The first limited-over match, played on Jan 5, 1971, at the Melbourne cricket ground, completely revolutionalised the game. It was hastily arranged, outside the previously agreed itinerary between Australia and England, on the last day of the third Test after the game was abandoned due to unseasonal torrential rains. The duel was an instant success attracting 46,000 spectators, giving enjoyment and thrill from the first ball to the last.
Later on, it became an integral part of the programmes of all visiting teams, apart from the five-day Test duels.
When Kerry Packer, the Australian television and newspaper tycoon, stepped into the scene he made it more popular by introducing coloured kits, white balls and installing floodlights on the grounds. Whether there were Packer-staged matches or the official one-dayers between two cricketing countries there was plenty of action and best of all a definite result.
Though Pakistan had locked horns with other countries viz New Zealand, England, West Indies and Sri Lanka its first brush with arch-foe, India, occurred when reputed spinner, Bishen Singh Bedi, brought the Indian squad to Pakistan in the winter of 1978. On great public pressure and the government's advice the Packerite superstars - Mushtaq Muhammad, Zaheer Abbas, Majid Khan, Asif Iqbal and Imran Khan - were made eligible to represent Pakistan and were recalled to the mainstream team.
The inaugural abbreviated cricket tussle took place at the Ayub Stadium of Quetta. It was in this match (Oct 1, 1978) that Kapil Dev made his debut to later become a living legand of Indian cricket.
It was a 40-over, low-scoring match, in which the visitors romped home by just a head.
India, having won the toss, could not make much progress against the tight and quality bowling of Sarfraz Nawaz, Salim Altaf, Imran Khan and Hasan Jamil. Brothers Surinder and Mohinder Amarnath and Vengsarkar played sensibly to give India a total of 170 with the loss of seven wickets.
For Pakistan, Majid Khan and Zaheer batted attractively but Pakistan failed to reach the target by only four runs. India thus recorded victory in the first battle of one-dayers between the two South Asian nations. Maybe that shivering cold in Quetta more affected the performance of the Pakistanis than the Indians.
Mohinder Amarnath, with his medium-pacers, had two scalps to his credit, while Bedi, the captain, bowled impressively to gain two wickets.
The Pakistan side came into its own in the next scheduled tie at Sialkot's Jinnah Park and had a resounding success by eight wickets. The Indian batting-line crashed to the tightly controlled line and length of Sarfraz Nawaz, Salim Altaf, Sikander Bakht and Hasan Jamil, all of them proved to be nasty customers to the rival willow-wielders whose 79, is yet the lowest score for an Indian pack on a Pakistani venue.
Pakistan had little difficulty in hitting the needed runs with the loss of only two wickets.
The two adversaries were on level terms when they reached the Sahiwal Stadium for the 'decider'. Both the teams were at full strength in this match.
In a 40-over game a score of 205 by Pakistan was a challenging one. There were multitudinous cheers for Asif Iqbal when he flogged the Indian attack unmercifully for a dashing 62 after Majid Khan had displayed his adventure as an opener. In this third match of the series Kapil Dev, though sent only two Pakistani batsmen pavilionward, bowled well enough to get the hand-clappings of the onlookers. An athletic figure showing power and gusto in his deliveries.
India's innings was progressing serenely and they may well have cruised home but to the surprise of all Bedi called back his batsmen, Vishwanath and Gaekwad, in protest against the repeated sending of bumpers by Sarfraz. The umpires, as per rules, had not interfered.
India thus conceded the last tie and the series was smatched by Pakistan.
One expects the upcoming series to be exciting and enjoyable. If the game is played in the right spirit cricket will help in bettering relations between the two countries. Sporting exchanges will then have served their purpose.