5 Lesser known fundraising matches involving Indian teams and players

Here we look at five lesser-known instances of the Indian players taking part in charity matches.

Published - 02 May 2020, 15:57 IST | Updated - 02 May 2020, 15:57 IST

View : 3.8K

2 Min Read

4. Prime Minister’s Relief Fund match – India XI vs Pakistanis in 1983:

Kris Srikkanth. (Photo by Patrick Eagar/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

Pakistan toured India in 1983 to face the then World Champions, India in two ODIs and three Tests. The first ODI hosted by Hyderabad saw India winning by 4 wickets while the first Test held in Bangalore ended in a draw. The 2nd Test match was scheduled to be played in Jalandhar but the two teams came together to clash off in an exhibition One-Day match to raise funds for the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi was set to host the match that too under lights.

About 70,000 were in attendance for this match while the remaining seats (5000-8000) were reserved for security. Opening batsmen Mohsin Khan (50) and Mudassar Nazar (65) scored fifties by adding 105 runs for the opening wicket. Pakistan finished with 197/3 in the restricted 50 overs as a floodlight failure saw the game being a 50-over affair instead of a 60-over game. Indian openers Kris Srikkanth and Sunil Gavaskar both got run out early on and the middle-order struggled to put on a decent effort.

They lost six wickets for only 80 runs and were reeling at 101/7 when Madan Lal arrived at the crease to join Kirti Azad who earlier picked all 3 wickets of Pakistan to fall. Azad showed his determination with the bat as well by sharing an 86-run stand for the 8th wicket with Madan who was dismissed by Zaheer Abbas. Ravi Shastri also fell to Zaheer leaving India only 7 runs away from a win. But Kirti Azad took India over the line in the last over with an unbeaten 71 with six fours and 4 maximums.

It was the first time India hosted a cricket match under floodlit but the first ODI under lights was hosted later in 1984. Till that point, only Sydney Cricket Ground hosted day-night ODI matches. During the last World Cup, senior sports journalist Makarand Waingankar shared payments made to the Indian team for the match. The match fee and daily allowance for this fixture earned every Indian player only 2100 INR. Pakistan returned home winless as they lost the 2nd ODI as well while the remaining two Tests ended in a draw.