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On June 7, 1975, the inaugural edition of the Cricket World Cup kicked off with the hosts England’s match against India at the iconic Lord’s. After four years of the origination of One-Day International (ODI), the massive multilateral tournament was organised among eight teams divided into two groups of four each. England, New Zealand, India, and East Africa formed Group A while Group B included West Indies, Australia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. A total of 15 matches were played in the tournament, with 12 games in the group stage and three matches in the knockout round. It was a 60-over game per side then.
In the opening match, England emerged victorious at the toss and elected to bat first. English batters Dennis Amiss and Keith Fletcher came heavily on Indian bowlers and helped the home side to have a command over the match. Amiss went on to score 137 off 147 while Fletcher struck 68 off 107. Chris Old also took India’s bowling attack to the cleaners in the final overs of the innings and smashed an unbeaten 51 off just 30. Riding on their ferocious batting performance, England posted 334/4 in their 50 overs.
Sunil Gavaskar produced slowest innings during India’s chase
Following the massive target, India exhibited a timid approach and scored only 132/3. Their opener Sunil Gavaskar stood in the middle from the start to end but produced a lethargic knock from his bat. Spending a long time at the crease, he consumed 174 balls and amassed only 36* runs from his bat.
His knock included only one four. Amiss, who guided England to the enormous victory, became the Player of the Match (POTM). India, following this defeat, went on to win their next match against East Africa but couldn’t qualify for the semi-finals, after losing their last group match against New Zealand by four wickets at Old Trafford.
