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Holi hai! It`s that time of the year: Asian Age
New Delhi, Mar 18: The eve of Holi would be the appropriate occasion to recall a Ranji Trophy semi-final between Holkar and Delhi which took place nearly 23 years ago. C.K. Nayudu captained Holkar and the Delhi boys were led by Hiralal Vohra.
New Delhi, Mar 18: The eve of Holi would be the appropriate occasion to recall a Ranji Trophy semi-final between Holkar and Delhi which took place nearly 23 years ago. C.K. Nayudu captained Holkar and the Delhi boys were led by Hiralal Vohra.
The match was played during a bitterly cold spell in the Capital, and to add to my discomfort, I was drenched by some revellers who poured a bucket of cold water as I was making my way to office.
Both teams contained players who would have done justice to the one-day game. Holkar had their stalwarts in "CK" and his brother "CS," who was a hard-hitting batsman, elegant leg-break and googly bowler Mushtaq Ali and veteran all-rounder Chandu Sarwate, who could build an innings and bowl leg-breaks and off-breaks at will. I saw him bowl India to victory with leg-breaks against Hassett’s team at Chepauk, and later, in England, he starred in a last-wicket century-partnership with Shute Banerjee against Surrey.
But the star of them all was Delhi’s unobtrusive, lowly-paid transport employee Gyanchand Kapoor, who could make the new ball swing in any direction he chose. It was Kapoor who had Holkar in great trouble till they were rescued by their steady and dependable Sarwate. The first four batsmen — including Mushtaq, "CK" and "CS" — were lucky to last the fair distance, thanks to stocky fielder M.K. Razdan, who dropped innumerable dolly catches.
Incidentally, this match was the first time I set eyes on the great "Duleepsinghji". He was seated on a bench outside the pavilion, huddled in his overcoat. I did not want to move and sent a boy to fetch his autograph.
Duleep asked the boy, "Why do you want my autograph? The real players are out there."
When Duleepsinghji heard the words I had told the boy to go back and tell him — "I know who you are. Aren’t you Duleep?" — he immediately signed a book with a gracious smile and a flourish. Later I got DDCA authorities to invite him over for a cup of tea.
Bureau Report
The match was played during a bitterly cold spell in the Capital, and to add to my discomfort, I was drenched by some revellers who poured a bucket of cold water as I was making my way to office.
Both teams contained players who would have done justice to the one-day game. Holkar had their stalwarts in "CK" and his brother "CS," who was a hard-hitting batsman, elegant leg-break and googly bowler Mushtaq Ali and veteran all-rounder Chandu Sarwate, who could build an innings and bowl leg-breaks and off-breaks at will. I saw him bowl India to victory with leg-breaks against Hassett’s team at Chepauk, and later, in England, he starred in a last-wicket century-partnership with Shute Banerjee against Surrey.
But the star of them all was Delhi’s unobtrusive, lowly-paid transport employee Gyanchand Kapoor, who could make the new ball swing in any direction he chose. It was Kapoor who had Holkar in great trouble till they were rescued by their steady and dependable Sarwate. The first four batsmen — including Mushtaq, "CK" and "CS" — were lucky to last the fair distance, thanks to stocky fielder M.K. Razdan, who dropped innumerable dolly catches.
Incidentally, this match was the first time I set eyes on the great "Duleepsinghji". He was seated on a bench outside the pavilion, huddled in his overcoat. I did not want to move and sent a boy to fetch his autograph.
Duleep asked the boy, "Why do you want my autograph? The real players are out there."
When Duleepsinghji heard the words I had told the boy to go back and tell him — "I know who you are. Aren’t you Duleep?" — he immediately signed a book with a gracious smile and a flourish. Later I got DDCA authorities to invite him over for a cup of tea.
Bureau Report