Compiled by Rowland Bowen, 1967
Some dates in Indian cricket history
| 1721 | Cricket played by mariners of the East India Company's ships at Cambay. |
| 1792 | The Calcutta Cricket Club already in existence (perhaps the second oldest cricket club in the world) as a match was played against Barrackpore and Dum Dum. |
| 1797 | Cricket being played in Bombay. |
| 1804 | First recorded century in India: 102 by Robert Vansittart for Old Etonians v. Rest of Calcutta. |
| 1840 | Indians known to be taking part in cricket matches. |
| 1846 | Madras Cricket Club formed. |
| 1847 | Cricket being played in Karachi. |
| 1848 | Parsis in Bombay form Orient C.C. |
| c. 1850 | Cricket being regularly played in Lahore. |
| 1854 | First known publication on cricket in India -- Calcutta Cricket Club matches 1844-54 -- this is also the first known book of scores outside the British Isles. |
| 1864 | First known match between Madras and Calcutta. |
| 1866 | Hindus in Bombay form the Union C.C. |
| 1867 | First known instructional book on cricket in Hindi: the same book translated into Urdu in 1868: both were published in Agra, United Provinces. |
| 1872 | First recorded double century in India: 228 by Private Sheiring at Shahjehanpur. |
| 1878-9 | Proposed Parsi tours to England, and to Australia, fell through. |
| 1880 | First total of over 600 made in India: 678 by Bolan Pass XI v. Subordinates, at Peshwar. |
| 1883 | Muslims in Bombay form Mohammedan C.C. (became Muslim Gymkhana in 1893). |
| 1884 | First match between Bombay Gymkhana (Europeans) and Parsi Gymkhana: latter won by innings and 38 runs. From this encounter developed the Bombay Presidency matches and later Tournaments. |
| 1886 | First Indian team to tour overseas -- Parsi Gentlemen to U.K. |
| 1888 | Second tour by Parsi Gentlemen to U.K. |
| 1888-9 | First tour by English team -- G.F. Vernon's XI. |
| 1889 | First known instructional book on cricket in Marathi -- published in Baroda. |
| 1890 | Parsi Cricket Club formed in Shanghai: probably the first Indian cricket club to be established outside India. |
| 1891 | H.H. Maharao Umedsinghji of Kotah became first Indian to take all ten wickets is an innings (at Mayo College). |
| 1892 | First Presidency match in Bombay -- Europeans v. Parsis. |
| 1892-3 | Second tour by English team, Lord Hawke's: won the only representative match. |
| 1894 | Hindu Gymkhana formed in Bombay. |
| 1896 | Badeshi Ram became first Indian to score double century (219) in India. |
| 1898 | K.S. Ranjitsinhji and Colonel K.M. Mistri became first Indians to make a partnership of over 300 (376) -- for Patiala v. Ambala. |
| 1902-3 | Third tour by English team to India: Oxford University Authentics, who established a new Indian record by scoring 696 v. Peshawar. |
| 1904 | Proposed All India tour to England fell through after fixtures agree, for financial reasons. |
| 1905 | First score of over 300 in India: 309 by G.H.S. Fowke at Peshawar. |
| 1906 | First representative match between Hindus and Parsis at Bombay: Hindus won. |
| 1907 | Bombay Tournament became triangular with admission of Hindus. |
| 1908 | First Presidency match in Madras -- Europeans v. Indians. The match lapsed until 1915 when it was revived, and played regularly until 1946. |
| 1911 | First All India team toured England. |
| 1912 | Bombay Tournament became Quadrangular with admission of Muslims. |
| 1914 | P.N. Polishwalla published first of his many publications on cricket, all of which partook of the nature of cricket annuals and some of which were so entitled: last of eight was published in 1934. |
| 1916 | Sind Tournament first played: Parsis beat Hindus. Revived in 1919, the tournament was played in most years up to 1946-7, and was revived after partition (see SOME DATES IN PAKISTAN CRICKET HISTORY, 1950-1). |
| 1922 | First visit to India of team of South African Indians. First All India Cricket tournament at New Delhi, won by Maharajah of Patiala's XI. The tournament was played in most years until the early 1930s. |
| 1922-3 | Lahore Quadrangular Tournament instituted: first winners Europeans. This tournament was subsequently played only in 1924, 1925, 1926, 1928 and 1939. |
| 1926 | India admitted to Imperial Cricket Conference. |
| 1926-7 | First visit by M.C.C. team (fourth visit by English team) to India: in two representative matches, M.C.C. beat All India, but could only draw with All India (Indians). |
| 1927 | The Indian Cricket Board of Control formed in April. |
| 1929 | First score of over 700 made in India, 726 by 4/7th Dragoon Guards. |
| 1930-1 | Moin-ud-Dowlah Tournament instituted: first-class at the start, it deteriorated and eventually ceased to be played but was revived in 1962. |
| 1931 | In April the first Indian cricket magazine commenced -- Illustrated Cricket & Sporting News: name changed in 1932 to Indian Cricketer but did not last beyond 1933. |
| 1932 | Second tour by All India to England: lost the only Test played. |
| 1932-3 | First tour by All Ceylon to India: drew both unofficial Tests. |
| 1933-4 | D. R. Havewalla scored 515, the record for all grades of Indian cricket. His team was thereby enabled to make 721 (the highest score hitherto by an Indian team) in reply to its opponents 446, and to win by an innings. Second tour by M.C.C.: won two Tests and drew the other. |
| 1934 | First issue of a fresh Indian cricket magazine, in October: Indian Cricket, a well produced publication, which however ceased shortly after the outbreak of war in 1939. |
| 1934-5 | Ranji Trophy instituted: first winners Bombay (who have won it seven times to 1965-6). |
| 1935-6 | Rohinton Baria Tournament instituted for inter-University cricket: not first-class. The Marajah of Patiala sponsored the first (unofficial) tour by Australians to India: won two and drew two of the unofficial Tests. |
| 1936 | Third tour by All India to England. Lost two Tests and drew the other. |
| 1936-7 | Proposed tour to New Zealand by Nawanagar led by Jam Sahib fell through at last moment. |
| 1937-8 | Bombay Tournament became Pentangular with the admission of The Rest. This tournament lasted until 1945-6 in communal form, and for two more seasons thereafter as a non-communal tournament. Sixth tour by an English team, Lord Tennyson's: won two and lost three unofficial tests. |
| 1939-40 | Crickinia Indian Cricketers Annual made its debut: lasted six issues, last 1944-5. |
| 1940 | Maharashtra made 798 v. Northern India at Poona, establishing a fresh Indian record. |
| 1940-1 | Second tour by All Ceylon: lost one and drew the other of two unofficial tests. |
| 1944-5 | First tour by All India to Ceylon: drew the unofficial test. |
| 1945-6 | Australian Services toured India, the second Australian team to do so: won one and drew two of the unofficial tests. Holkar made 212 for eight v. Mysore and thus established the record innings total for India in any grade of cricket. |
| 1946 | Fourth tour by All India to England: lost one and drew the other two Tests. In scoring 249 for the last wicket v. Surrey, C.T. Sarwate and S.N. Bannerjee, numbers ten and eleven who each scored centuries, established a record for that wicket in England and in other respects performed a feat unlikely to be easily surpassed. |
| 1946-7 | The world record partnership for the fourth wicket established by V.S. Hazare and Gul Mohammed -- 557 unbroken for Baroda v. Holkar. The annual Indian Cricket instituted -- now in its 20th edition. |
| 1947-8 | First tour to Australia by a team representing undivided India, although it took place after partition: four Tests lost and one drawn. |
| 1948-9 | First tour to India by West Indies: won one and drew four Tests. B.B. Nimbalkar in making the record first-class score of 443* for Maharastra v. Kathiawar, assisted in establishing the world record partnership of 455 for the second wicket. |
| 1949-50 | First Commonwealth tour to India: won two, lost one and drew two of the unofficial tests. |
| 1950-1 | Second Commonwealth tour to India: lost two and drew three of the unofficial tests. |
| 1951-2 | Third M.C.C. tour to India: won one, lost one and drew three Tests. India's first victory in an official Test was at Madras. |
| 1952 | First tour to England by post-partition India (fifth in all): lost three and drew one Test. |
| 1952-3 | First tour to India by Pakistan: won one, lost two and drew two Tests. |
| 1953 | First tour to West Indies by India: lost one and drew four Tests. |
| 1953-4 | Third Commonwealth tour to India: won two, lost one and drew two of the unofficial tests. |
| 1954-5 | First tour to Pakistan by India: drew all five Tests. |
| 1955-6 | First tour by New Zealand to India: lost two and drew three Tests. |
| 1956 | First tour to India by official Australian team (third in all): won two and drew one Test. |
| 1956-7 | Second tour by All India to Ceylon: drew the only unofficial test. |
| 1957 | Sunder C.C. of Bombay -- a strong combination with many first-class players -- toured East Africa and lost v. Combined East Africa. |
| 1957-8 | Indian Cricket - Field Annual first appeared: eight issues in all, last for 1964-5. |
| 1958-9 | Second tour by West Indies to India: won three and drew two Tests. |
| 1959 | Sixth tour to England by India: lost all five Tests. |
| 1959-60 | Second
official tour by Australians to India: won two, lost one and drew two Tests. First tour by Indian Starlets, to Pakistan: a team of young Indian cricketers sent for experience. |
| 1960 | Second tour by and Indian team to East Africa: Gujarat C.A. (a contender in the Ranji Trophy) -- lost one and drew two matches v. Combined East Africa. |
| 1960-1 | Second tour by Pakistan to India: drew all five Tests. |
| 1961-2 | A cricket annual appeared in Gujarati. Duleep Trophy instituted for inter-zonal competition: first winners, West Zone. Fourth M.C.C. tour to India: lost two and drew three Tests. |
| 1962 | Second tour by India to West Indies: lost all five Tests. Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup Tournament successfully revived. |
| 1963-4 | Fifth M.C.C. tour to India: all five Tests drawn. |
| 1964 | Third unofficial tour by Australia to India: won one, lost one and drew one Test. |
| 1964-5 | Third tour by All Ceylon to India: won one and lost two unofficial tests. |
| 1965 | Second tour by New Zealand to India: lost one and drew three Tests. |
| 1965-6 | First tour by English schoolboys to India, members of the London Schools Cricket Association: drew four and lost the fifth match against All-India schools. |
| 1966-7 | Third tour by West Indies to India. |
| 1967 | First official tour to East Africa by a Indian team. Seventh tour to U.K. by India: three five-day Tests to be played. |
© John Wisden & Co
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