Though I am a fan of cricket from my school days, I rarely
had the opportunity to watch an International Cricket match live from the
stands in the ground. Back in those days
there was no Television and only 5 Day Test Matches, which were played in big cities
like Delhi, Calcutta, Madras etc which are called Test centres.
That left us glued to our Transistor Radios to
listen to the All India Radio running commentary to follow the match. In the 1960’s
Test cricket had
become less popular, because of uninspiring captaincy and a safety-first
approach to the game. Teams played for a draw rather than try to win a match.
It was while studying in Madras Loyola College that I
got my first opportunity to watch a Test match live. The First Test match
between England and India under the
captaincy of legendary Nawab of Pataudi was being played at the Nehru Stadium, Egmore from 10 th January 1964 to 16 th January with a day of rest in
between. England toured India for what was by the standards of
the time a whistle-stop seven-week five-Test series. After two warm-up matches,
England arrived in Madras for the first Test, ready for what was expected to be
a battle between spinners and the bat, so much so their team had only one fast
bowler.
Since the Test match coincided with the Pongal
Holidays, I was keen on going to the match, but Five day season tickets were
very expensive and hard to get. Huge crowds jostled in the ticket counters just
to get into the galleries, which were issued on a daily basis. Some early
birders even slept overnight at ticket counters to get the tickets first! I was wondering how will able to get in and
watch the match and resigned to hear the commentary on the radio. But my more
experienced mates had a strategy to get the tickets. Some of them will go early
in the morning to stand in the “Queue” armed with bed sheets. As soon as they enter
they will reserve seats for others by spreading them in strategic places on the
cement galleries. Meanwhile another batch will arrive with food packets for
breakfast and lunch supplied from the Hostel Mess. Jointly as a big group they
had a field day enjoying the match.
On the first day, the Nawab of Pataudi, India's
captain, won the toss and batted, and a crowd of Thirty thousand left happy as India closed on 277 for 2, with
opener Budhi Kunderan making 170 not out. The next day India moved on to 457
for 7 ( Wicket Keeper Kunderan dismissed for a career-best 192) before
declaring 90 minutes before the close of the second day, and England reached 63
for 2 by stumps. I was very much excited by India’s high scoring innings and
envied my friends who had watched the game in the stadium. I decided to join them
at any cost to witness this Test match.
Fortunately, next day I got my place in the late comers’ group which
hauled the food stuff as more healthy individuals were deputed to battle the
crowds at the gates.
So on January 12, 1964, I got the opportunity to watch
a Test match in person. The Nehru stadium was fully packed with enthusiastic crowds
making all kinds of noises with bells, plates, drums, horns etc. The match
starts at 9.30 A.M. and the impatient crowds welcomed the umpires entering the
pitch with a huge applause. In those days jumping barricades and invading the
Pitch was common and so a lot of police personnel were posted around the
ground to prevent this. They had to be
alert and constantly watch the spectators for any misdeeds. At times they get
carried away by some spectacular shot hit by one of the players and turn to see
it for a moment. The instant they turn
their backs, is an opportunity for the crowds to pelt them with paper balls and
fruit peels and have some harmless fun.
The English side was already suffering from the
perennial problems associated with an Indian tour, mainly with food. Micky Stewart was indisposed with upset
stomach and high temperature. Before England started their innings, Jim Parks
joined him on the sick list. On the Third day, Fred Titmus and Barry Knight
were also feeling unwell. Parks and Stewart had stayed in their beds at the
hotel, with a car stationed to get the latter to the ground in desperate
situation.
Our slow pitches were prepared to aid the spinners and
it started showing signs of wear and tear by the third day.
The Englishmen decided that they would
stonewall their way to guard the sick and ailing team members. Only
night-watchman Don Wilson showed some enterprise, as he did not fancy his
chances of batting through the day. It was mainly due to his 42 that the first session
was mildly watchable. But, when Wilson was dismissed, Ken Barrington joined
Brian Bolus, launching a partnership which would bring time to a standstill and
freeze the scoreboard.
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| Bapu Nadkarni in action |
After lunch Nadkarni came on , rolling his arm over
again and again, his deliveries slow and flat, and landing on an imaginary coin
on the pitch with nagging accuracy and slight turn. Ken Barrington and Brian
Bolus could do little but pat them back along the pitch. From the other end,
Borde kept sending down his leg breaks. Ball after ball was blocked or patted
away. The first run after lunch came in the 12th over,
stirring some of the spectators awake with the by then unusual sight of two
batsmen crossing over. By the end of the first hour, lethargy had seeped into
the veins of all the batsmen, fielders and – most of all – the scorers. Only
the two bowlers kept coming in, briskly running the few steps and sending them
down.
We spectators were utterly bored by the happenings at
the pitch and started booing and clapping for every ball. Even a rhythmic
chorus of “Barrington …Bore…Bore.” ……. “Barrington …Bore…Bore.” had not no effect on
the batsmen. In fact Barrington seems to have enjoyed the attention being given
to him and encouraged us by punching his bat in the air rhythmically. Once, a
stray dog was chased by the spectators on to the pitch. The play was stopped
for awhile and resumed after the dog was shooed off by the police.
The spectators were bored to death by the constant
maiden overs bowled by Nadkarni and the batting of Barrington and co. In order
to liven up the proceedings someone flew a paper kite over the pitch with a snapped
string. Again play was halted and Barrington sportingly caught hold of the
thread and brought it down to the applause of the crowd. Meanwhile we
entertained ourselves by throwing paper balls and fruit peels on to unsuspecting
spectators sitting in front.
Barrington finally scored a single off Nadkarni after
21 overs and five balls had been bowled by the left-arm spinner without a run
being scored. He had bowled 131
consecutive dot balls! According to The Times, he “was immediately taken off as
though being altogether expensive.”
It was a world record, breaking Horace Hazell’s record
of 17 consecutive maidens. At first, Nadkarni was not aware of his achievement. “I
came to know about it later. In the evening the official scorer came up to me
and told me that I have set a new world record and have bowled the most
economical spell. A few of my team-mates took a dig at me. At that time there
was no media coverage and things like these went unnoticed.”
One curious aspect of Nadkarni was the fact that he
wore loincloths (Langoti) instead of
underwear, often causing amusement in the dressing-room. As a result he earned
the nickname ‘Bapu’, for Mahatma Gandhi used to do the same.
The five-match series ended in one of the most
stagnating 0-0 stalemates in the history of the game.I was so thoroughly disappointed
by witnessing 21 Maiden overs being bowled in my Maiden Test Match as a viewer
that I vowed never to
