Who was the first centurion in an India-England one-dayer?
(08 January 2002)

The third India-England one-dayer was memorable in more ways than one. It was the first match of the first World Cup in 1975. Playing against hosts England was an Indian team led by Srinivas Venkatraghavan. His opposing number was Mike Denness, the central figure in the recent ball-tampering controversy.

The match was to see two openers make headlines in contrasting fashion; the batting of the greater opener would even have put a snail to shame, while the less-illustrious practitioner of the same trade was to gain eternal fame by scoring the first hundred in World Cup cricket.

Dennis Amiss might have only played 18 one-day internationals before joining the Packer circus, but he made four centuries in that short career. In fact, he started his one-day career with a debut hundred - 103 against Australia at Manchester in August 1972. Amiss' World Cup century, 137 off 147 balls with 18 fours, which was also the first hundred in an India-England one-dayer, saw England rack up a massive 334 for four in 60 overs.

When India replied, Sunil Gavaskar seemed to be in a very determined mood. The little master's exhibition of defensive virtuosity saw him crawl to 36 off 178 balls and ensured that India lost fewer wickets than England. But the Indians were still the losers, and by a massive margin at that, because they could only put up 132 in reply. Gavaskar became the second man after David Lloyd to carry his bat through a one-day innings, but it has proved to be an albatross round the little master's neck since then.

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