2023-11-18 18:36:35
Today, India is a superpower in world cricket. It is not only because of having the richest cricket board, but also because the Indian cricket team that is preparing for the finals has a huge number of strong players. But this team strength did not come quickly. It has ages and history. One of them is related to cricket interest of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru played a significant role in making Indian cricket a popular pastime, including saving the International Cricket Council from losing its membership.
After independence in 1947, Indian cricket faced an unprecedented problem. There was a situation where the membership of the international cricket body may be lost. The decision at that time was that the ICC would not grant membership to non-members of the British Commonwealth. On the other hand, the Congress was in the position of ending all relations with Britain in India. The cricket team is in crisis.
Nehru had to take a decisive political decision. It was decided to remain in the Commonwealth. The party and activists opposed it. Nehru had to face the question at many places. But that decision changed the course of Indian cricket. India remained provisionally in the ICC, known today as the International Cricket Council and then as the Imperial Cricket Conference. By the time the ICC met again, India had become a republic.
There are many examples of Nehru’s passion for cricket. The seeds for this were sown in the period of education in the UK from 1905 to 1907. Motilal Nehru’s son Jawaharlal Nehru was sent for UK education as part of the western obsession of elite Indian parents during the British colonial period. A young man named Jawaharlal attended Harrow School in the UK and participated in sports. Played cricket and football. Joined the chess club. The cricket craze that started then continued even when the Prime Minister of India was in the chair.
Thus, in 1953, a two-day charity match was played between the Prime Minister’s XI and the Vice President’s XI in Delhi. The match was aimed at raising funds to help the flood-affected states of Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Nehru was the captain of the Prime Minister’s XI. Not only the captain but also the commentator of the game. Nehru, who entered the field, batted and balled. The match ended in a draw. The media reported that Nehru, who picked up the bat after 40 years, looked like a professional player.
After the match, the bat and score book were put up for auction. Nehru also led the auction. Two bats from Nehru’s collection were part of the auction. One of them was a bat signed by the players of the Indian and West Indies cricket teams in November 1948. The previous Test match was a draw. The second bat was signed by the Commonwealth team that visited India in 1950.
Later on, politics and sports got mixed up in the political life as well. During the winter of 1960-61, the Pakistan cricket team came to India for a Test series. It was the second visit of Pakistan team to India. Draw in all five games. Nehru’s greetings reached both the teams. Asamsha highlighted the Pakistan team and the visit to India. There were some untoward incidents during the game. Cheers erupted from the crowd as the Indian players fielded.
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There were complaints about this. Nehru intervened in this and wrote to the then cricket administrator MA Chidambaram, ‘The very word cricket in English means good sportsmanship. Cricket should be played in that spirit. Of course we play to win. Will try my best for that. But above all that, we should play cricket to preserve sportsmanship at its peak.’
Last Updated Nov 19, 2023, 12:06 AM IST
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