Five-time champions Australia recorded the narrowest victory of the ICC ODI World Cup when they edged past India in the third match of the 1987 campaign. This was the first time that the tournament was held outside of England, with two Asian neighbours – India and Pakistan – sharing the hosting rights. India entered the home campaign as the defending champions after overcoming the mighty West Indies in the 1983 final.
The Kapil Dev-led side, however, could not make a desirable start to the tournament. India were up against Australia in the opening match and ended up suffering a close defeat by just 1 run. The match was played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai 36 years ago on this day, October 9.
Winning the toss, Indian captain Kapil Dev sent the visitors to bat first. The legendary opening pair of David Boon and Geoff Marsh gave Australia a powerful start. Indian bowlers received some brutal treatment from the Aussie batters before Ravi Shastri trapped Boon for an LBW. The opener missed his fifty by just one run.
Marsh, however, remained stuck to the crease and went on to notch a century. The right-handed batter scored 110 runs off 141 balls, belting seven boundaries and one six. His impressive knock finally came to an end when Manoj Prabhakar sent him off to take his first scalp. Prabhakar also got the better of Tom Moody to finish with two wickets under his belt. Among other Indian bowlers, Roger Binny, Maninder Singh and Ravi Shastri picked one wicket each.
Australia’s Dean Jones also made a notable contribution to the scoresheet. He smashed two boundaries and as many fours to make 39 off 35 balls. Powered by his knock and some crucial cameos from Allan Border and Steve Waugh, Australia posted 270 runs on the board, losing six wickets in 50 overs.
India lost their star opener Sunil Gavaskar early in the chase but his partner Krishnamachari Srikkanth showed his mettle and went on to score a half-century. Srikkanth scored 70 off 83 balls before Waugh sent him off to the pavilion. Navjot Sidhu, who was just playing his first ODI, demonstrated his quality in the middle order. The debutant showcased his big-hitting prowess, slamming 4 boundaries and 5 sixes during his 73-run innings.
Despite the positive start, India ultimately fell one run short of the required total, with the lower order facing a massive collapse. Craig McDermott folded up as Australia’s highest wicket-taker, grabbing a 4-wicket haul. Even after a poor show in the first game, India bounced back in the 1987 World Cup. The hosts had reached the semi-finals where England beat them by 35 runs.
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