Another first India vs. West Indies
View(s):India played its First Test match. That was in the brand new stadium in Old Delhi; the National Stadium. Viola and I made it to the grounds by tonga (Single horse-driven carriage). It was expensive but jolly worth it.
Sir Frank Worrell
What I wish to write here is the spirit of Goodwill and Human Fellowship that pervaded the air, so very characteristic of sportsmanship.
The visiting team was given a tremendously warm welcome. In fact both teams were cheered alike. That was sportsmanship at its best.
I could still remember the crowds, the hundreds of voices of the old and young, men, women and children cheering in chorus, echoing and re-echoing the stadium WOR-REL, WOR-REL. That’s how India cheered the West Indies.
The players were happy to play and the spectators were thrilled to watch them play. Off the field too it was a treat to watch them at ease and the camaraderie enjoyed by all alike.
The players were happy to play perchance to win but of course sorry to lose. Yet happy to play again and again. Neither humiliation nor undue elation was demonstrated as evident today.
There was the Indian hero, Mustaq Ali hopping off the field given OUT! Having done his most and best for the day he was happy.
No downcast eyes dampened the fun. Instead it was cheers all the way except that momentous “oooooh” when he was given ‘out’.That was cricket of yore!
My story continues. It wasn’t a holiday of course where the university sessions were concerned. Viola was determined to play the truant.
She absented herself from the Sociology and Psychology lectures and I absented myself from a practical session; the naso-gastric intubation of an infant.
We took for granted that playing truant to watch a first test match was quite in order. In fact it was spelling loyalty to India, where we were preparing for our entire future in terms of a career in nursing.
Once we found our seats we started looking around and two rows behind us who did I spy? I tapped on Viola’s shoulder. “Don’t you look behind” I warned her.
Her quick reaction was to do exactly what I warned her not to do. In fact she stood up too. Straight into her eyes who looked on? None other than her sociology Lecturer.
Smiling from ear to ear and waving with a half bent hand he seemed to say. “It’s O.K. Enjoy the game.” That was Sociology at its best for Viola.
Here at home in Sri Lanka much later I watched a match against a West-Indies team. Bandula Warnapura was young. We were only speculating, perhaps building castles in the air for Test status.
The Windies as we are used to calling them affectionately visited us en route either from England to Australia or vice versa; I am sorry. I forget.
The Oval (Tamil Union Grounds) was choc-a-bloc. That was Rohan Kanhai who really stole the show. Oh, how he was cheered!
Each time he took his stance at the crease the slogan that rent the air from all round the pavilion was, “We want a Six. We want a Six.” Kanhai would lift his bat in good cheer, acknowledging the invitation and let fly the ball off his bat in compliance in the direction of the call; in turn all round.
The thrill was incredible. I cannot recall the number of sixes. The spectators were entertained beyond words. It was more than money’s worth.
Likewise there was Wesley Hall who thrilled us with his lightning like bowling; 90 m.p.h. was deadly fast those days. Every run up to the crease by that tall figure was accompanied by a round of resounding applause.
Picking the running ball and throwing it at the stumps was one continuous movement. There was no break in action either with the ball-picking hand or stopping-foot. That was cricket; entertaining cricket.
Sri Lanka had no television sets then, but every little wireless set (radio) was tuned in to the match in the few houses that possessed them, for an entertaining dose of the Windies at play.
Sujatha Seneviratne
Maharagama
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