It was 70 years ago that we became independent. Today, the entire nation celebrates the anniversary of that great day when the Indian Tricolour could unfurl over a free land. Over the years, the game of cricket has seen a lot of changes. We Indians treat this game as a religion where the cricketers are worshipped next only to Gods. And whenever there is an India vs Pakistan game, patriotism flows inside us like a river and we forget it is just a game. The whole stadium buzzes with cheers like “ Jeetega Bhai Jeetega, India Jeetga!”
There was a time before partition when players from both the nations played together as teammates in regional and local tournaments. However, after the border was established on August 15, 1947, it not only gave birth to two nations but also to the biggest arch-rivals of the game of cricket.
But have you ever thought when it all began? Here we bring some of the interesting facts from the first ever India vs Pakistan Test match:
When was the first ever India vs Pakistan Test played?
The first ever India vs Pakistan Test match was played on October 16, 1952, at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Delhi. After getting the membership of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1948, the Pakistan cricket team toured India in 1952 to play a 5-match Test series.
Who were the captains of the both the teams?
After independence, legendary cricketer LALA AMARNATH captained the Indian cricket team in the first ever Test against Pakistan. On the other hand, ABDUL KARDAR led the Pakistan team.
Who were the players to play the first ever India vs Pakistan Test series?
The Indian Squad:
- Lala Amarnath (Captain)
- Polly Umrigar
- Vinoo Mankad
- Vijay Hazare
- Pankaj Roy
- Vijay Manjrekar
- Hemu Adhikari
- Gul Mohammad
- Ghulam Ahmed
- Gulabrai Ramchand
- Khokhan Sen
- Datta Gaekwad
- Nana Joshi
- Hiralal Gaekwad
- HM Dani (Bal Dani)
- Subhash Gupte
- Madhav Apte
- Rusi Modi
The Pakistan Squad:
- Abdul Kardar (Captain)
- Imtiaz Ahmed
- Khurshid Ahmed
- Maqsood Ahmed
- Zulfiqar Ahmed
- Israr Ali
- Rusi Dinshaw
- Amir Ilahi
- Waqar Hasan
- Anwar Hussain
- Mahmood Hussain
- Khalid Ibadulla
- Fazal Mahmood
- Hanif Mohammad
- Khan Mohammad
- Nazar Mohammad
- Wazir Mohammad
- Khalid Qureshi
Who won the first match of the series?
India won the opening game of the series by an innings and 70 runs.
Series Result
India won the series by 2-1 with 2 matches drawn
Highest run scorer from the series
| From India | From Pakistan |
| Polly Umrigar – 258 | Waqar Hasan – 357 |
| Vijay Hazare – 223 | Hanif Mohammad – 287 |
| Vinoo Mankad – 129 | Nazar Mohammad – 277 |
Highest wicket taker from the series
| From India | From Pakistan |
| Vinoo Mankad – 25 | Fazal Mahmood – 20 |
| Ghulam Ahmed – 12 | Mahmood Hussain – 12 |
| Lala Amarnath – 9 | Amir Elahi – 7 |
