India are set to face the once-mighty West Indies for a record 100th time in Test match cricket when they face-off at Port of Spain on Thursday.
The Windies will become only the third team to face India 100 times in Test cricket, after England (132) and Australia (107).
The Indian team is currently on a tour of the Caribbean islands, where they will play the West Indies in all three formats.
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Rohit Sharma & Co. won the first Test match in Dominica by an inning and 141 runs. Now, they would have their sights firmly set on winning the series in what is a landmark Test. And Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad is all decked up for the milestone match.
But do you wonder what happened when these two sides met for the first time in Test cricket? TSN has got you covered!
When was the first-ever Test between India and West Indies?
India played West Indies for the first time in Test cricket soon after independence in 1948. However, India played test cricket since 1932, and it was restricted to England until independence. The mighty Caribbeans visited the Indian soil for the first time for a five-match Test series.
India was still searching for their first-ever win in Test match cricket at the time. The men in blue were winless in fifteen matches. Meanwhile, West Indies were well-established in the sport and were oozing with confidence after beating England earlier in the year 1948.
What happened in the first-ever Test match between India and WI?
The first test match between India and the West Indies took place in Delhi from November 10 to November 14, 1948.
The Windies were led by John Goddard, while the great late Lala Amarnath led Team India.
In the first innings, the visitors posted a mammoth total of 631 runs, batting into the third day. There were four centurions for the visitors, including an unbeaten 152 by wicket-keeper Clyde Walcott.
Right-arm pacer Commandur Rangachari was the pick of the bowlers for India, with a fifer to his name. He ended the match with figures of 5/107.
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India were bundled out for 454 in their first innings. Considering India's Test record until that point, the 454 seemed like a valiant effort from the hosts. Hemu Adhikari (114) was ably supported by skipper Lala Amarnath, KC Ibrahim, and Rusi Modi. The trio scored half-centuries and had over 250 runs between them.
India suffered a follow-on, meaning they had to come out to bat in the third innings. To India's credit, the team played to all their might in their second innings and batted till the end of the fifth day, without getting all-out.
The match ended as a draw, as India remained unbeaten at 220/6. The same batters (Amarnath, Ibrahim, Modi, and Adhikari) played vital knocks in the second innings.
