The story is of India's historic first ever Test series win on English soil. India, who were still rising not considered stalwarts of the game, had beaten West Indies in their backyard and were high on confidence. Ajit Wadekar's men were raring to go as they wanted to prove that the West Indies series win was not a fluke. After managing to draw two Tests of the three-Test series, India needed a win in the decider to prove their might, and some good omen.
On the day of Ganesh Chaturhti, Indian fans borrowed Bella, the elephant from Chessington Zoo to boost Indian players who were fighting it hard at the Oval. The question was asked in this year’s season of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) hosted by Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan.
On Day 5 India were in a good position before the start of day's play while chasing a tricky target of 173. In the morning, manager Hemu Adhikari drew Wadekar's attention to Bella, who was being guided by a lady. The presence of the elephant on the day of festival instilled belief in the team to beat the Britishers.
Skipper Wadekar walked out to bat with much confidence but unfortunately got run out. After coming back to the pavillion, he prayed to Lord Ganesha for a win. His prayers were answered as wicketkeeper-batter Farokh Engineer guided India to the historic win alongside Syed Abid Ali. India won the Test by four wickets.
After the win, England's manager Ken Barrington woke up the Indian captain to congratulate him. Wadekar was still unaware of the victory but immediately replied by saying “I always knew we’d win”.
Many said that the Lord Ganesha himself arrived at the ground and blessed the Indian side to overpower the English. Later, a chapter titled The Day the Elephant Came to The Oval was dedicated to Bella in Mihir Bose's A History of Indian Cricket.
