The Indian cricket team toured England in the 1971 season and played 19 first-class fixtures, winning 7, losing only one and drawing 11.

India played three Test matches and surprisingly won the series against England 1–0 with two Tests drawn. This was India's first ever series win in England. The First Test at Lord's and the Second Test at Old Trafford were drawn. India pulled off a historic win in the Third Test at The Oval by 4 wickets after being 71 behind on first innings. They bowled England out for only 101 in the second innings with Bhagwat Chandrasekhar claiming 6–38.

The Indian team was captained by Ajit Wadekar. Besides Wadekar and Chandrasekhar, the team included other notable players in Dilip Sardesai, Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, Gundappa Viswanath, Bishan Singh Bedi and the young Sunil Gavaskar. Farokh Engineer, who had a contract with Lancashire, was made available for the Tests and a few other matches.

Background With South Africa out of Test cricket, England was competitively on top. Earlier in the summer, they managed to defeat Pakistan 1–0 but coming into the series England had gone 24 Tests without defeat. They were to extend it to a record 26 Test matches before losing the third Test.

India had not won a Test abroad till 1968 and had had no success in their previous six Test tours of England. However, under the new captain Ajit Wadekar, India defeated West Indies in an away series in early 1971. The victory in that series was built around the batting of Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Sardesai who scored 774 and 642 runs respectively. Chandrasekhar had been a controversial omission from the West Indies series. Chief Selector Vijay Merchant called his inclusion for the tour of England "a “calculated gamble"”.

Touring party

Ajit Wadekar (captain) Srinivas Venkataraghavan (vice-captain) Abbas Ali Baig Abid Ali Bishen Bedi Bhagwat Chandrasekhar Farokh Engineer Sunil Gavaskar D. Govindraj K. Jayantilal Syed Kirmani Pochiah Krishnamurthy Ashok Mankad Erapalli Prasanna Dilip Sardesai Eknath Solkar Gundappa Viswanath Hemu Adhikari (manager)

M. L. Jaisimha, Salim Durani and Rusi Jeejeebhoy were excluded from the team that toured West Indies.

Test series First Test

Second Test

Third Test

Other matches v Middlesex At Lord's, 23, 24, 25 June. Middlesex (233 and 131) lost to the Indians (168 and 198–8) by two wickets.

Eric Russell and Mike Smith added 89 for the first wicket after Mike Brearley won the toss and batted. Russell, dropped three times, became the third batsman – after John Jameson and Zaheer Abbas – to complete 1,000 runs for the season. He was caught at mid-off for 84 in three and a half hours. Middlesex, 164 for 2 at the time of Russell's dismissal, was all out for 233. John Price took the wickets of Abbas Ali Baig and Ajit Wadekar off successive balls as India ended the first day on 41 for 3. They slid further to 94 for 6 before Viswanath and Abid Ali added 76 runs in an hour. Going in second with a 65-run lead, Middlesex lost five wickets for 20 runs in 40 minutes after tea. Bedi took 6 for 29 and India needed 197 to win. Price took two wickets off consecutive balls for the fourth day in a row, Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Sardesai being the batsmen this time. This time the first five wickets fell for 79 but Eknath Solkar and Abid Ali added 56 and Bedi finished the match pulling Peter Parfitt for four. On a wearing wicket, Middlesex missed Fred Titmus who had been rested.

v Essex At Garrison A Cricket Ground, Colchester, 26, 28, 29 June. Indians (164 and 231) lost to Essex (328–8 decl and 68 for 4) by six wickets.

The match was played in very English conditions – the wicket hardly differed from the outfield, there was a near gale-force wind and it rained. Keith Boyce dismissed Gavaskar with the last ball of the first over. John Lever hit Jayantilal on the boot with his first ball, had Wadekar caught behind off the fifth, and yorked Viswanath with the second ball of his second over. None of the batsmen scored and India was 3 for 4 after 20 balls. India eventually ended up with 164. In the Essex reply, Keith Fletcher scored his third hundred of the season in 223 minutes. Just before the declaration, Lever hit 37 in 25 minutes with 2 fours and 3 sixes. After reaching 163 for 3 an hour before tea on the final day, India lost five wickets in 20 overs. Essex needed 68 in 18 overs and managed it just in time.

v DH Robins' XI At The Saffrons, Eastbourne, 30 June, July 1,2. DH Robins' XI (228–8 decl and 258–5 decl) drew with Indians (305–8 decl and 132–4).

Sardesai, Venkataraghavan and Solkar were rested and Govindraj played his first match. He took 2 for 20 in 12 overs in his opening spell. By tea, Robins' XI had lost seven wickets for 148. Chris Old and Kerry O'Keeffe added 71 for the ninth wicket when the innings was declared half an hour before the close. Still trying to solve the problem of the opening batsmen, India picked all the four openers in the touring party. Gavaskar and Baig opened, Jayantilal went in at one down and Mankad at five. After the quick exit of Baig and Jayantilal, Wadekar scored 45 with nine fours, four of them in a Greig over. Viswanath scored a hundred in 200 minutes with 15 fours. Robins' XI declared just before tea setting India 182 in around two hours. Baig scored 38 with six fours after which the match ended in a draw.

v Kent At St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury, July 3,5,6. Kent (394–8 decl and 176–4 decl) drew with Indians (163 and 264–7).

Venkataraghavan captained the Indians. Dropped on 19, Brian Luckhurst scored 118 in three and a half hours with 15 fours and a six off Venkat. Luckhurst and Mike Denness made 125 for the first wicket and were separated just after lunch. Luckhurst was the fourth man out at 209 but Alan Knott and West Indian John Shepherd then added 96 runs quickly. Gavaskar had been rested, and the Indian openers were dismissed before close on the first day. The first five fell for 52 but yet again the lower half of the Indian batting outscored the top order. Despite a lead of 228, Denness chose to bat again and set Indians 408 to win in over a day. On a very cold final day, Viswanath and Ashok Mankad took the score to 137 for 1 at lunch but Shepherd dismissed Mankad and Sardesai in one over. Viswanath, however, scored his second successive hundred and shielded the later batsmen.

v Leicestershire At Grace Road, Leicester July 7,8,9 Leicestershire (198 and 168) lost to Indians (416–7 decl) by an innings and 50 runs.

This match proved to be the turning point for the Indians who now began to win consistently. The match was played in warm sunshine before a crowd that included many Indians. Barry Dudleston and David Steele began with a stand of 50 runs in an hour before Chandra caught and bowled Steele. Baig ran Dudleston out for 51 and Solkar took a spectacular catch at short squareleg to dismiss Brian Davison. Leicestershire were dismissed before tea for 198. Gavaskar and Wadekar added 231 for the second wicket. Wadekar once swung Jack Birkenshaw over fineleg, shattering the window panes. India was 120 for 1 at close on the first day, and added another 125 without loss before lunch on the second. Wadekar was well caught by Birkenshaw at short midwicket having made 126 with 18 fours and the six. Gavaskar made 165 in five and a half fours with 21 fours. India declared after tea with a lead of 218. Leicestershire lost quick wickets on the last day before Chris Balderstone and Roger Tolchard added 72 for the fifth wicket. Tolchard was dropped by Solkar but Gavaskar had him caught at slip. The match ended ten minutes after lunch. Chandra returned figures of 5 for 63 and 6 for 64 (11 for 127).

v Warwickshire At Edgbaston, Birmingham July 10,12,13 Warwickshire (377–3 decl and 182) lost to Indians (562) by an innings and 3 runs.

Indians recovered from a bad start to win by an innings. On the first day Jameson set about the Indian bowling to score 231 in 265 minutes with 31 fours and four sixes – one each off Bedi, Govindraj, Abid Ali and Prasanna. India rested Chandra for the match. Warwickshire scored 130 without loss in 30 overs before lunch on the first day. Bedi dismissed John Whitehouse and Rohan Kanhai in four balls. Jameson and Smith then added 241 in 149 minutes. Jameson was dropped at 132 and 143. On the latter occasion, Prasanna let the ball go off his hands for six, Govindraj being the bowler. After Warwickshire declared at the fall of Jameson, India made 94 for two on the first day, and another 416 runs on the second. Wadekar and Sardesai made 144 for the third wicket and Sardesai and Viswanath 118 for the fourth wicket. Sardesai scored 120 and Viswanath missed his third consecutive century by ten runs. India batted into the third day for Abid Ali to score a hundred. He missed it by seven runs and India was all out for 562. It was India's highest first class score in England. Jameson fell early, caught hooking Abid Ali. Bedi and Prasanna shared the other nine wickets as Warwickshire lost by an innings. India defeated Warwickshire for the first time in seven attempts.

v Glamorgan At Sophia Gardens, Cardiff July 14,15,16 Indians (284 and 245–6 decl) df Glamorgan (203 and 224) by 102 runs.

Farokh Engineer was released by Lancashire to play in this match. Wadekar won his fourth toss in successive matches. Several Indian batsmen had a good start without going on to make a big score. Engineer top-scored making 62 of the 94 runs added by the last six wickets. Sixteen wickets fell on the second day. Majid Khan played a fine innings of 78 with 11 fours before Bedi bowled his with an arm-ball. But the last six Glamoran wickets added only 25. Venkataraghavan took 6 for 76. India lost the first three for 46 but Wadekar scored 73. Venkataraghavan made 57 including a six off Peter Walker. Needing 337 in the second innings, Glamorgan closed the second day on 11 for no loss. On the final day, Engineer missed two chances from Malcolm Nash who was also dropped by Baig. Nash top scored with 75. After being 185 for four at tea, Glamorgan were all out for 224. This time Bedi took six wickets. Both he and Venkat took nine wickets in the match.

v Hampshire At Dean Park, Bournemouth July 17,19,20 Hampshire (198 and 271) lost to Indians (364 and 106 for 5) by five wickets.

For the last match before the first Test, India rested Bedi and Chandra who were both expected to be in Test side. The choice of the third spinner was between Prasanna and Venkat. Prasanna took 3 for 37 in the first innings while Venkat had 1 for 76. But in the second innings Venkat returned career best figures of 9 for 93. He only missed the ninth wicket of the innings, Larry Worrell falling to Solkar. This was to remain as the best bowling figures for the 1971 season. Prasanna took 0/81 in 33 overs. Venkat went on to play all the three Test matches while Prasanna did not appear in any.

Hampshire played without their regular opener Roy Marshall and fast bowler Bob Cottam. Barry Richards started off with two fours before being well caught and bowled by Solkar. Hampshire was all out for 198 before tea. On the second day Mankad scored a century in five hours while Viswanath scored his third hundred of the tour. Richards scored 45 including a six off Venkat while the other opener Richard Lewis top scored with 71 in 165 minutes and a six off Prasanna. Captain Richard Gilliat scored his second 50 of the match, batting only 135 minutes for 71 with ten fours and a six. India won by five wickets for their fourth win in a row.

v Minor Counties At County Ground, Lakenham July 28,29,30 Minor Counties (203–5 decl and 199–6 decl) drew with Indians (252–3 decl and 26–0).