Pic - :: Prem Bhatia , the 12th man of that Irani Trophy tie, going to bat
Golden Jubilee Of a 12th Man batting In a Star One
First Class Cricket match
Today, the 11th April
has seen the 60th year of a record that will find many astonishing
readers of the game to be absolutely astonished , to know and read the fact
that a 12th man who batted in an Irani Trophy game, some 60 years
ago, is celebrating it’s Golden Jubilee , in terms of the achievement.
The game since then has changed
it’s gear . It has become very different from what is was very natural in those
days. The game of cricket is fully cosmetic now-a-days. It use to be very
natural and naturally played during those days..
The world is suffereing with
COVID – 19, and looking into the fats the International Cricket Conference has
allowed certain changes in the game till the Covid- 19 does not disappears, and
one of them is while the team bats.
Today a 12th man can bat in Test
cricket. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has allowed teams to replace
players displaying symptoms of Covid-19 during a Test match. In line with
concussion replacements, the match referee will approve the nearest like-for-like
replacement. Few years back, as an experimenal law, the ICC had allowed a
player from outside XI to bat or bowl in One Day International (ODI) cricket,
though it was abolished after some time.
Lala Amarnath To Be Credited For The Same- ::
The credit to start this tradition should go to former Indian
captain Lala Amarnath, who sixty years ago forced Prem Bhatia, a 12th man, to
bat in the inaugural Irani Cup match.
At that time this was a unique
example in first-class cricket. In the match, Rest of India played against
Ranji Trophy champion Bombay. First Irani Cup match was played at Delhi’s
Karnail Singh stadium, also known as Railway stadium, from 18-20 March 1960.
Lala Amarnath, who had the distinction of scoring the first century for India
in his debut Test, was leading the Rest of India team and cricketer Polly
Umrigar was the captain of the Bombay team.
Lala Amarnath was by then ,
aboiut 50 years of age. He had retired from all the norms and the forms of the
game in 1952 after the inaugural Indo-Pak series in which he led India and won
that series by 2-1.
Lala Amarnath was then the Chief
Of The National selector and when this inaugural Irani Trophy was played, he to
SURPRISE the WORLD and even Don Bradman, announced himself to be the cvaptain
of the Rest Of India team.
THIS
IS THE ONLY INSTANCE OF A CHIEF OF A NATIONAL SELECTOR , TO LEAD A STAR RATED
FIRST CLASS TEAM IN A NATIONAL LEVEL CRICKET TROPHY PLAYED IN ANY PART OF THE
WORLD.
A well-known sports journalist, the late Kamlesh Thapliyal, had
seen this match and he used to tell the whole incident very interestingly. I
met this journalist at Nagpur when he had come to cover a Wills Trophy match at
the Vidharbha Cricket association Stadium, in 1981, and when he narrated me
this story my MOUTH was kept OPENED for about five minutes after hearing to
him.
According to him, “In this match not only Lala
but even umpires of the match overlooked the laws of cricket. Lala got injured
during the match. He sent Delhi’s Prem Bhatia, who was nominated as the 12th man for the Rest of India
team to bat. Everyone watching the match in the Karnail Singh stadium was
shocked, because they knew well that according to the law at that time, a 12th
man can only field. Bombay skipper Polly Umrigar, after Bhatia reached at the
wicket, took him back to boundary, near the pavilion and asked Lala: ‘Skipper,
do you want him to bat?’ Lala simply said, ‘Yes, he will bat in my place.’ And
Umrigar, fully aware that Lala happened to be the chairman of the national
selection committee, brought Bhatia back to the crease and allowed him to bat.”
Lala was LALA. His voice was a
WHISPERING DEATH and NOBODY had any guts to challenge him when it boiled to
cricket. He was such a FEROCIUS act when it came to it that the BLOOD would
FREEZE when he opened his mouth and incase by mistake if he ROARED then it would be like the LION roaring in full
ferocity. Nobody had any guts to take him hands on and hands down. His orders
were the verdict of the Lord and that is all.
The most important character of this incident, former Ranji Player
of Delhi, Prem Bhatia, who died a few years back, once told this writer about
this match, which the then journalist whom I was talking to and hearing about
this match, told me all.
“Irani Cup, when I listen to
this, the whole incident roams in my eyes, though it is very difficult to
recollect the match played in 1960. He went on to add that he was a 20 years old college boy. He would say
that this was Lala ji’s vision. Whatever
experiment he had done at that time was even implemented as an experimental
rule by the ICC in ODI cricket a few years back,” he said. Was this
pre-decided that you would be sent to bat asked the Journalist, then to Prem
Bhatia. ? Bhatia quickly replied, “ No,
during the match Lala ji got an injury in his foot and suddenly he ordered me
to pad up and go to bat. I was surprised. This was a great moment for me.”
In this match Bhatia batted at number nine in first innings and
scored 22 runs and in the second innings he was promoted to number three and
returned back to the dressing room with a fifty to his name. Lala’s cricketing
fame and the tag of ‘ bad boy
’ of Indian cricket went hand in hand. He became the first Indian to score a
century in his debut Test against Douglas Jardine’s MCC team in 1933-34 Test
series in Bombay. Two years later on his first tour to England, under Maharaj
Kumar of Vijaynagaram, popularly known as ‘ Vizzy ’, he didn’t get along well
with the team management. He was packed off to India on disciplinary grounds
midway through the tour by the captain and manager of the team.
The reason for sending him back
was that he was very vociferous to the English authorities who NEVER treated
the Indian team with respect in anything that goes with the game.The food served
was not proper to be consumed, the motels and hotel where the Indian team
stayed were of the third class variety, and the travel arrangement was the
worst. The Indian team on many a venue had to walk atleast 10 kilometres before
the match to get into the stadium where the matches were played. This had infuriated lal Sahab and he again roared like
a Lion,. The SLAVE INDIAN roaring did not go well with the English authorities
and he was packed off soon.
Lala Amarnath led India in 15 Tests and was the first Indian to
captain the national team in ten Test
matches in a row. He had the distinction of playing and leading five
teams, Southern Punjab, Gujarat, Maharaja of Patiala’s XI, Uttar Pradesh and
Railways, in the Ranji Trophy, the National Cricket Champion ship. India
recorded their first Test victory against Pakistan under the captaincy of Lala
Amarnath. This historic Test was held at Feroz Shah Kotla ground, Delhi, in
October 1952. India trounced Pakistan by an innings and 70 runs. Legendary
cricketer A.H. Kardar led Pakistan. India won the five match Test series 2-1.
Many people in the cricketing fraternity might not have liked Lala
personally, but even his bitter rivals acknowledged his knowledge of cricket.
His dictatorial attitude, and some of the cricketing tactics used by him had
earned him bad name or negative results, but he didn’t bother about them. Lala
had to wait for national honours for 39 years after his retirement from Test
cricket in 1952, although many cricketers, during this period, got national
honour for lesser achievement.
Coming back to that Irani Tie,
the match got over and Bombay had won the Irani Trophy.
The Irani Trophy was held in the
year 1959-60 but it was not played in the next year uptil 62 for the war of
China which hit India and the scarcity of the money everywhere and for
everything held the games back. It again sratrted after the incident was over.
Hence a new Trophy could not be
made for the prize distribution. It was on April 11th 1962 that this
Trophy was made and the winner of that Trophy was awarded on this dayte,
exactly 60 years ago as the winner of that Irani tie, and Polly Umrigar took
that trophy.
Today that incident completes it’s
59th year and enters the first day of the SIXTIETH YEARS. Thus it complete the VIRTUAL PLATINIUM JUBILEE of that incident- the only one in
which the 12th man batted in Test cricket….
I has asked Mr Kamlesh Thapliyal
to send me a photo of Prem Bhatia .He did that and send me one which I received
it at my Nagpur home, then , during the month of November, then and I have till
now preserved that photo which I put it here for the people to read it as
believe it as a PROOF.
THANK YOU LALA SAHAB, and THANK YOU , Kamlesh Bhai for the same .
Why Did Lala Amarnath do that - ::
Lala Amarnath was something very different when it came to
cricket. He always wanted to do something different which would astonish the
world.
Infact when he was the Captain of the Indian cricket team, some of his move completely annihiliated the Donald Bradman, when India were playing against the Australian team led by Donald Bradman. He in a sudden mover send the 11th number batsman, Chandu Sarwate to open the innings with Vinoo Mankad in the first Test of that series and both added a 128 runs partnership for the first wicket.
Lala, The " WILY " , Lala the " FOXY " and , Lala the " TORMENTOR " of " MIND " game.
Again in the Adelaide Test of that series, which was played with the rain intermittently affecting the game always, he send the last three numbered positioned Indian batsman to open and follw the batting order, to save the first three reliable batsman from getting out soon. This move was so appreciated by Don Bradman that he also follwed the same trick when Australia went in to open their innings in that Test match. THAT WAS THE FOXY AND EVER WILY LALA SAHAB AS A LEADER OF CRICKER IN THE GAME.
Coming back to that Irani Trophy game, till this incident that took
place in the game - he had played in all the forms of cricket. There was NO
tournament in the world of cricket by then in which he did not play if that was
held at India. He only missed out playing in the Irani Trophy as by the time he
retired, the Irani Trophy was NOT held by the time he had retired from the game .
All his peers except Vinoo Mankad
who played with him had retired from the game. Vinoo Mankad ws playing and Lala
Amarnath was under the notion that Vinoo Mankad would play the Irani Trophy one
day. If that happened then it would be Vinoo Mankad , who would earn the
sobriquet , then , as being the ONLY Indian to have played in all the various
kind of the cricket tournament at India that were then held at India.
He played in this game just to
become a FIRST Indian by then, to have played in all the cricketing tournament
that was played at India. His age was against him. Yet he led the team and when
he made an attempt to bowl a bouncer, his leg got twisted and he had to retire
from the game. He made Prem Bhatia to play in his place.
In that game thereafter, Lala
Sahab, sitting in the pavilion, kept on instructing the Vice-Captain of the
Rest Of India’s team , Mr Pankaj Roy, IF REALLY MY MEMORY SERVES ME RIGHT, as this is a 60 years old anecdote that I write, who led the team as per the instructions
and the direction that were send to him by Lala Sahab from the pavilion.
Prem Bhatia Once again in action - ::
It was the year 1985 and the Deodhar Trophy was held for the seasn 1985-86. The match between North Zone and the South Zone was to be played at Hyderabad...
There were as many as SIX North Zone players, Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath, Madanlal, Yashpal Sharma, Chetan Sharma and Rajinder Goel who could not reach the stadium in time at all to play this match because of the transport interruption ...
Prem Bhatia was the Manager of the North Zone team. He insisted Krishnamachari Srikkanth to allow him to play in that match which Srikkanth agreed, and he batted for the North Zone team.
THIS WAS THE AND THIS IS THE ONLY INCIDENT OF A MANAGER OF A CRCIKET TEAM BATTING FOR HIS SIDE.
Later when the fielding came, he requested Srikkanth to allow a South Zone player not playing in this match bur in the squad to field for him, which Srikkanth allowed....
That is what is the HISTORICAL importance attached to this man who was a Delhi Ranji and a North Zone Duleep Trophy player, and who served in the Indian Railways under Lala Amarnath before he retired from his service.
That is it….
Well , that is it and That sums it all.
Regards and Thanks
Pics
Shyamal Bhattacharjee
Mr Shyamal Bhattacharjee, the author was born at West Chirimiri Colliery at District Surguja, Chattisgarh on July 6th 1959 He received his early education at Carmel Convent School Bishrampur and later at Christ Church Boys' Higher Secondary School at Jabalpur. He later joined Hislop College at Nagpur and completed his graduation in Science and he also added a degree in B A thereafter. He joined the HITAVADA, a leading dailies of Central India at Nagpur as a Sub-Editor ( Sports ) but gave up to complete his MBA in 1984 He thereafter added a Diploma In Export Management. He has authored THREE books namely Notable Quotes and Noble Thought published by Pustak Mahal in 2001 Indian Cricket : Faces That Changed It published by Manas Publications in 2009 and Essential Of Office Management published by NBCA, Kolkatta in 2012. He has a experience of about 35 years in Marketing .
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