Probashi- Sports
Probashi- Sports
First Indian Test Cricket Team
The first Parsi Club cricket team which went to England in 1886. Top Row: AB Patel, S Bezonjee, Standing: C. Payno( Umpire), MP Bonajee, PC Major, SN Bhedwar, DD Khambatta, AC Major, JD Pochkhana, Seated: AB Libuwala, PD Dastur, Dr DM Patel, M Pramjee and BP Bolla, Ground: JM Morneas, BB Baria, SH Harvar
23 years( 1911) before an Indian Team of truly national character would go on an overseas tour. In true sense the 1911 team was the first national Indian Cricket team. The team was captained by Maharaja of Patiala, not primarily because of his cricketing credentials but more for his royal lineage. The 1911 team did not do very well – it played 14 first‐class matches, won 2, drew 2 and lost 10. While the result is imminently forgettable, the team made a statement which is worth remembering and celebrating. In this team were two brothers Baloo Palwankar and Shivram Palwankar, untouchables by caste. The presence of players from untouchable caste in a team with majority upper caste Hindu team members and captained by a royal was revolutionary for the early twentieth century India. By selecting the Palwankar brothers the selectors made the statementthat ability and not caste which mattered on the cricket field. Baloo justified his selection – this slow left‐arm spinner took 75 wickets at 20.12 with a best analysis of 8‐103. He received several offers to stay in England and play as a professional. He choose to come home. What is surprising is that Baloo had learnt his cricket by occasionally bowling at the nets of a cricket club where he was paid to sweep and roll the pitch. Baloo was felicitated on his return home and one of the organisers of the event was a young man named BR Ambedkar. Do we see strains of Kacchra from the film Lagaan in the achievement of Baloo Palwankar? Cricket was getting popular in India, there was a domestic league, Indian teams had undertaken three foreign tours and there were a bunch of promising Indian players. However India was still considered babe in the woods as far as cricket was concerned and not accorded Test status, for it had yet to prove its mettle against crack English teams. The opportunity came when Marylebone Cricket Club( MCC) team visited India in 1926‐27 under the stewardship of test player and
English captain Arthur Gilligan. The MCC team was to play local Indian teams and showcase English skills at cricket. The match which made the English sit up and take Indian cricket seriously was one played between the Hindu club and the MCC at Bombay Gymkhana. CK Naidu hit 153 in 116 minutes with 11 sixes. This was made against the fearsome pace attack of Maurice Tate, George Geary and Bob Wyatt. The MCC presented Naidu with a silver bat in acknowledgement of that innings. Cricket historians believe that it was this particular knock that impressed Gilligan who carried the message to the authorities in England that India was ready to play Test cricket.
June 25, 1932 was a historic moment for Indian cricket‐ India was to play its first cricket test match against the full strength English team at the Lords cricket ground. The Indian captain Maharaja of Porbander sat out of the match‐ a gesture which needs to be acknowledged, for the Maharaja was not the best cricketer amongst 18 member team, the mantle of captainship he handed to CK Naidu unquestionably the most experienced in the team. Mohammad Nissar bowled India’ s first ball in Test Cricket. Facing him was the world’ s best opening batsman of that time Herbert Sutcliffe. Sutcliff’ s career batting average at 60.73 is the highest by any English batsman and the sixthhighest worldwide. At the non striker’ s end stood Percy Holmes, who along with Sutcliffe held the then world record of highest opening partnership of 555 runs in first class cricket. The Indian bowling attack was facing the world’ s best opening batting pair. Even to the most patriotic Indian