British Pathé, one of the world’s oldest and largest multimedia companies, recently released more than 85,000 video clips of historical events online. Among the thousands of clips stretching back to over a century are gems from the history of Indian cricket, including Ranjitsinji's ill-timed return to cricket in 1920 and India's infamous tour of England in 1936.
Scroll.in picked out the best.
Ranjitsinhji returns to cricket following hunting accident (no sound)
Described by celebrated writer Neville Cardus as "the Midsummer night's dream of cricket", KS Ranjitsinhji is not only the first Indian cricketer to rise to fame but is also widely considered as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. In a First Class career spanning over 25 years, Ranji, as he was popularly known, scored 24,692 runs at an average of 56.37, including 72 hundreds and 109 fifties. India's premier First Class cricket tournament, the Ranji Trophy, is named after him. Ranji was also a ruler of the erstwhile Indian state of Nawanagar.
The clip shows Ranji's return to First Class cricket in 1920 following a hunting accident during which he lost an eye. Appearing for Sussex against Essex in the English county championship, the 48-year-old and severely out-of-shape Ranji scored only 39 runs in three matches at an average of 9.75 in what would turn out to be a sad finale to a stellar career.
MCC tour of India 1927 (no sound)
In the winter of 1926-'7, India hosted its first tour by an English team in more than 20 years. The Marylebone Cricket Club, then the governing body of cricket worldwide, sent a strong team with six Test cricketers. After landing in Karachi in October 1926, the visitors reached Mumbai undefeated in 1927 to play five matches. In the first match against the Hindus, the MCC got a thorough taste of the progress of the game in the home of Indian cricket. Powered by a CK Nayudu century, which is described as "Indian cricket's moment of arrival" by historian Ramachandra Guha in his book A Corner of a Foreign Field, the Hindus secured an "honourable draw" against the powerful MCC.
After playing a combined Parsi-European XI, a Hindu-Muslim XI and the Bombay Presidency, the city geared up for the first unofficial Test of the tour at the Bombay Gymkhana grounds. Colonel Keki Mistry was appointed captain of the All India XI, which included six Hindus, three Parsis and two Muslims. On the eve of the match, Palwankar Vithal, who had captained the Hindus against the MCC, dropped out due to "malaria". His place was taken by DB Deodhar from Poona. The MCC batted first and put on 362, with Wyatt top-scoring with 83 and Nazir Ali picking up four wickets. The All India XI got off to a good start with S Wazir Ali (48) and JG Javle (74) putting on a century partnership. Then, Deodhar went on to score 148, "his most productive shots being the cut and the drive," says Guha. When the home team eventually went past the MCC's score, the "whole crowd went mad with joy and rang with cheers," noted the Indian National Herald. The match was to end in a celebrated draw as well.
India's tour of England 1936 (no sound)
Four years after India played its first-ever Test match at Lord's and won critical acclaim for its performance despite losing to England, an Indian team returned to English shores in 1936 for a full tour. Much was expected out of the visiting side after its performance four years prior, but it was all to be a damp squib as the visitors won only four out of their 28 First Class matches. Most of the blame for India's sorry showing was directed towards its captain, the Maharaja of Vizianagram – or Vizzy, as he was popularly called. Unlike the 1932 tour when the Maharaja of Porbandar recognised his inefficiencies and gave up his captaincy to CK Nayudu, Vizzy was in no mood to give up his. Vizzy played in all the games and his 600 runs came at a poor average of 16.21. In the three Tests against England, he scored 33 runs at 8.25. Guha noted: "The team was badly led, and carried a passenger in its captain. Such runs as Vizzy made were a consequence of charity and corruption." It was reported that Vizzy had gifted a gold watch to an England bowler to go easy on him while batting. "I gave him a full toss and a couple of long hops, but you can't go on bowling like that all day, not in England," said the recipient, as reported in History of Indian Cricket, by Edward Docker.
Halfway through the tour, Vizzy even had one of the team's best performers, Lala Amarnath, sent back to India for "insubordination", but without giving a convincing explanation. After the players returned to India, a special committee was set up to investigate the matter, which reported Vizzy's on-field captaincy to be "disastrous", adding that he "did not understand field placings or bowling changes and never maintained any regular batting order."
Vizzy was even reported to have "stoked divisions between Hindus and Muslims so as to maintain his rule". India played well below its potential and lost two out of three Tests. So poor was the visitors' performance that English cricketer Jack Hobbs remarked, as quoted in Berry Sarbhadhikari's Indian Cricket Uncovered: "With all the keenness and skill I have noted, India will never rise to the status of a leading cricket country until all political and religious rivalries are forgotten on the field."
India's tour of England 1936 (third Test) (no sound)
India's tour of England 1946
The Indian cricket team visited England in 1946 for a tour that marked the return of First Class cricket to England following the Second World War. Iftikhar Ali Khan, the Nawab of Pataudi, captained a largely inexperienced Indian team, with only six players having made their Test debuts before the War. India was outplayed in the three Test matches and lost 1-0, but "acquitted itself creditably against the counties", noted Guha in A Corner of A Foreign Field. "Vijay Merchant batted beautifully, scoring in excess of 2,000 runs on tour, and Vinoo Mankad completed the all-rounder's double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets." The Wisden Cricket Almanack also had words of praise for the Indian team, noting that "although they were outplayed in the Tests they raised the status and the dignity of their country's sport". In the first Test, which India lost by 10 wickets, the team had six debutants: Abdul Hafeez, Gul Mohammad, Vijay Hazare, Vinoo Mankad, Rusi Modi and Sadu Shinde.
England's tour of India 1951
This clip shows the beginning of the first Test between India and England at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, during the MCC's tour of India in 1951-'52. Indian President Rajendra Prasad is seen greeting players of both teams. The tour attracted large crowds across the five venues where the Test matches were played, as the game had by this time caught the fancies of a large section of Indian society. The game was to spread further across all corners of India with the beginning of broadcast of the matches on the All India Radio. Coincidentally, the person who sanctioned the broadcast on AIR was someone who was a staunch opponent of the game – BV Keskar, the Minister of Information and Broadcasting at the time. Keskar was against the broadcast of film songs and cricket on AIR, but eventually had to bow down to the demands of the masses.
Beginning with this tour, Test matches were broadcast for the first time on AIR. "Millions then bought radios to listen to one channel or the other," noted Guha. "During the Test matches college students and office workers alike concealed transistors in their clothing. For others at work or on the move, the best place to get a quick update was the paanwallah, whose little radio spoke softly amid the tins and boxes of his trade... The game of cricket uniquely fused local patriotism with nationalism, the process both conveyed and inspired by All India Radio."
England went on to draw the five-match series 1-1 with India. Wisden noted that India "looked a better balanced side, with strength in batting making them extremely difficult to dismiss cheaply". Pankaj Roy and Vijay Hazare scored two centuries apiece in the series and got good support from Polly Umrigar, Vinoo Mankad and Dattu Phadkar. Mankad also impressed with the ball, taking 34 wickets in the series.
To watch these clips as a single playlist on our YouTube channel, click here.
Scroll.in picked out the best.
Ranjitsinhji returns to cricket following hunting accident (no sound)
Described by celebrated writer Neville Cardus as "the Midsummer night's dream of cricket", KS Ranjitsinhji is not only the first Indian cricketer to rise to fame but is also widely considered as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. In a First Class career spanning over 25 years, Ranji, as he was popularly known, scored 24,692 runs at an average of 56.37, including 72 hundreds and 109 fifties. India's premier First Class cricket tournament, the Ranji Trophy, is named after him. Ranji was also a ruler of the erstwhile Indian state of Nawanagar.
The clip shows Ranji's return to First Class cricket in 1920 following a hunting accident during which he lost an eye. Appearing for Sussex against Essex in the English county championship, the 48-year-old and severely out-of-shape Ranji scored only 39 runs in three matches at an average of 9.75 in what would turn out to be a sad finale to a stellar career.
MCC tour of India 1927 (no sound)
In the winter of 1926-'7, India hosted its first tour by an English team in more than 20 years. The Marylebone Cricket Club, then the governing body of cricket worldwide, sent a strong team with six Test cricketers. After landing in Karachi in October 1926, the visitors reached Mumbai undefeated in 1927 to play five matches. In the first match against the Hindus, the MCC got a thorough taste of the progress of the game in the home of Indian cricket. Powered by a CK Nayudu century, which is described as "Indian cricket's moment of arrival" by historian Ramachandra Guha in his book A Corner of a Foreign Field, the Hindus secured an "honourable draw" against the powerful MCC.
After playing a combined Parsi-European XI, a Hindu-Muslim XI and the Bombay Presidency, the city geared up for the first unofficial Test of the tour at the Bombay Gymkhana grounds. Colonel Keki Mistry was appointed captain of the All India XI, which included six Hindus, three Parsis and two Muslims. On the eve of the match, Palwankar Vithal, who had captained the Hindus against the MCC, dropped out due to "malaria". His place was taken by DB Deodhar from Poona. The MCC batted first and put on 362, with Wyatt top-scoring with 83 and Nazir Ali picking up four wickets. The All India XI got off to a good start with S Wazir Ali (48) and JG Javle (74) putting on a century partnership. Then, Deodhar went on to score 148, "his most productive shots being the cut and the drive," says Guha. When the home team eventually went past the MCC's score, the "whole crowd went mad with joy and rang with cheers," noted the Indian National Herald. The match was to end in a celebrated draw as well.
India's tour of England 1936 (no sound)
Four years after India played its first-ever Test match at Lord's and won critical acclaim for its performance despite losing to England, an Indian team returned to English shores in 1936 for a full tour. Much was expected out of the visiting side after its performance four years prior, but it was all to be a damp squib as the visitors won only four out of their 28 First Class matches. Most of the blame for India's sorry showing was directed towards its captain, the Maharaja of Vizianagram – or Vizzy, as he was popularly called. Unlike the 1932 tour when the Maharaja of Porbandar recognised his inefficiencies and gave up his captaincy to CK Nayudu, Vizzy was in no mood to give up his. Vizzy played in all the games and his 600 runs came at a poor average of 16.21. In the three Tests against England, he scored 33 runs at 8.25. Guha noted: "The team was badly led, and carried a passenger in its captain. Such runs as Vizzy made were a consequence of charity and corruption." It was reported that Vizzy had gifted a gold watch to an England bowler to go easy on him while batting. "I gave him a full toss and a couple of long hops, but you can't go on bowling like that all day, not in England," said the recipient, as reported in History of Indian Cricket, by Edward Docker.
Halfway through the tour, Vizzy even had one of the team's best performers, Lala Amarnath, sent back to India for "insubordination", but without giving a convincing explanation. After the players returned to India, a special committee was set up to investigate the matter, which reported Vizzy's on-field captaincy to be "disastrous", adding that he "did not understand field placings or bowling changes and never maintained any regular batting order."
Vizzy was even reported to have "stoked divisions between Hindus and Muslims so as to maintain his rule". India played well below its potential and lost two out of three Tests. So poor was the visitors' performance that English cricketer Jack Hobbs remarked, as quoted in Berry Sarbhadhikari's Indian Cricket Uncovered: "With all the keenness and skill I have noted, India will never rise to the status of a leading cricket country until all political and religious rivalries are forgotten on the field."
India's tour of England 1936 (third Test) (no sound)
India's tour of England 1946
The Indian cricket team visited England in 1946 for a tour that marked the return of First Class cricket to England following the Second World War. Iftikhar Ali Khan, the Nawab of Pataudi, captained a largely inexperienced Indian team, with only six players having made their Test debuts before the War. India was outplayed in the three Test matches and lost 1-0, but "acquitted itself creditably against the counties", noted Guha in A Corner of A Foreign Field. "Vijay Merchant batted beautifully, scoring in excess of 2,000 runs on tour, and Vinoo Mankad completed the all-rounder's double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets." The Wisden Cricket Almanack also had words of praise for the Indian team, noting that "although they were outplayed in the Tests they raised the status and the dignity of their country's sport". In the first Test, which India lost by 10 wickets, the team had six debutants: Abdul Hafeez, Gul Mohammad, Vijay Hazare, Vinoo Mankad, Rusi Modi and Sadu Shinde.
England's tour of India 1951
This clip shows the beginning of the first Test between India and England at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, during the MCC's tour of India in 1951-'52. Indian President Rajendra Prasad is seen greeting players of both teams. The tour attracted large crowds across the five venues where the Test matches were played, as the game had by this time caught the fancies of a large section of Indian society. The game was to spread further across all corners of India with the beginning of broadcast of the matches on the All India Radio. Coincidentally, the person who sanctioned the broadcast on AIR was someone who was a staunch opponent of the game – BV Keskar, the Minister of Information and Broadcasting at the time. Keskar was against the broadcast of film songs and cricket on AIR, but eventually had to bow down to the demands of the masses.
Beginning with this tour, Test matches were broadcast for the first time on AIR. "Millions then bought radios to listen to one channel or the other," noted Guha. "During the Test matches college students and office workers alike concealed transistors in their clothing. For others at work or on the move, the best place to get a quick update was the paanwallah, whose little radio spoke softly amid the tins and boxes of his trade... The game of cricket uniquely fused local patriotism with nationalism, the process both conveyed and inspired by All India Radio."
England went on to draw the five-match series 1-1 with India. Wisden noted that India "looked a better balanced side, with strength in batting making them extremely difficult to dismiss cheaply". Pankaj Roy and Vijay Hazare scored two centuries apiece in the series and got good support from Polly Umrigar, Vinoo Mankad and Dattu Phadkar. Mankad also impressed with the ball, taking 34 wickets in the series.
To watch these clips as a single playlist on our YouTube channel, click here.
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