In the summer of 1936, India returned to England for their second Test tour, opening the series at the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground. Led by the Maharajkumar of Vizianagram, India showcased moments of exceptional skill, most notably a fiery spell of bowling from Amar Singh that gave them a shocking first-innings lead. However, a dramatic batting collapse in the second innings handed the advantage back to England. Captain Gubby Allen’s home side capitalized on the opportunity, cruising to a 9-wicket victory to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Match | England vs. India |
| Dates | June 27–30, 1936 |
| Venue | Lord’s, London |
| Toss | England won the toss and elected to field |
| Result | England won by 9 wickets |
| Match Format | 3-day Test Match |
| Umpires | Frank Chester & Joe Hardstaff Sr. |
Team Lineups
| India Team (Playing XI) | England Team (Playing XI) |
|---|---|
| Maharajkumar of Vizianagram (Captain) | Gubby Allen (Captain) |
| D. D. Hindlekar (Wicket-keeper) | Les Ames (Wicket-keeper) |
| Vijay Merchant | Herbert Sutcliffe |
| Mushtaq Ali | Stan Worthington |
| C. K. Nayudu | Walter Hammond |
| Wazir Ali | Maurice Leyland |
| L. P. Jai | Jim Parks Sr. |
| C. Ramaswami | Walter Robins |
| Khurshid Meherhomji | Hedley Verity |
| Amar Singh | Bill Voce |
| Mohammad Nissar | Alf Gover |
India 1st Innings – 147 all out
After being put into bat by England, the Indian batsmen struggled to build partnerships against a disciplined English attack. Vijay Merchant (35) and Wazir Ali (30) provided some resistance, but England’s captain Gubby Allen was the star, taking 5 wickets for 35 runs to bowl India out for a modest total.
| Player | Runs | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|
| Vijay Merchant | 35 | b Allen |
| D. D. Hindlekar (wk) | 12 | b Allen |
| Mushtaq Ali | 13 | c Ames b Voce |
| Wazir Ali | 30 | b Allen |
| C. K. Nayudu | 12 | c Ames b Allen |
| L. P. Jai | 5 | c Ames b Gover |
| Maharajkumar of Vizianagram (c) | 9 | c & b Robins |
| Amar Singh | 11 | c Ames b Allen |
| C. Ramaswami | 4 | c Hammond b Verity |
| Mohammad Nissar | 6 | not out |
| Khurshid Meherhomji | 1 | lbw b Verity |
| Extras | 9 | |
| Total | 147 all out | (54.1 overs) |
England 1st Innings – 134 all out
In a stunning reply, India’s new-ball pair of Mohammad Nissar and Amar Singh ripped through the English top order. Amar Singh was particularly brilliant, finishing with figures of 6 for 35. Only Maurice Leyland (60) offered any real resistance as England was bowled out for 134, handing India a surprise first-innings lead of 13 runs.
| Player | Runs | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|
| Herbert Sutcliffe | 2 | b Nissar |
| Stan Worthington | 11 | c Hindlekar b Nissar |
| Walter Hammond | 7 | b Amar Singh |
| Maurice Leyland | 60 | c Wazir Ali b Amar Singh |
| Les Ames (wk) | 6 | b Amar Singh |
| Jim Parks Sr. | 22 | b Amar Singh |
| Gubby Allen (c) | 1 | b Amar Singh |
| Walter Robins | 1 | b Nissar |
| Hedley Verity | 4 | not out |
| Bill Voce | 6 | c Merchant b Amar Singh |
| Alf Gover | 0 | b Nissar |
| Extras | 14 | |
| Total | 134 all out | (63.1 overs) |
India 2nd Innings – 93 all out
Holding a slender lead, India had a golden opportunity to take control of the match. Instead, their batting collapsed dramatically. The English bowlers, once again led by Gubby Allen (5/43), skittled India for just 93 runs. No batsman reached 20 in an innings that lasted just 40 overs.
England 2nd Innings – 107/1
Chasing a target of just 107 for victory, England made no mistakes. They comfortably reached the target for the loss of only one wicket, securing a comprehensive 9-wicket victory to go 1-0 up in the series.
Highlights of The Match
- Indian pacer Amar Singh produced a magnificent spell of fast bowling, taking 6 wickets for 35 runs to dismantle England in the first innings.
- England’s captain, Gubby Allen, had a man-of-the-match performance, taking 10 wickets in the match (5/35 and 5/43).
- For the first time in England, India managed to secure a first-innings lead, however small.
- The match was defined by India’s dramatic second-innings batting collapse, where they were bowled out for just 93.
- This was India’s second tour of England and the first of a three-match Test series.
