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CRICKET'S ELITE
Members of the Indian delegation are all
smiles in England.
The tour was well organized, thanks to the VIP
presence. |
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Politics in Cricket
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| The cricket faceoff in England between the Parliamentarians of India and UK, organized by the Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Trust, was a major hit, with both sides promising to meet more often |
| By Diksha Chopra |
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It wasn’t exactly the clash of cricket’s titans. And to be sure, there were no Tendulkars or Flintoffs duelling it out for a Test rubber. But still there was sting in the bowling, crispness in the off drives and sharpness in the fielding when the Indian Parliamentarians’ team toured the United Kingdom from September 5-12 to play three cricket matches against their British counterparts.
It all began when the Lords and Commons cricket team visited India on January 6, 2005, to play a cricket match against the Indian Parliamentarians at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi’s Lodhi sports complex.
The match held in Delhi had a nail biting finish, with the Indian parliamentarians winning the match in the fourth ball of the last over. Chetan Chauhan, the former India opener, remained unbeaten on 102. Jyotiraditya Scindia played a cameo innings but the few runs that he made all the difference. Navjot Singh Sidhu—who used to hit those towering sixes in one-day internationals—scored the winning runs while Dushyant Singh and Akilesh Yadav were excellent with their wicket keeping and fielding.
In due course, the Lords and Commons cricket team extended their invitation to the Indian Parliamentarians, which was promptly accepted.
“It was after this that we started the preparations for the tour,” says Vikram Kaul, president, Commonwealth and Youth Sports Development Council. “Cricket is one solid platform that opens up avenues for various activities and helps propagate and ensure cordial relations between countries.”
Taking forward the cricketing calendar, the Indian Parliamentarian team was given a reception by Michael Arthur, British High Commissioner, on September 1, 2005. Then it was onwards to ole Blighty.
On September 6, the UK’s foreign secretary, Jack Straw, hosted a reception and spent some time with the members of the Indian Parliamentarians team. Later in the day a Press meet was held at India House followed by a reception by the acting High Commissioner. This was attended by eminent personalities including many British Parliamentarians.
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GENTLE PROD:
Blunt plays defensively as wicketkeeper
Dushyant Singh follows the direction the
red cherry has taken after striking his
willow |
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Then came D-Day, when the Indians played the match with the Lords and Commons cricket team on September 7.
The Indian team scored 143 runs in 35 overs, with Mohan Rawle scoring an unbeaten 89. However, 143 was a low score to defend on a benign track and it was easily overhauled by the British parliamentarians with five overs and five wickets to spare.
Chetan Chauhan was declared the man of the match. Sachin Pilot showed immense potential with both bat and ball and Dushyant Singh played the role of the wicket keeper brilliantly. The match attracted a large audience and a luncheon was also organised. In addition, formal addresses were arranged in between the innings in which a number of distinguished persons took part. Tom Graveney was one of the speakers at the event.
The British team was led by Crispin Blunt. Other included Conservative Party MP from Regatta, Danny Alexander, Henry Bellingham, Peter Bone, Hugh Robertson, Allan Simpson, P. Danda (an Asian), Lord Rennel, Cornwall Legh and S. Musa (also Asian). From the Indian side, Chetan Chauhan led the team, while journalist-turned MP Rajeev Shukla was the chef-de-mission of the Indian team. Shukla must have had nostalgic moments because he has been associated with Indian Test teams touring UK in the past.
Others on the Indian side included Mohan Rawle, Sachin Pilot (Congress), Dushyant Singh (Bharatiya Janata Party), Sarbananda Sonowal, Sharwan Patel, Afzal Ansal, Abdulla Kutty, A.S. Badana and Wasim Ahmed. |
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More...
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October 2005
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