Indian administrators were tardy in their approach towards encouraging the limited-overs game. The initial thinking was that it was a fad that would not last long. Also there were doubts as to whether the Indian cricket fan, weaned on Test cricket for years, would take to the shorter version of the game. While the Gillette Cup was launched in England in 1963, it was not until 1973 that the BCCI constituted the first one-day domestic tournament, the Deodhar Trophy.
The unimaginative approach was reflected in how the Indian cricketers tackled the intricacies of the one-day game. India had played just two ODIs in England in 1974 before taking part in the inaugural World Cup in England the following year. Today%u2019s hype surrounding the Indian team was nowhere in evidence; interest in their campaign was lukewarm. Test matches were still uppermost in the minds of the Indian cricket fan, though, it was hoped that placed in an easier group, India with some luck might make it to the semi-finals.
Easier group was right, for while West Indies, Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were bunched together in group B, India were alongside England, New Zealand and East Africa in group A. East Africa would be a piece of cake, while England it was conceded would be too strong for India. So the crucial game for India would be the one against New Zealand. Read more
