The rub of the green
| C.D. Gopinath talks about the joy of playing on the Chepauk ground and the spirit that used to rule the gentlemen’s game |
CHEPAUK THEN A match between the Commonwealth XI and India at the Madras Cricket Club in 1951.
Ironically, India’s first official Test victory came at a lively Madras pitch. With a sprinkling of grass, the Chepauk pitch in 1952 helped fast bowlers. While the English pacemen welcomed the patches of green, the Indian team was unhappy with Munuswamy, the groundsman.
As the only surviving member of that winning Indian side, I can tell you that Munuswamy could never be bullied into preparing tracks that suited our spinners. As matches in Madras invariably produced results, his approach was vindicated. Matches at Chepauk almost always lasted the course and his pitches held together for a full five days. In those days, corporate sponsorships were non-existent and revenues came from the gates. The authorities were happy if a match went the whole way.
Munuswamy was probably one of the reasons why the Madras team produced good fast bowlers such as Rangachari, Kanayiram and Dickinson. With its good grassy wicket, the Marina Grounds, managed by the Presidency College, also encouraged youngsters to take up fast bowling.
The grounds at Marina and Chepauk helped make Madras batsmen adept at playing in windy conditions that assisted swing bowling. Until 1965, when the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium was built, the Chepauk ground was wide open and washed by a gentle sea breeze most of the day.
There were other advantages in playing at the Madras Cricket Club. Unlike other clubs, players were provided lunch and tea during matches. The MCC team enjoyed the privilege of playing all its matches on its home ground. A big advantage when you consider that matches of local and national importance were played on turf, available only at MCC.
When M.A. Chidambaram became the Mayor of Madras, the Corporation Stadium (now Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium) was built. Matches organised by the Madras Cricket Association (as the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association was known then) were played there. In the 1950s and 1960s, this stadium witnessed many close and engrossing contests.
In those days, Madras and Mysore had an Ashes-like rivalry going between them. In a 1956 match at this ground, Madras’ wickets fell like nine pins and we were doddering at 65 for 5 at one stage. Madras bounced back after M. Balakrishnan and I put on 217 runs for the sixth wicket. Any match against Mysore brought out the best from us.
The Corporation Stadium however was not the best place for cricket. As it was used for many other sporting events, the pitch was flat and the outfield slow. Going back to Chepauk seemed the only reasonable solution. As MCC’s secretary and the Madras team’s captain, I had a foot in both camps and was privy to talks between the two cricket bodies. The MCC had the lease for the entire ground. After negotiations, the private club agreed to give a part of the ground to MCA to build a stadium.
An astronomical amount of money went into constructing the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. This development signalled a willingness to spend on cricket facilities. But it was a long time before cricketers benefitted financially from the sport’s growth. In the 1950s and 1960s, the MCA (affiliated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India) did not have funds to put up visiting or Indian players at a hotel. These players were ‘billeted’ at houses of cricket fans.
We were paid Rs. 250 for a Test match then — we called it ‘smoke money’. But we never complained about the inadequate facilities or the poor remuneration. After all, we were playing for the country — there couldn’t be a more priceless gift.
As told to PRINCE FREDERICK
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