Crowd goes mad as Gopalan ruled out

by Gamini Perera
In 1946 the Ceylon Cricket Association (CCA), President’s X1 played against South India a combined team from, Madras, Bangalore and Mysore. The South Indian X1 included M. J. Gopalan, then past his prime, but still the idol of South India. It was only after this match that it was decided to play this match, between Ceylon and South India regularly and called it the Gopalan Trophy match.

The Indian team for the Gopalan Trophy match was skippered by an Englishman. It was still the colonial days in India and Ceylon. Apart from Gopalan himself, Ram Singh (father of Kripal and Milka) and that fiery paceman, Rangachari also played for the Indian side.

The Ceylon team was led by Russel Heyn, and included such classic players in the mould of, Sargo Jayawickreme, Malcolm Spittle, Ben Navaratne (behind the wickets), Makin Salih, Bertie Wijesinghe, Lucien de Zoysa and Robert Kretser.

The match was played on the Chepauk grounds in Madras, Ceylon won it decisively. We scored a massive 500 and bowled India twice and won by an innings. The highlight, undoubtedly was the double century discord by that master of elegant stroke-play, the late Mahadevan Sathasivam. ‘Satha’ as he was known then scored 217 runs, and broke the ground record of 214, then held by Joe Hardstaff of England. When ‘Satha’ was on 192, the second new ball was taken. Paceman Rangachari came loping in, bowled this fastest, and the ball flew faster through the covers, as ‘Satha’, elegance personified, no trace of tiredness after 192 runs in that blistering heat, cracked Rangachari for two other consecutive fours to reach his double century amidst roars of cheers from a very knowledgeable and non-partisan South Indian crowd.

Non-partisan... Yes, indeed, but when their hero Gopalan got out, they gave the Ceylon side a torrid time.

According to Lucien de Zoysa, who played in this match, as narrated to this writer in later years: "Actually the Indian crowd could not be blamed because the manner in which Gopalan got out was too quick for the eye. Even my eye, as I bowled Gopalan, I had him lunging forward, playing for the legspin. My top spinner whizzed through the narrow space between bat and pad. I didn’t see it hit the wicket.

Our wicket-keeper Ben shouted his "Howiz that?" and I wondered whether Gopalan had got a slight inside edge and been caught by Ben. The umpire at my end also had not seen quite what the appeal was about, and he asked the leg umpire, who put his finger up, as Ben kept pointing his finger to a spot behind him. I had bowled Gopalan with the bail.

When the leg umpire signalled Gopalan out, and he walked back, the crowd went mad. They thought Ben had flicked off the bail and had appealed for a stump. "Go home Navaratne, Go home Zoysa" the crowd kept chanting. Even Sargo, who was fielding nearest to the boundary at a deep mid-off had it. "Go home Joy Wickreme" they shouted. Actually, this went on until the great Gopalan himself walked round the ground, behind the boundary line, telling the crowd that he had been out, clean bowled. It was only then the crowed quietened down and applauded each bit of good work by us or their players".
(to be continued)