I am taking you down the memory lane, to the time when Cricket was still taking baby steps. This article will tell you how it all began, how a sport that was not even Indian to begin with took over the whole country to the point that it is considered a religion now with Cricketers idolized as Gods.
A year-by-year account of the game's fortunes in India since the formation Of BCCI IN 1929.
Timeline Of Indian Cricket :
1926 :
The MCC tour was from October 1926 to February 1927, Captained by Arthur Gilligan, the team played 26 first-class matches in India and a further four first-class matches in Ceylon. Team members included Maurice Leyland, ANDY Sandham, Bob Wyatt, Arthur Dolphin, George Geary, Ewart Astill and George Brown.
1928 :
(December 4) : Provisional Board Of Control meeting.
1929 :
BCCI FORMED. R.E. Grant Govan is the president and A.S. De Mello the secretary.
1930 :
First major decision of the Board : MCC invited to tour India. However, the tour is eventually cancelled because of the objection of Hindu Gymkhana. With Gandhi ji giving a call for Civil Disobedience, the tour is looked upon as objectionable.
1931 :
Planning for the 1932 England tour starts in earnest. Fight between maharajas of Patiala, Vizianagaram for captaincy. Patiala wins first round of the contest by sponsoring the trials of the touring side for a month and is appointed captain. Vizzy, made deputy vice- captain; withdraws on health grounds. Patiala folloes suit. Eventually Maharaja of Porbander is made captai, Limbdi the vice-captain.
1932 :
First Indian Cricket Team in 1932
First Indian Cricket Captain C K Nayudu
Mohammad Nissar, 1932
(June 25) :A New era begins in Indain cricket history. First test match of Indian Cricket History started at Lord's, India stun the world by reducing England to 19/3. Mohammed Nissar bags first 5-wicket haul for India. C.K. Nayudu captains the side because Porbander and Limbdi step down in his favour.
1933 :
Indian cricket's first centurion, Lala Amrnath
Ranjitsinhji dies. Nayudu nominated one of the five cricketers of the year by Wisden. First-ever Test match on Indian soil; December 15-18 in Bombay. Jardine's MCC win the match comfortably. Lala Amarnath earns the distinction of becoming India's first centurion : 118 against the MCC. He played in 23 Tests thereafter but never scored a century again.
1934:
The first Ranji Trophy is played. The Trophy itself is donated by the Maharaja of Patiala. First winners - Bombay.
1935 :
Visit of Jack Ryder's Australians. The tour is funded and sponsored by the Maharaja of Patiala.
1936 :
Vijay Merchant and Mushtaq Ali at Old Trafford, 1936
1937:
India's first permanent Test Cente, Brabourne Stadium
Visit of Lord Tennyson's English Team in the winter. C.K. Nayudu dropped unceremoniously- a move spearheaded by Vijay Maerchant.December 7. 1937, sees the opening of India's first permanent cricket venue : the Brabourne Stadium in Bombay.
1940-45 :
No international cricket because of World War 2. In domestic cricket, it was the era of the Vijays. Hazare scored a magical 309 in the 1943 Pentangulars, hitting over 80% of the team's total of 387, which is a record.
1946 :
Indian crickrt team to england, 1946
Tour of England under the Nawab Of Pataudi. World-record 10th wicket stand of 246 between Sarwate and Banerjee against Surrey.
1947-48 :
Vijay Hazare was the star for India on 1947-48 Australian Tour
India tour Australia. Fazal Mahmood and Mushtaq Ali withdraw because of partition-undecided whether to opt for India or Pakistan. Amarnath-led Indian team was thrashed 4-0 by Bradman's ivincibles. The star for India was Hazare, Vinoo Mankad and Dattu Phadkar. Hazare;s hundreds at Adelaide in each innings remains a memorable deed in an otherwise disastrous tour. He got 116 and 145. He also bowled Bradman on that tour.
1948-49 :
West Indies tour of India : Weeks completed his world record of five test centuries on the trot.India lost the rubber 0-1. Amarnath accused by Board Secretary De Mello of taking a purse of Rs 5,00 for including Probir Sen in the team in the fourth and fifth Tests, Amarnath was banned from playing all forms of cricket on April 10, 1949.
1949 :
D.D. Hindlekar, keeper on 1936 tour to England, dies for want of treatment. Cabaret organised in Bombay to raise money for his family.
1950 :
MCC cancels visit to India. The squabble between Amarnath and De Mello still dominated headlines.
1951 :
Amarnath defeated De Mello in the tussle with the help of the Bengal lobby led by Pankaj Gupta. De Mello's tenure, lasting nearly 25 years, finally came to an end.
1952 :
Indian Cricket team that created history, 1952
Mankad led India to its first test victory, against England at Chepauk, Pankaj Roy(111), Polly Umrigar(130*) star with the bat. Mankad, Ghulam Ahmed spun India to victory.
Vinoo Mankad : Single handly challenged England in that famous 'Mankad Test' and was also the captain that led India to its First ever victory in Test Cricket
After that Team went on a disastrous tour of England. India was reduced to a humiliating 0 for 4 at Leeds, bowled out for 58 and 82 at Manchester.But at Lord's, Vinoo Mankad scored 72 and 184 and took 5 wickets for 196 in a marathon 73 overs. This test is still known as 'Mankad Test' in cricket history. Mankad wasn't in the original line-up and was only summoned after the first test ended in a disastrous loss.
After reaching the first milestone in its ever going journey, i.e its first test victory, Indian cricket's journey continued...In this series' second part we will read about some of the greatest players to ever play for India.. Gavaskar, Vishwanath, Kapil Dev and the famous 'Spin Quartet' to name a few.. We will also raed about a mega-event that changed the fortune of Cricket in India forever..Please leave your valuable comments about the article.
