OTD: Australia beat India by one run, the narrowest victory in World Cup history in 1987

It was on this day, October 9, in 1987, when Australia recorded one of the narrowest wins in cricket World Cup history, as they defeated hosts India by just one run. The match was played during the Reliance World Cup in 1987, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

This was the first time the tournament was held outside of England, with two Asian neighbors, India and Pakistan, sharing hosting duties. India started the home campaign as the defending champions, having defeated the formidable West Indies in the 1983 final.

Captain Kapil Dev won the toss and asked Australia to bat first. David Boon and Geoff Marsh, Australia’s dashing openers, got the team off to a strong start. Indian bowlers endured some severe treatment from the Aussie batters before Ravi Shastri trapped Boon for an LBW for 49 runs in 68 balls.

However, Marsh continued battling the Indian spinners Ravi Shastri and Maninder Singh with grace. He hammered 110 runs in 141 runs with seven fours and one six. Dean Jones contributed 39 runs with two fours and two sixes, as Australia posted 270/6 in 50 overs. For India, Manoj Prabhakar starred with the ball, taking 2/47 in his 10 overs.

India were primed for a win given they were playing in home conditions. Sunil Gavaskar gave a quick start, scoring 37 in 32 balls with six fours and one six while His opening partner Kris Srikkanth made 70 in 83 balls. Furthermore, debutant Navjot Singh Sidhu made 73 in 79 balls with four fours and five sixes in his first ODI knock.

But Australia clawed back thanks to Craig McDermott and Steve Waugh as the Indian batting collapsed. McDermott took 4/56, and Waugh took 2/52 as Australia bowled India out for 269 runs, with India losing the game by one run.

Geoff Marsh won the Player of the Match for his century. Even after a poor show in the first game, India bounced back in the 1987 World Cup, as the hosts had reached the semi-finals.

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