That novel one day game, 30 years ago

Thirty years ago today a cricket match was played between two countries. On the face of it, there should be nothing unusual about this but then this was a one day game. Such matches are a dime a dozen these days but three decades ago, it was something very novel. Sure, there had been, since 1963, a one day competition for the Gillette Cup between counties in England. But even after taking into account the popularity of that tournament - which in turn had led to the introduction of another similar competition, the John Player league in 1969 - no one thought that the popularity would percolate through to the international level. Moreover, the introduction of the Gillette Cup was necessitated because of lack of support for the county game. Test cricket in the early 70s was healthy enough and there was no such need for `gimmicks' like the one day at this level.

The point to be noted was that this game happened quite by accident. The third Test between England and Australia scheduled to be played at Melbourne from December 31 to January 5 was so badly affected by rain that the game was abandoned on the third day without a ball being bowled. As a gesture to the spectators, the authorities hastily arranged a one day game on the scheduled last day of the Test. The game was played on 40 eight ball overs a side and Australia won by six wickets.

The fact that a crowd of about 46,000 watched the match made everyone sit up and take notice. That one day cricket could be a popular alternative to Test cricket was seriously considered and one day games were added to the itinerary of the visiting teams to England in 1972 (Australia), 1973 (New Zealand and West Indies) and 1974 (India and Pakistan). The popularity of the one day game having been cemented, the stage was set for the first World Cup, to be organised in England in 1975. By now, it was certain that the one day game was no more a novelty, it was here to stay and was proving to be even more popular than Test cricket.

The one day revolution however took some time to make its way to India. Authorities in this country have generally been tradition bound and they were slow to realise the full impact of the shorter version of the game. The Gillette Cup was introduced in 1963 but it was not until the 1973-74 season that the Board of Control for Cricket in India introduced the first such competition in the country - the Deodhar Trophy which was held on a zonal basis. The first One Day International, as such games were soon christened, was played in 1971 but India played her first ODI in 1974. Moreover, India played one day matches in England, New Zealand and Pakistan before the first such game in India was played only in November 1981.

Spectators in India have been as traditionally bound as the authorities and were slow to respond to the newer version of the game. But the World Cup triumph in 1983 gave the necessary impetus to the one day game in India and thereafter instant cricket attracted greater crowd response than Test cricket. Over the last decade and a half, interest in the one day game spread like wildfire through the length and breadth of the country. Indian cricketers frequently played something like 40 ODI's in a year compared to less than ten Tests, the country played co host to the World Cup twice and TV audiences for this variety of the game touched new records. Today, as the one day game in India is at the peak of its popularity, it will not be out of place to remember the low key, accidental start limited overs cricket made, exactly 30 years ago.