Cricket in the past was less cut-throat. There was fierce competition, but at stumps the opponents turned friends. The game was also managed differently. On-field improprieties were tolerated, unless they left behind deep hurt or were a slur on the game. Some were even laughed off.
Thanks to this, cricketers with a humungous sense of humour could play pranks without inviting punitive action. Playing for Sounder CC in a league match, J. Ramakrishna claimed unsuccessfully for an lbw decision against W.D. Madanagopal. For the next delivery, he asked the umpire to step a bit to the side, explaining that he would leap close to the wicket and bowl. The umpire, wearing a spotless dhoti, did not give in. Jay ran in and rammed into the umpire; he executed his plan so well everyone thought it was an accident.
Scores were settled in a manner that did not destroy relationships. A.S. Venkateswaran, who owned Bhimanpet Recreation Club (BMC) failed to bring the kit for a match at the University Union Grounds against my team Youngsters CC. Two weeks earlier, Venkateswaran had got a stay on a tournament citing violation of a rule. Many, including me, thought the violation was minor and Venkateswaran could have ignored it. But, we did not want to hold his team to ransom for this and therefore, shared our kit with BMC. But we got an opportunity to show Venkateswaran how it felt to be trapped by a trivial rule. He was batting and came 15 minutes late from lunch to resume his innings. If a batsman took 15 minutes longer for lunch, the opponents could claim and have his wicket. We did, and got him out. As our intention was only to show him that cricket should be played without nitpicking, I recalled him. He refused to come back, because he realised he had been repaid in his own coin. This incident did not, however, mar my friendship with Venkateswaran, who also happened to be my classmate at P.S. High School.
Talking about cricket being played with more light-heartedness, a couple of matches from the 1970s come to mind. During the lunch break of a third division match, players of the competing teams — Crombest and Youngsters CC — got so immersed in playing cards together that they lost all sense of time. To their shock, they realised it was 2.35 p.m., but they could relax because the umpires were also playing cards with the cricketers. Since league matches were not limited overs cricket, keeping time was important. The umpires said, ‘We were all at fault and let's add a grace time of 10 minutes.'
In a match between Emmanuel CC and Youngsters CC, played near the Perambur Railway Institute, lunch took an even bigger bite out of play time. The players of both teams and the two umpires returned from the hotel only at 3 p.m.
Even at the higher levels of cricket, a mistake could often be undone. A classic example is a Ranji Trophy finals in the 1950s. J. Ramakrishna opened the batting for Madras and was clean-bowled in the first ball. He coolly replaced the bails on the stumps and said he was not ready to face the ball. Since the fielding side knew he spoke the truth, there was no protest. Ramakrishna went on to score 55 in that match. Another thing that strikes me about the past is the seeming ubiquity of cricket. League cricket was much smaller in dimension and there were fewer tournaments, but still cricket was on people's lips all through the year. The reason: people went to watch all forms of cricket, small or big. Today, the majority of the league matches and tournaments go without sizeable spectatorship.
Talk to cricket lovers who watched the game in the 1950s, and they will give you details about great matches played in Madras in that decade. Some local matches from that decade are etched in my memory. One is the Sport and Pastime finals between Parry's and Phillips at the Marina. It was a match of fluctuating fortunes. Parry's was sailing along, thanks to D.L. Chakravarthy, who piled up runs, including three big sixers, one of which resulted in a lost ball. It appeared to be a walk in the park for Parry's until V.V. Kumar came in to bowl and ran through the batting line-up; Phillips won the close match.
In my mind, that particular match serves as a template for how cricket was played in Madras. The players gave their best even in minor tournaments because they attracted as big a gathering of cricket lovers as the major ones did.
BIO D. SHASHIKANT Born in 1942 he has been a cricket player, administrator and manager of league teams. Popularly known as ‘Sait', he has served in the executive committee of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association; and as member of the TNCA Gates Committee for 36 years. In the 1980s, he was the manager of the State Ranji team in a few matches. Serving as TNCA Nets Committee chairman is another accomplishment. He manages two league teams — Youngsters CC and Komaleeswarar CC — and takes up coaching assignments. Besides cricket, he is interested in billiards and was secretary of the Tamil Nadu Billiards Association from 1989 to 2004.
I REMEMBER In league cricket, there was a team called Mambalam Mosquitoes. In those days, residents of Mambalam were subjected to unbearable mosquito menace and it was an apt name for a team from that locality.
