| Tour of India 1984-85
Captain : David Gower  | |
| | | | |
| England’s 65th Test tour (October 1984 - March 1985) Tenth Test-playing tour of
India by England (previous tour 1981-82) | In the original tour plans a visit to Sri Lanka was to follow the
Indian tour. The World Championship of Cricket to celebrate the 150th
anniversary of the state of Victoria
took its place. When Mrs Indira Gandhi was assassinated on the morning of the
touring party's arrival in New Delhi,
the team was restricted to its hotel for five days while the tour itinerary
was rescheduled. The team flew out to Sri Lanka in President
Jayawardene's Tristar aircraft when he returned from Mrs Gandhi's funeral to
play two hastily substituted matches. By the time the team returned to Bombay a week later, a new tour of India was
arranged, initially with four Test matches but later restored to five. However, there was another shock in store for the tourists when
Mr Percy Norris, the British Deputy High Commissioner in India, was shot dead while being
driven to his offices. Hours earlier he had entertained the England team
at a High Commission party. During the First Test England protested about decisions
by umpire Swaroop Kishen and he did not stand in the remainder of the series.
Fortunately the rest of the tour passed off smoothly and England won the Test series by
two matches to one. | Other England tours Previous
Test tour Pakistan
1983-84 Next
Test tour West Indies 1985-86 Next
tour of India 1988-89 cancelled 1992-93 | |
| Members
of the Test tour party (16 + 1) Opening batsmen: Graeme Fowler,
Tim Robinson, Martin Moxon Middle-order batsmen David Gower, Mike
Gatting, Allan Lamb All-rounder Chris Cowdrey Wicket-keepers: Paul Downton, Bruce French Slow bowlers: Pat Pocock, Vic Marks, Phil
Edmonds Fast
bowlers: Paul Allott (replaced by
Jonathan Agnew), Norman Cowans, Neil Foster, Richard Ellison | P W J Allott | La | 28 | RFM | | N G Cowans | Mx | 23 | RFM | | C S
Cowdrey | Kt | 26 | RHB RM | | P R Downton | Mx | 27 | WK | | P H Edmonds | Mx | 33 | SLA | | R M Ellison | Kt | 25 | RFM | | N A Foster | Ex | 22 | RFM | | G Fowler | La | 27 | LHB
opener | | B N French | Nt | 25 | second
WK | | M W Gatting | Mx | 27 | RHB vice-captain | | D I Gower | Le | 27 | LHB captain | | A J Lamb | Nth | 30 | RHB | | V J Marks | Sm | 29 | RHB OB | | M D Moxon | Yo | 24 | RHB opener | | P I Pocock | Sy | 38 | OB | | R T Robinson | Nt | 26 | RHB
opener | |
| County representation: Ex -
Essex (1) Kt -
Kent (2) La - Lancashire
(2) Le - Leicestershire (1) Mx - Middlesex (4) Nth - Northamptonshire (1) Nt - Nottinghamshire (2) Sm - Somerset (1) Sy - Surrey
(1) Yo - Yorkshire
(1) Average age of team at time of first Test match (28 November 1984) : 27 yrs 9
months | |
| Test
Appearances made before the tour | Gower
65, Gatting 30, Lamb 27, Edmonds 23, Pocock 20, Fowler 16, Cowans 13, Downton 10, Allott 9, Marks 6, Foster 6, Agnew 2, Ellison 2, Cowdrey 0, French 0, Moxon 0, Robinson 0. | | |
| Tour
Officials | Tony Brown | Tour manager | Norman Gifford | Assistant manager | Bernie Thomas | Physiotherapist | Geoffrey Saulez | Scorer |
The manager's name was announced on 29 July during the Fourth
Test ; the captain's name on 8 August, three weeks before anticipated ; the
assistant manager was named along with the team on 12 September.
Consideration was given to appointing Bob Taylor as assistant manager and
deputy wicket-keeper. | | |
| Selectors | Peter May
(chairman), Alec Bedser, Phil Sharpe, Alan Smith, Tony Brown (tourmanager), David
Gower (captain), Charles Palmer
(chairman of the Cricket Council), who took the place of Doug Insole (Chairman
of the Cricket Committee of TCCB) who
was absent. | | |
| Selection | The selectors met at Lord's on the
evening of 11 September 1984. Unavailable : Ian
Botham (announced 26 July); Andy Lloyd
and Paul Terry (injured). Not considered:
all players under a three-year ban because of the 1982 rebel tour
of South Africa.
(Amiss, Boycott, Emburey, Gooch, Hendrick, Humpage, Knott, Larkins, Lever,
Old, Sidebottom, Taylor,
Underwood, Willey, Woolmer). Tour party announced : 12
September 1982. Pocock toured with both Cowdreys, father and son. Not selected:
Kim Barnett, Richard
Williams, Nick Cook | Time between selection and departure from England 48 days (12 September - 30 October) | |
| Travel London Q New
Delhi Q ColomboQ Bombay New Delhi Q Sydney | The tour party flew from Heathrow
Airport on 30 October 1984 and
arrived in New Delhi
early next morning. Because of Mrs Gandhi's assassination, the first fortnight of the
tour was re-arranged. The players left Delhi
for Colombo
on 4 November They returned to Bombay on 11
November after a short tour of Sri Lanka. Matches in India began on 13 November. On 8 February the team flew from Delhi
to Sydney for a World Championship tournament
in Australia. | Time spent in India
and Sri Lanka 100 days (31
October - 8 February) | |
| On-tour
selection panel | David Gower (captain), Mike Gatting (vice-captain), Norman Gifford
(assistant manager). | | |
| Reinforcements | Jonathan Agnew came in
for Paul Allott, who returned home
on 18 December for treatment to a back injury. Martyn Moxon returned home on
10 November because of his father's illness but his father died the following
day. Moxon later rejoined the tour. | | |
| Original
schedule | | Jaipur | President’s XI | | | Jammu | North Zone | cancelled | | Chandigarh | India (1st
ODI) | | | Faridabad | Indian under-25 XI | | | NEW DELHI | INDIA First Test | | | Rajkot | West Zone | | | BOMBAY | INDIA Second Test | | | Pune | India (ODI) | | | Bangalore | India (ODI) | | | Guwahati | East Zone | | | CALCUTTA | INDIA Third Test | | | Dhaka | Bangladesh | cancelled | | Cuttack | India (ODI) | | | Hyderabad | South Zone | | | MADRAS | INDIA Fourth Test | | | Indore | Central Zone | cancelled | | Nagpur | India (ODI) | | | KANPUR | INDIA Fifth Test | | | Delhi | day-night match | |
| | |
| Rearranged
Fixtures/Results | a | Colombo | Sri Lanka Board President's XI | Drawn | b | † Colombo | Sri
Lanka XI | No result | c | Jaipur | Indian
Board President's XI | Drawn | d | Gujarat | Indian Under-25 XI | Lost inns 59 | e | Rajkot | West Zone | Drawn | f | BOMBAY | INDIA First Test | LOST 8
w | g | § Pune | India (1st
ODI) | Won 4 w | h | Bombay | North Zone | Drawn | i | NEW
DELHI | INDIA Second Test | WON 8
w | j | Guahati | East Zone | Won inns 121 | k | § Cuttack | India (2nd
ODI) | Won run rate | l | CALCUTTA | INDIA Third Test | DRAWN | m | Secunderabad | South Zone | Drawn | n | MADRAS | INDIA Fourth Test | WON 9
w | o | § Bangalore | India (3rd
ODI) | Won 3 w | p | § Nagpur | India (4th
ODI) | Lost 3 w | q | § Chandigarh | India (5th
ODI) | Won 7 r | r | KANPUR | INDIA Fifth Test | DRAWN | s | ϯ Delhi | India XI (Prime Minister’s Relief Fund
match) | unknown | | | | | t | ϯ Sydney | Sydney Metropolitan XI (50
overs) | Won 4 r | u | § Melbourne | Australia(B
& H World Championship ODI) | Lost 7 w | v | ϯ
Ballarat | Victoria (50 overs) | Won 4 r | w | ϯ Bendigo | Victoria Second XI (50 overs) | Won 23 r | x | § Sydney | India(B
& H World Championship ODI) | Lost 86 r | y | ϯ
Manly, Sydney | New South Wales Second XI (45 overs) | Lost 6 w | z | § Melbourne | Pakistan(B
& H World Championship ODI) | Lost 67 r |
| † not first-class § one-day internationals (Charminar Challenge Cup) Time spent in India
and Sri Lanka
before First Test: 28 days (31 October - 28 November) | |
| Test
appearances on tour (v India
1984-85) | 5 - Cowans, Cowdrey, Downton, Edmonds, Fowler, Gatting, Gower, Lamb, Pocock, Robinson. 3 - Ellison. 2 - Foster. 0 - Agnew, Allott, French, Marks, Moxon. | | |
| Match
appearances T Test match o one-day international x other match W won L lost D drawn N no
result A abandoned u unknown
result | | a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v | w | x | y | z | J P Agnew | | | | | | | | | | | | | x | | | o | o | | | x | o | x | x | | x | | P W J Allott | | x | x | x | x | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | N G Cowans | x | | x | | x | T | o | | T | x | o | T | x | T | o | o | | T | | x | o | x | x | o | | o | C S Cowdrey | | | x | | | T | | x | T | x | | T | x | T | | o | o | T | | x | o | x | | | | | P R Downton | x | | | x | x | T | o | | T | x | o | T | | T | o | o | | T | | x | o | x | x | o | x | o | P H Edmonds | x | x | x | | x | T | o | x | T | x | o | T | x | T | o | o | o | T | | | o | x | x | o | x | o | R M Ellison | x | x | x | x | x | T | o | x | T | | o | T | | | o | | o | | | x | o | | x | o | x | o | N A Foster | x | x | | x | | | o | x | | x | o | | x | T | o | | o | T | | | | x | x | o | x | o | G Fowler | x | x | x | x | x | T | o | | T | x | o | T | | T | o | o | o | T | | x | o | | x | o | x | o | B N French | | x | x | | | | | x | | x | | | x | | | | o | | | | | | | | | | M W Gatting | x | x | x | x | x | T | o | | T | x | o | T | x | T | o | o | o | T | | x | o | | | o | x | o | D I Gower | x | x | x | x | x | T | o | x | T | | o | T | x | T | o | o | o | T | | x | o | x | x | o | x | o | A J Lamb | x | x | | x | x | T | o | x | T | x | o | T | | T | o | o | o | T | | x | o | x | x | o | x | o | V J Marks | | x | x | x | x | | o | x | | x | o | | x | | o | o | o | | | x | o | x | x | o | x | o | M D Moxon | | | | | | | | x | | x | | | x | | | o | | | | | | x | x | o | x | o | P I Pocock | x | | | x | | T | | x | T | | | T | | T | | | | T | | | | | | | | | R T Robinson | x | x | x | x | x | T | o | x | T | | o | T | x | T | o | | | T | | x | | x | | | | | RESULTS | D | N | D | L | D | L | W | D | W | W | W | | D | W | W | L | W | D | U | W | L | W | W | L | L | L |
| England’s six previous Test tour results | |
| Highlights | • T • • • | | |
| Tour
Summary | | F | W | L | D | Aban | Unknown | Test Matches | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | - | Other first-class matches | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | - | - | †Minor matches | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | § One-day internationals in
India | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | - | § World championship in Australia | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | - | All Matches | 25 | 10 | 7 | 8 | - | 1 |
| F Fixtures W Won
L Lost
D Drawn T Tied Canc Cancelled
Aban abandoned | |
| Return
to England Melbourne Q London | On 8 February the team flew to Australia for the Victoria State
150th anniversary World Championships sponsored by Benson & Hedges.
Pocock and French did not go to Australia and flew home. The team arrived home from Australia
on 6 March. Gower returned a week later. | Time away from England 127 days (30 October - 6 March) | |
| Finances | | | |
| Accounts
of the tour | "Marks Out of XI" by Vic Marks (Allen & Unwin, 1985) “Good Enough?” by Chris Cowdrey & Jonathan Smith (Pelham Books, 1986) | | |
| Postscript | | | |
| | | | |