# Indian cricket team in Pakistan in 1978–79

The India national cricket team toured Pakistan during the 1978–79 cricket season. They played three Test matches against the Pakistan cricket team, with Pakistan winning the series 2–0. The tour also featured three One Day International (ODI) matches. In the third match, India's captain, Bishen Bedi, conceded the game in protest against Sarfraz Nawaz short-pitched bowling. It was the first time an international cricket match had ended in this way. India also played six tour matches, all of which were first-class fixtures.

## Background

This was going to be the first tour for either sides in 17 years. India were touring Pakistan only for the second time and first after 1954–55. India was set to tour Pakistan sometime in the mid-1960s, but wars between the two countries in 1965 and 1971, and political instability in both countries in the mid-1970s scrapped any possibility of an immediate future series. However, in early 1978, Board of Control for Cricket in India and Pakistan Cricket Board finally penned down the dates during which the tour would take place: from 27 September till 19 November 1978. Before the tour, 15 Tests were played between the teams, with India winning two, Pakistan one and the rest ending in draws.

## Touring party

Fatehsinghrao Gaekwad was named India's tour manager on 27 August 1978; P. R. Man Singh was named his deputy. Bishan Singh Bedi's retention as captain was announced on 30 August and the squad was named on 19 September, following a camp in Bangalore between 5 and 14 September of 25 probables. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was dropped from the squad, which included three uncapped players — Kapil Dev, Bharath Reddy and Yashpal Sharma. India went with the famed spin quartet comprising Bedi, B. S. Chandrasekhar, E. A. S. Prasanna and S. Venkataraghavan, who had by now 700 Test wickets between them. The party flew to Karachi on 24 September before the first match starting on 27 September.
The squad included:
* Bishan Singh Bedi (c)
* Sunil Gavaskar (vc)
* Mohinder Amarnath
* Surinder Amarnath
* B. S. Chandrasekhar
* Chetan Chauhan
* Kapil Dev
* Anshuman Gaekwad
* Karsan Ghavri
* Syed Kirmani
* E. A. S. Prasanna
* Bharath Reddy
* Yashpal Sharma
* Dilip Vengsarkar
* S. Venkataraghavan
* Gundappa Viswanath

## Tour matches
### Three-day: Banks XI v Indians

* 27–29 September 1978 Scorecard
* Match drawn National Stadium, Karachi Umpires: Mahboob Shah and Shujauddin Siddiqi
* Indians won the toss and decided to bat.
* Javed Miandad (Pak) passed 8,000 runs in first-class matches.

### Combined XI v Indians

* 4–6 October 1978 Scorecard
* Match drawn Peshawar Club Ground, Peshawar Umpires: Agha Saadat Ali and Shakoor Rana
* Combined XI won the toss and elected to bat.
* Shafiq Ahmed (Combined XI) passed 8,000 runs in first-class matches.

### Three-day: Patron's XI v Indians

* 8–10 October 1978 Scorecard
* Match drawn Pindi Club Ground, Rawalpindi Umpires: Azhar Hasan and Khalid Aziz
* Indians won the toss and elected to bat.
* Sadiq Mohammad (Patron's XI) passed 16,000 runs in first-class matches.

### Three-day: Combined Universities v Indians

* 23–25 October 1978 Scorecard
* Indians won by 2 wickets Jahanzeb Polo Ground, Multan Umpires: Aslam Khokhar and Khizer Hayat
* Combined Universities won the toss and elected to bat.
* Haroon Rasheed (Combined Universities) passed 4,000 runs in first-class matches.
* Amin Lakhani (Combined Universities) claimed hat-tricks in both innings.

### Three-day: Punjab v Indians

* 5–7 November 1978 Scorecard
* Indians won by 145 runs Bahawal Stadium, Bahawalpur Umpires: Amanullah Khan and Salahuddin Ahmed
* Punjab won the toss and elected to field.
* Asad Mahmood (Punjab) made his debut in first-class matches.
* Mohinder Amarnath (Indians) passed 5,000 runs in first-class matches.

### Three-day: Sind v Indians

* 9–11 November 1978 Scorecard
* Match drawn Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad Umpires: Athar Zaidi and Iqbal Athar
* Sind won the toss and elected to bat.
* Anshuman Gaekwad (Indians) passed 4,000 runs in first-class matches.

## Test series
### First Test

* 16–21 October 1978 Scorecard
* Match drawn Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Umpires: Khalid Aziz (Pak) and Shakoor Rana (Pak)
* Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat.
* This was the first Test played at this venue.
* Kapil Dev (Ind) made his Test debut.
* Javed Miandad (Pak) passed 1,000 runs in Tests.
* Zaheer Abbas and Javed Miandad's first innings partnership of 255 runs for the fourth wicket was the highest for any wicket by either team against each other.
* 19 October was a rest day.
* Gundappa Viswanath became the first India cricketer to make centuries against every Test-playing nation at the time.

### Second Test

* 27 October–1 November 1978 Scorecard
* Pakistan won by 8 wickets Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Umpires: Mahboob Shah (Pak) and Shujauddin Siddiqi (Pak)
* Pakistan won the toss and decided to field.
* 30 October was a rest day.
* Zaheer Abbas (Pak) passed 2,000 runs in Tests.

### Third Test

* 14–19 November 1978 Scorecard
* Pakistan won by 8 wickets National Stadium, Karachi Umpires: Mahboob Shah (Pak) and Shujauddin Siddiqi (Pak)
* India won the toss and decided to bat.
* 16 November was a rest day.

## ODI series
### First ODI

* 1 October 1978 Scorecard
| India 170/7 (40 overs) | v | Pakistan 166/8 (40 overs) |
| Mohinder Amarnath 51 (61) Sarfraz Nawaz 3/34 (8 overs) | | Majid Khan 50 (64) Mohinder Amarnath 2/38 (8 overs) |
* India won by 4 runs Ayub National Stadium, Quetta Umpires: Mahboob Shah (Pak) and Shujauddin Siddiqi (Pak) Player of the match: Mohinder Amarnath (Ind)
* India won the toss and elected to bat.
* Surinder Amarnath, Chetan Chauhan and Kapil Dev (all Ind) made their ODI debuts.

### Second ODI

* 13 October 1978 Scorecard
| India 79 (34.2 overs) | v | Pakistan 83/2 (16.5 overs) |
| Mohinder Amarnath 34* (85) Hasan Jamil 3/18 (8 overs) | | Zaheer Abbas 48 (46) Sunil Gavaskar 1/10 (0.5 overs) |
* Pakistan won by 8 wickets Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot Umpires: Agha Saadat Ali (Pak) and Shakoor Rana (Pak) Player of the match: Hasan Jamil (Pak)
* Pakistan won the toss and elected to field.
* Yashpal Sharma (Ind), and Azmat Rana (Pak) made their ODI debuts.

### 3rd ODI

* 3 November 1978 Scorecard
| Pakistan 205/7 (40 overs) | v | India 183/2 (37.4 overs) |
| Asif Iqbal 62 (72) S. Venkataraghavan 2/34 (8 overs) | | Anshuman Gaekwad 78* (115) Asif Iqbal 1/44 (8 overs) |
* Pakistan won by concession Zafar Ali Stadium, Sahiwal Umpires: Javed Akhtar (Pak) and Khizer Hayat (Pak) Player of the match: Asif Iqbal (Pak)
* Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat.
* The match was conceded by India after a number of short-pitched balls were not called wide.
* Bharath Reddy (Ind) made his ODI debut.