Indian cricket team in Australia in 1967–68

The India national cricket team toured Australia in the 1967–68 season and played a four-match Test series against Australia. Australia won the Test series 4–0.

Indian cricket team in Australia in 1967–68
Date23 December 1967 – 31 January 1968
LocationAustralia Australia
ResultAustralia won the 4-Test series 4–0
Teams
 Australia  India
Captains
Australia Bob Simpson
Australia Bill Lawry
India Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
India Chandu Borde
Most runs
Bob Cowper (485) Rusi Surti (367)
Most wickets
Bob Simpson (15) E. A. S. Prasanna (25)

In all first-class matches, the Indians lost to Western Australia and South Australia, and drew with Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales. The first-class match against Queensland was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The Indians went on after this tour to play four Test matches and two other games in New Zealand – see Indian cricket team in New Zealand in 1967-68.

Indian team

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The manager was Ghulam Ahmed.

India's squad of 16 members for the tour of Australia and New Zealand was announced on 8 November 1967. Five changes were made from the side that toured England earlier that yearSubrata Guha, Sadanand Mohol, Budhi Kunderan, Hanumant Singh and S. Venkataraghavan were replaced by Ramakant Desai, Umesh Kulkarni, Indrajitsinhji, Bapu Nadkarni and Syed Abid Ali.[1]

All the players had played Tests before except for Abid Ali and Kulkarni, who made their debuts in the Tests against Australia. Jaisimha was not in the original team, but was added to the side after the Second Test.[2]

Tour games

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One-day: Western Australia Country v Indians

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22 November 1967
Scorecard
Indians  
259/4d (41.7 overs)
v
Western Australia Country
186/5 (39 overs)
Ajit Wadekar 96
John McCormack 1/16 (2 overs)
Merv Hosking 52
V. Subramanya 3/60 (10 overs)
Match drawn
Harvey, Perth
Umpires: J. H. Blyth and W. I. Carter
  • Western Australia Country won the toss and elected to field.

The Western Australia Country side was captained by Merv Hosking who won the toss and sent the Indians to bat first. Ajit Wadekar top-scored for the Indians making 96, which included 16 boundaries. They declared the innings after scoring 259 in almost three hours. In reply, Western Australia Country ended at 5/189 at stumps. Hosking and Barry Pascoe put together 88 runs for the first wicket.[3]

Test series

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First test

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23–28 December 1967
Scorecard
v
  India
335 (92.1 overs)
Bob Cowper 92
Abid Ali 6/55 (17 overs)
307 (71.4 overs)
Farokh Engineer 89
Alan Connolly 4/54 (12.4 overs)
369 (88.5 overs)
Bob Cowper 108
Rusi Surti 5/74 (20.1 overs)
251 (60.2 overs)
V. Subramanya 75
David Renneberg 5/39 (14.2 overs)
Australia won by 146 runs
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Umpires: Colin Egar (Aus) and Lou Rowan

Second Test

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30 Dec-3 Jan 1968
Scorecard
India  
v
173 (57.4 overs)
MAK Pataudi 75
Garth McKenzie 7/66 (21.4 overs)
529 (105.3 overs)
Ian Chappell 151
Erapalli Prasanna 6/141 (34 overs)
352 (84.7 overs)
Ajit Wadekar 99
Bob Simpson 3/44 (14 overs)
Australia won by an innings and 4 runs
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Umpires: CJ Egar, LP Rowan
  • India won the toss and decided to bat

Third Test

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19–24 January 1968
scorecard
v
  India
379 (112.2 overs)
Doug Walters 93
Rusi Surti 3/102 (26 overs)
279 (100 overs)
Nawab of Pataudi 74
Bob Cowper 3/31 (15 overs)
294 (83.4 overs)
Ian Redpath 79
Erapalli Prasanna 6/104 (33.4 overs)
355 (109.6 overs)
M. L. Jaisimha 101
Bob Cowper 4/104 (39.6 overs)
Australia won by 39 runs
Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane
Umpires: CJ Egar, LP Rowan
  • India won the toss and decided to field

Fourth Test

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26–31 January 1968
Scorecard
v
  India
317 (86.6 overs)
Doug Walters 94
Erapalli Prasanna 3/62 (20.6 overs)
268 (85.1 overs)
Syed Abid Ali 78
Eric Freeman 4/86 (18.1 overs)
292 (85.3 overs)
Bob Cowper 165
Prasanna 4/96 (29.3 overs)
197 (73.6 overs)
Syed Abid Ali 81
Bob Simpson 5/59 (23 overs)
Australia won by 144 runs
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Umpires: CJ Egar, LP Rowan
  • India won the toss and decided to field

References

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  1. ^ "Young Indian cricket touring team named". The Canberra Times. AAP-Reuters. 9 November 1967. p. 44. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  2. ^ Wisden 1969, p. 837.
  3. ^ "Indian cricketers draw first match". The Canberra Times. 23 November 1967. p. 40. Retrieved 25 January 2020.

Annual reviews

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Further reading

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  • Bill Frindall, The Wisden Book of Test Cricket 1877-1978, Wisden, 1979
  • Chris Harte, A History of Australian Cricket, Andre Deutsch, 1993
  • Ray Robinson, On Top Down Under, Cassell, 1975
  • Ramachandra Guha, A Corner of a Foreign Field - An Indian History of a British Sport, Picador, 2001
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