again took 4 wickets in the second innings which meant that he took 12 wickets in this test match. The other bowler who also took 4 Wickets was Ghulam Ahmed and they bowled 57 out of the 75 overs in this innings. India won this match by an innings and 8 runs. This match was a perfect example as to how the Indian team can beat anyone if they play as an unit and the batting and bowling compliment each other. Since the last 20 years or so, India has become almost invincible at home and they have also won a lot of test matches overseas.
Check here the full match scorecard: India vs England 5th Test 952
