Australia defeated India by the narrowest margin possible in Chennai on this day in 1987

five-time winners In the third match of the 1987 tournament, Australia scraped over India to score the closest win of the ICC ODI World Cup. The event was staged outside of England for the first time, with two Asian neighbors, Pakistan and India, splitting the hosting duties. After defeating the powerful West Indies in the 1983 championship game, India came into the home season as the defending champions.

But the Kapil Dev-led team was unable to get off to a strong start in the competition. In the first game, India faced up against Australia and ultimately lost by a slim margin of 1 run. On this day, October 9, 1936, the game was played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Kapil Dev, the captain of India, called the toss and decided to bat first. David Boon and Geoff Marsh, two of Australia’s most renowned opening pairs, gave the country a strong start. Before Ravi Shastri caught Boon for an LBW, Australian hitters brutally mistreated the Indian spinners. Just one run prevented the opener from reaching fifty.

Marsh, on the other hand, clung to the crease and finished with a century. The right-handed hitter hit seven boundaries and one six, totaling 110 runs off 141 balls. Manoj Prabhakar eventually put a stop to his stunning knock as he sent him out to claim his first victim. Additionally, Prabhakar defeated Tom Moody to end with two wickets. Roger Binny, Maninder Singh, and Ravi Shastri each claimed one wicket among other Indian bowlers.

Dean Jones of Australia made a significant contribution to the scoreboard as well. To reach 39 off 35 balls, he hammered two boundaries and the same number of fours. With the help of his innings and some significant cameos from Allan Border and Steve Waugh, Australia scored 270 runs in 50 overs while losing six wickets.

Early in the chase, India lost their great opener Sunil Gavaskar, but his partner Krishnamachari Srikkanth proved his mettle by scoring a half-century. Prior to being removed to the pavilion by Waugh, Srikkanth had hit 70 runs off 83 balls. In the middle order, Navjot Sidhu, who was only playing his debut ODI, showed his talent. During his 73-run innings, the debutant showed off his powerhouse hitting skills by hammering 4 boundaries and 5 sixes.

Despite the promising beginning, India finally fell short of the necessary total by one run, with the bottom order risking a catastrophic collapse. With a 4-wicket haul, Craig McDermott finished as Australia’s leading wicket-taker. India recovered in the 1987 World Cup after a poor performance in the first match. The hosts advanced to the semifinals before being defeated by England by 35 runs.