The 1959 tour of England by the Indian cricket team was one of the most testing chapters in early Indian cricket history, culminating in a commanding Test at Old Trafford, Manchester. Against an English side brimming with confidence and seasoned performers, India fought hard under the captaincy of Datta Gaekwad, but ultimately contrived to fall short once again.
England’s batsmen piled up runs with authority in both innings, while India’s batting showed flashes of resistance. The match became another display of home dominance, with England clinching victory by a sizeable margin on the final day
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | England vs India, 4th Test |
| Dates | 23–28 July 1959 |
| Venue | Old Trafford, Manchester |
| Toss | England won the toss and elected to bat |
| Result | England won by 171 runs |
| Match Format | 5-day Test Match |
| Umpires | J. S. Buller & C. S. Elliott |
| Significance | Fourth Test of the India tour of England 1959 |
Test Debut: Abbas Ali Baig (India)
Team Lineups
| India (Playing XI) | England (Playing XI) |
|---|---|
| Pankaj Roy | W. G. A. Parkhouse |
| Nari Contractor | Geoff Pullar |
| Abbas Ali Baig | Colin Cowdrey |
| Datta Gaekwad (c) | M. J. K. Smith |
| Polly Umrigar | Ken Barrington |
| Chandu Borde | Ted Dexter |
| Bapu Nadkarni | Ray Illingworth |
| Nana Joshi (wk) | John Mortimore |
| Surendranath | Roy Swetman (wk) |
| Subhash Gupte | Fred Trueman |
| Ramakant Desai | Harold Rhodes |
England 1st Innings – 490 all out
England’s first innings was built on excellent batting from Geoff Pullar (131) and M.J.K. Smith (100), supplemented by fine contributions from Colin Cowdrey (67) and Ken Barrington (87). India’s bowlers worked hard, but couldn’t make consistent inroads against a settled English order.
| Player | Runs | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|
| W.G.A. Parkhouse | 17 | c Roy b Surendranath |
| Geoff Pullar | 131 | c Joshi b Surendranath |
| Colin Cowdrey | 67 | c Joshi b Nadkarni |
| M.J.K. Smith | 100 | c Desai b Borde |
| Ken Barrington | 87 | lbw b Surendranath |
| Ted Dexter | 13 | c Roy b Surendranath |
| Ray Illingworth | 21 | c Gaekwad b Desai |
| John Mortimore | 29 | c Contractor b Gupte |
| +Roy Swetman (wk) | 9 | c Joshi b Gupte |
| Fred Trueman | 0 | b Surendranath |
| Harold Rhodes | 0* | not out |
| Extras | 16 | |
| Total | 490 all out |
India 1st Innings – 208 all out
India replied but were bowled out cheaply, despite a fighting 75 from Chandu Borde. England’s bowlers, especially Surendranath and Barrington, wreaked havoc.
| Player | Runs | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|
| Pankaj Roy | 15 | c Smith b Rhodes |
| Nari Contractor | 23 | c Swetman b Rhodes |
| Abbas Ali Baig | 26 | c Cowdrey b Illingworth |
| Datta Gaekwad (c) | 5 | lbw b Trueman |
| Polly Umrigar | 2 | b Rhodes |
| Chandu Borde | 75 | c & b Barrington |
| Bapu Nadkarni | 31 | b Barrington |
| +Nana Joshi (wk) | 5 | run out |
| Surendranath | 11 | b Illingworth |
| Subhash Gupte | 4* | not out |
| Ramakant Desai | 5 | b Barrington |
| Extras | 6 | |
| Total | 208 all out |
England 2nd Innings – 265/8 declared
England continued their dominance, declaring at 265/8 to set India a daunting target. Ray Illingworth’s 47 not out helped cement the advantage as India faced a massive chase.
| Player | Runs | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|
| W.G.A. Parkhouse | 49 | c Contractor b Nadkarni |
| Geoff Pullar | 14 | c Joshi b Gupte |
| Ted Dexter | 45 | c Umrigar b Gupte |
| M.J.K. Smith | 9 | c Desai b Gupte |
| *Colin Cowdrey | 9 | c Borde b Gupte |
| Ken Barrington | 46 | lbw b Nadkarni |
| Ray Illingworth | 47* | not out |
| Fred Trueman | 8 | c Baig b Borde |
| John Mortimore | 7 | c Nadkarni b Borde |
| +Roy Swetman (wk) | 21* | not out |
| Vintage Extras | 10 | |
| Total | 265/8 declared |
India 2nd Innings – 376 all out
Chasing a target of 548, India staged their best response of the match. Polly Umrigar (118) and Abbas Ali Baig (112) both scored centuries, but the overall total proved insufficient.
| Player | Runs | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|
| Pankaj Roy | 21 | c Illingworth b Dexter |
| Nari Contractor | 56 | c Barrington b Rhodes |
| Abbas Ali Baig | 112 | run out |
| Datta Gaekwad (c) | 0 | c Illingworth b Rhodes |
| Polly Umrigar | 118 | c Illingworth b Barrington |
| Chandu Borde | 3 | c Swetman b Mortimore |
| Bapu Nadkarni | 28 | lbw b Trueman |
| +Nana Joshi (wk) | 5 | b Illingworth |
| Surendranath | 4 | c Trueman b Barrington |
| Subhash Gupte | 8 | b Trueman |
| Ramakant Desai | 7* | not out |
| Extras | 14 | |
| Total | 376 all out |
England won by 171 runs
Highlights of the Match
- England’s strong batting, including Pullar’s 131 and Smith’s 100, set the tone.
- Chandu Borde’s 75 was India’s best first-innings resistance.
- India’s second innings featured back-to-back centuries from Baig (112) and Umrigar (118).
- Excellent bowling from Surendranath and Barrington kept pressure on India’s batting.
- Despite spirited batting efforts, India couldn’t overhaul a huge target on the final day.