Test Match Special - A Sleeping captain, Bella the Elephant and an historic win

Episode Date: September 3, 2021

Jonathan Agnew looks back on India’s first Test victory over England at the Oval 50 years ago. We hear from Sunil Gavaskar and Farokh Engineer who played in the game and Deep Dasgupta and Prakash Wakankar put the victory into historical context.

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from BBC Radio 5 Live. We're going to look back on one of the most significant test matches that's been played here at the Oval. 50 years ago, India defeated England for the first time in what was a dramatic test and the result also gave India an historic series win. In a moment, we'll hear from Farooke Engineer who is batting at the end as India won by four wickets

and will be joined by Prakash Wakanka and Deep Dasgupta to put that game into context. But first, let's hear how the game was described by a test match special at the time with John Arlott and Brian Johnston and the memories of one of those who played in the game, Sunil Gabbaska. He has luckers, bowling it.

And Abidali cuts this one, and that's it. He's cut it for four. India have won, and Abidali pinches a stump. Nott has got one, and Abidali's got one. In fact, the umpire has now pinched them all. Abidali racing up to the other end, pleads with Charlie Ely for a stump.

Well, it's always been a special ground, special ground for the Indians because of the fact that they have invariably done well, here at the Oval. The pitch here is absolutely terrific to play cricket on, because earlier on there is a fair bit of help for the new ball bowlers. There's a bit of turn as well, and in the middle of the test match,

the third and fourth day, second third and fourth day, it's very, very good for batting. And the atmosphere, the atmosphere is absolutely fantastic. It's a lot more freer, if I might use the word freer, a looser if I might use the word looser, in the sense that, you know, Lord sometimes, which is another London ground, seems a little bit more formal. This is a lot more informal, and therefore it's probably a lot more fun playing down here at the Oval.

And as I said, because the Indians have done well here, for the Indians, this is a very, very good ground. The crowd enveloping the pitch. They're surrounding the umpires trying to pinch the stumps. The India flag is being carried there, and the players are being mobbed. This is a marvelous sight at the end of a test. one understands exactly how India are feeling. They've won this match by four wickets, and they've won the series.

They've beaten England for the first time. Well, it was huge. It was huge because India had never beaten England in a test match. That happened to be the last test match. The earlier two matches were drawn, and so India ended up winning the series, and which meant that they had beaten an England team which had just come back from Australia the previous winter,

having won the ashes over there, Ray Lingwood's team. And so beating Ray Lingwood's team with pretty much the same players who won in Australia was really, really big for the Indians. A few months earlier, India had been to the West Indies, February to April, and they had won a series over there for the first time. And then a couple of months down the road, they came down and played, and that's where the Oval Test match in 1971, where India won. Chandrushikers taking six, six wickets for 38. And Chandra comes in, bowls, and snow drives back to the bowler. And it's caught and bold.

Snow, caught and bold, Chandrasekhan Knot, and England are 72 for 8. That's 143 in front. And in the last year of this England side has wriggled out of some pretty tight corners. But if it wriggles out of this one, this will be the record. We had the dog on the field.

I remember that because, you know, ball after that, and I'm petrified now, even now. I'm still petrified of dogs. But that time there was this dog that stood right behind me while I was batting. And I was gone, absolutely petrified. Next ball, John Snowballed me a beauty of an in-swinger and knocked my middle stump out. And I still give the dog as the excuse for getting out. All the delivery was an absolute beauty from John Snow. And it wasn't, of course, a big one, but there was an elephant on the ground. It was incredible. I've never seen that night. I don't think it's ever happened after that, that you've had an elephant on the ground.

God knows how the elephant made its entrance, but the elephant was there. And it's incredible. I mean, as I say, you know, we've seen weird things happening on the field of cricket, but this was weird indeed. But maybe that again on that particular day was an omen of the things to come, because Lord Ganpati, whose birthday was when India won, is a god with a trunk for a nose. And there you are. that the elephant coming down was for us a blessing. Abidali having his back patted, he's just reached the barriers. Engineer has broken loose, shaking his head. And the whole crowd now in front of the pavilion,

Abidali still hasn't got through the crowd. A policeman has rescued him. India have won by four wickets. There will be the presentations. When you have your first overseas win, that gives you the confidence that you will be able to do that more regularly more often and that is what

players and teams are looking for doing well at home is very good, it's special but I think when you do well overseas you win overseas that's even more special that's extra special Sunil Gavaskout is memories of that 71 Oval Test I can vouch for the fact

that Sunny Deep is terrified of dogs because I once got into a lift with Sonny with my lovely small very gentle Cocker Spaniel and Sonny nearly I mean literally was clawing his way up, but he's absolutely terrified his little chap. So, yeah, I mean, I can't

quite work out why the dog was standing behind him on the field, but there you go. I know about the elephant, though, because it was brought during the lunch break, and it was Ganesh Chaturthia, as Sunnyjee just mentioned. It's a very auspicious day in India. And somebody, I don't know,

I don't know who got that, but somebody got the elephant from the nearby zoo to come during the lunch break and was there. And that, that photograph that you just showed me that's one of my favourite photographs there is a photograph here of the elephant we'll hear more about it from frouca in a minute of the elephant just wandering around around the outfield the players taking the field bats and walking out to bat and there's bella the elephant was wandering around quietly around the outfield anyway we'll hear from fruque engineer about

that in a moment but let's put this game into statistical context shall we uh andy because i mean this was a really significant moment in in india's test story it was they had i think it's fair to say, really struggled in England up to that series. They'd never won a match. In fact, 19 tests in England before that series, they'd lost 15 drawn for their three previous tours. There'd been

two whitewashes, 5-0 in 1959, 3-0 in 1967 and in 1952 before that they lost 3-0 and a 4 test series. Away from home. Up to a tour in New Zealand, early in 1968, India never won a match. 43 matches away from

home. They'd lost 29 drawn 14. They'd had whitewashes in several countries away in West Indies, twice in England and in Australia. Then they won in New Zealand 3-1. Then earlier in 1971 they beat the West Indies 1-0. So they had started, I think, to get a betside that was more used to playing overseas. They played very rarely overseas. These series were spread apart by years. I guess they maybe didn't build up that range of skills. So yes, it was a win that sort of came out of the statistical blue to a large extent, but there had been signs of improvement.

And this is presumably before, I'm trying to think of those who might have played some county cricket, obviously Fruech engineer had. But this is before Sunny Gavisker played at Somerset, presumably. I mean, they've had very little experience of English conditions. Yes, and that was true of a lot of teams. And you saw England's results decline at home as more and more players through the 70s and the 80s

had that experience of several seasons in county cricket. Yeah. Right, thanks, Annie. Let's hear then from one of the real characters of the game. game. Fruke Engineer is one of India's most famous wheatkeepers, as well as being a favorite from the county game with his time, of course, at Lancashire. Engine had played a key part in that 1971 victory here, and yesterday I sat down with him on a balcony in the pavilion to share some memories. A lot of change from this ground. I mean, the good old gas works are still

there, but the floodlights, we'd never thought of playing under floodlights, and oval is the oval. You know, it's historically a great ground, really. Some great players, played here, and a huge honour for me, playing here for the first time. It's a wonderful memories of the old, especially the 71 series, you know, beating England in England for the first time. We'd never even thought about that before.

Did you really not? I mean, did you... It sounds strange now looking at it, but did you really not think you were going to beat England? Well, you always go out with a positive attitude because we had the bowlers, we had the batsmen, you know. Just needed that bit of extra luck. that everyone needs.

And the crowds, Ellingwood said that India had an advantage that played in front of the home crowd. It's like playing in Bombay, because I think the majority were Indians. And of course, there was an Indian elephant as well. Bell had the elephant from Chessington Zoo. Now, come on.

I've been talking about it. Where did that elephant come from? What was it doing? I had to rub my eyes when I saw an elephant stroll down. You know, there was a huge commotion. And I couldn't believe what I was. seen. Did they bring him down Victoria Line or something? Well, I don't

know. But what did they do? Do you know? I mean, where did it live? I have no idea. Somebody must have had a pet elephant. It was a baby elephant, of course. And it was incredible. I mean, how much more at home do you want to feel? So when did you start to think in that game

hang on, we can win this? When we got England out, that's when we knew that we had a great chance of winning it, you know, because we had to chase 170 odd or something and we had very good batsmen we had Sunil Gavaskar, Vishwanath

unfortunately Gaviskeh didn't really perform in the first or the second innings and I always keep on reminding the guys that I was the top scorer because I enjoyed my batting as you know and to get runs I was predominantly a wicketkeeper nowadays they're batsmen

wicketkeepers you know but in my time they were wicketkeeper batsman a wicket keeper who got runs was a bonus to the team That's how Jack Bond at Lancashire saw it and, you know, my captain before. But I thought, come on, you've got a good eye. Why don't get runs?

And I enjoyed batting, you know, and enjoy hitting the ball and hitting it hard. They certainly play a few shots. Yeah, I certainly like to play a few shots, yeah. I mean, a half-volley is a half-wally. You're playing a test match. A long-hop is a long-hop. You see it and hit it.

You pick the gaps. I always had a positive attitude. And I think that spayed me in life because, you know, in anything you do, you've got to have a positive attitude. So we thought positively. The feeling in the dressing room was that, you know, meek and mild and can't win.

Come on. You know, we can get these runs here. We've got the batsman to do it. Just one or two good partnerships. I was playing professional cricket in England, and that helped me immensely because you get that professional approach, which, sadly, a lot of amateurs lack.

You know, you think differently. You think you believe in yourself more. And I made the lads believe in themselves more. But come on, we can do it. You know, come on, Vishi. I had a good partnership with Vishwanath in the second innings. And with five runs left to win, Abidali comes in to a bat.

And I knew he'd do something daft. So I told him, look, after you, there's Vishen, Vanki, and Chandra. They don't know which side of the bat to hold. bowler, wasn't he, Abid Ali, I remember. Well, yeah, yeah. I mean, our opening attack was Thalkar and Abidali. I never stood back. You know, I was always, you know,

right up at the stumps for obvious reasons. And told Abid now, don't do anything daft. You know, just need five runs to win. And what does he do? First ball, he charged it down the track. Tries to hit Derek Underwood out of the ground, I think. And Alan Nott, for whom I had the highest, utmost respect as a keeper.

You know, I think he was the greatest keeper. certainly for England and proper, you know, ever. And he missed, you know, fairly easy stumping. Did he? Yeah. Wow. I said, I mean, what are you doing? It's the end of the over.

We still had five runs to get. I took a, as I took a single of the first ball, I thought to myself, am I making a mistake here? I've left him to get four runs. Hope he doesn't do anything daft. So I walk up to him again, I said, remember, there's only Bishan Chandra behind you, you know. So England will come back in the game.

Don't do anything daft. What does he do? He charges down again or something, managed to get some wood on the ball. And I don't think the ball even reached the ropes because the crowd, with Bella the elephant, who was well trained, obviously. Came rushing onto the pitch, you know,

and the scene was unbelievable, really. You couldn't really imagine. We couldn't believe that we beat in England. In England for the first time. It was a great achievement. Can you remember running off? Do you remember what it was like? He must have gone through all these people.

Yes, I mean, luckily we had a head start. But Abidale, he decided to go for his stumps, to go for one of the stumps. So naturally he was very much in the crowd. Next thing I turned around, he's being carried away by people. I thought, I've been here for an hour and a half batting to get about 20 odd runs, you know, trying to... And there he is scoring one shot.

But the best thing is, when he came back, the rest of the team went home for a ticket table, welcomed the president of India and, you know, open-neck tech buses and all that. Now, we got paid a pound a day. Allowance those days. And anyone who invited us for dinner,

you know, we gladly accepted it. Not only us, if somebody invited me, I said, can I bring a few lads along? It was like that. There was no money in those days. You played with a pride of play for your country. And so, you know, a restaurant had invited us. I can't forget.

North London somewhere. Anyway, I said, I can't stay for dinner. I've got to go back to Old Trafford because I've got a roses match the next day. So would you pack me up some Tanduri chicken? So I had Tanduri chicken in my left hand, steering wheel in my right hand, and I'm on the M1.

And there was no connection between M1 and M6. You had to go through the A5 and all that. I eventually reached home at about 4 o'clock in the morning. And at 10.30, I was opening the innings with Bumble, with David Lloyd. And I got a standing ovation from the predominantly English crowd here. And I had a tear in my eye. I said, I've just shafted England the day before.

And these same people are giving me a standing ovation. I was really touched by the Lancashire warmth. Well, they loved you, Faroo. You're a great character up there. Tell me about Chandraseka, because again, I was a kid watching this. And I just remember being transfixed by this quick wrist spinner who had withered arm through polio. I mean, what an extraordinary bowler.

You're right. He made his defect into a great asset. You know, a lesser man would have just curled, you know, in a corner. But Chandra was a fighter through and through. He lacked in confidence. He didn't know how good he was. And I had to constantly encourage him from behind the stumps. Come on, great ball, keep it up.

You know, bowler gougal it to him. What did he bowels? Did he have a full assortment? He had a full assortment without him knowing it. And that was the beauty of it, because he bowled leg breaks and to keep wickers to him on the last day of a test match to a left-hander like Gary Sober, the Clive Lloyd or Brian Lara,

where the ball pitches in the rough and goes all over the place. It was wicked keeping at its best, I thought. You know, that was the most. And Chandra didn't know himself most times which way the ball was going. If his wrists went a little bit further, it was a big googly, you know.

So, I mean, time and again, he's tried to bowl, like, I used to see him grip the ball. I used to see the ball levers, fingers in the air, and off the pitch. It was like a split-second computerized effect. You know, that's how I knew better than Chandler, which where the ball was going. I had to. And his point, too, was quick.

He was very quick. He bowled about 35 ADK, you know, and spun it viciously. You know, he had fingers that. And he was a phenomenal bowl. I think he was, you call him a freak or whatever, but he was the, he was a great bowler. I think the, you know, one of the best of his kind. Tell me about the crowd, Farouk,

because, you know, we hear about the West Indian supporters of the 70s and 80s and just really been given an identity by the cricketers that came here. Do you think that the Indian crowd here that day felt rather the same about India coming here? What I did for the population here? I would imagine so.

Very good simile there, John. Because just as the West Indians felt that, you know, people like Clive Lloyd, Michael Holding and all were putting them on the map, on the cricketing map, I'd like to think people like myself and Chandrasekha and one or two others put India on the cricketing map,

especially as at India had never won, never even dreamt of winning in England before. And this was a huge occasion for Indian cricket that gave a tremendous boost when India won in the World Cup, 83, and I was commentating for Test Match Special with Brown Johnson. I think he was one of the best.

You know, with due respect to you, you're fantastic. I have huge, huge regard for you. But John was top draw. John Arlid, John, that was my era, sort of, you know. We were commentating when India were about to win, about to beat the West Indies in the World Cup, 83.

And Brian always told me, Faroukas, you know, like he used to call. Do you think Mrs. Gandhi will declare a public holiday? And I said, I'm sure Mrs. Gandhi being an avid test match special listener, as if she's the time to listen, you know. I said, I have no doubt at all she will declare a public holiday. Within a few minutes, we got a phone call through to BBC headquarters onto Lord's Cricket Ground in the commentator's box,

that Mrs. Gandhi has, in fact, heard your comments, and declared a public holiday. You don't realize you're speaking a little enclosed box to somebody. It's madness. And the magic of, you know, the media. Tell me about your memory. Mr. Gandhi said, thanks, Faroo. You helped me get a few more votes.

Your memories of here is very good, Farooke. Someone who won't remember very much of it, I think, because your captain, Ajit Wadiger, who was asleep. He was asleep. I couldn't believe that when they told me. He slept out of nervousness, you know, not having had a late night as a lot. something because Ajit wasn't the guy, the type of guy to have. He was probably, you get very

superstitious. You're sitting on the same chair and maybe he was sleeping with a partnership was progressing. So he may. I was out of the pitch. So when they told me that he was asleep most of the time, I couldn't believe it. I said this is a historical occasion here. You know, and you're about to win. And the captain is fast asleep. I refuse to believe that. I wouldn't have been to sleep If I was the captain, I would have been there on the balcony, you know, supporting my troops. I mean, I don't criticize I did for it. But it was one of those occasions and, you know, but I couldn't believe in it when they told me it was asleep.

The legendary Farooke engineer, thoroughly enjoying, I think, talking about that match here 50 years ago. It's worth it's going through the details of it, really. England batting first made 355, Alan Not 90. John Jameson made 82. Sulkar 3, 428. India then bundled out for 284. Fruke got 59. Sardesai 50 war railing with got 5 for 70.

But then the second innings, England bowled out for 101. Luckhurst made 33, Dolovira 17. Chandrasekha, taking 6 for 38. And then India knocked off the runs required for six wickets down. Waterke made 45, Sardosai 40. And Farouk was there at the end. So India won by four wickets. It's just a team.

So again, to give you a flavour of who's playing in this. For England. and Jameson opened the batting. Edrich Fletcher, Dolivir, and not keeping wicket. Missing that's stumping, there you go. Railingworth's captain. Richard Hutton was playing along with John Snow, Derek Underwood, and John Price, the fast bowler from Middlesex.

Indian side, Gavaskar and Mancad, Waddeke, batting at number three, Sardisar at four, then Vishvanath, who was I think Sonny's brother-in-law? Brother-in-law, was he, that's right? Sulkar, who's a left-on swing bowler, a batsman as well, but he always got Geoffrey Boycott out. much to boycot's chagran. Engineer keeping wicket. Abid Ali, lovely little swing bowler.

I remember him bowling. And then the spinners. Venkatragavan, of course, who became an excellent umpire too. Dirovancat, Bish and Betty. Wonderful. Left arm spinner, beautiful. And Chandraseko, this very unusual, quick wrist spinner. So that was how it all worked out.

Obviously, a brilliant game. Let's talk about what it meant for Indian cricket. I mean, clearly, we've got deep sitting beside me here. Let's go to Puneo as well. Prakash, Warkanka is there. You should be here, Prakash. You've been loving this series.

I'm afraid you can't, obviously. But, hey, you're missing a brilliant test series. Tell me about it. Oh, dear. But you're okay there, are you, Prack? Yes, all well. Thank you, I guess. Thank you so much.

Good. Yep. I mean, this game, you know, I can't forget it. Because I remember I was nine years old. I was at my grandmother's place in Nagpur. and because it was Ganesh Chathurti, it was a holiday. And we really didn't expect, right? But because we had this crazy passion, there was to be an old Valve radio at home.

We were all sitting around it listening to the game. And after the game was won, I remember my cousin, who was about three or four years older than me, got me onto his bicycle. We raced off to the sweetmeat shop next door in the little market. And I think he purchased more sweets that day than we've ever had in that house. And then we ran around distributing them to all the neighbors. It was just unbelievable. The songs, the music.

You know, we had to wait for about a day and a half for the newspapers to come with some photographs. And of course, now we've seen much more than we did then. But it was unreal. It was absolutely unreal. And buying the sweets to distributing was kind of an Indian tradition, was it when you're celebrating? Well, we didn't have WhatsApp and Twitter and whatever else to do, right? So the only way was to celebrate within your means and go around and share in the joy. There were many people who said, no, no, you're kidding.

We couldn't have beaten England. And then, of course, as the news trickled in, it was all just absolutely marvelous at that particular evening. There were songs written about, you know, how these things happened. And then as the stories came tumbling out, including one particular one, if I may, I guess, where I believe Dilip Sardesai and Chandra used to be punters occasionally putting money on horses. And famously, it is told that Sardesai said to Chandra during the England second innings, Mill Reef Dalo, Mill Reef, as you may recall, I guess, was a very, very well-known racehorse who was very quick. And between Chandra and Dilip, they had this.

this understanding that when he wanted him to bowl the quicker one, he'd say, mill reef d'allow, bowl the mill reef. Really? So this is not just the elephant and the dog that you talked about. There's also a horse in there as well. You couldn't make it up. The question of the elephant,

I mean, again, did that filter back? I mean, when did you first hear about Bella, the elephant, wandering around the oval? To be perfectly honest, I think three or four days later, there was a little clip news item in the papers. There was no way for us to know. uh may have been mentioned on commentary i certainly don't have a recollection of it and now of course with the internet it's all over the place right but at that time no uh had no idea about the the baby

elephant walking around uh but uh looking back at it now as i think sunny said in his in his chat with you couldn't have been a bigger or more auspicious occasion because you know it was it was ganeschatrti the god that is supposed to be invoked when anything positive begins and it really did being in India's positive journey as far as test cricket against England is concerned. Yeah, and deep you'd concur with that, I guess. I mean, you wouldn't have been around. No, I was born a few years after that.

But, I mean, that's part of folklore, isn't it? There's some amazing books written on it. There's a book called 1971 written by a couple of very famous journalists, Borya Mazumdhar and Gauten Bata Chari about this, 1971. This is amazing because Indian cricket started its journey to where it is right now, roughly around that period. It started winning, started getting that confidence of winning away from home because just before that the West Indies series happened. Mr. Engineer was under pressure that series because he wasn't part of the West Indies series before that. Right. So he was kind of

under pressure to keep his place in that test side as well. So yeah, there's a lot of stories about, I mean, legendary stories like obviously the captain's sleeping and apparently Ken Barrington who was the English manager then manager of the English team went and congratulated him and woke him up and that's how the stories go I mean there's so many stories now

I guess some have grown I mean listening to Dear old Farooke there I mean this elephant was everywhere by the sounds of it I mean everyone was back as well the game was on as well he was fielding at one point and threw the ball back I think so I mean these stories you know agers as they say I mean those I mean, let's not facts come in the way of a good story.

No, I know, but we're very engaged with this elephant, as sort of Prakash, as you can imagine. But, I mean, again, I mean, that story about the captain having a kip, I mean, you'd have come across as you, what a guy, I guess, perhaps since. I remember it was a very tall, willowy, left-handed batsman. I seem to remember. But, I mean, does that ring true with you?

The captain is actually sleeping? Well, anything could be true with the lady. Ajit Wadikar because I think he was just, as someone said, I think he was just too nervous. He didn't want to watch. It's kind of has rings of that 83, sorry, 2011 World Cup final where I think it's rumored that Tendulkar told Seward not to get up and he had to go to the loo, but he just didn't let him move. So, you know, we all know how sensitive in terms of superstition cricketers are.

And I think, you know, as you go along and read these stories and as Deep said, sometimes which facts can get a little bit coloured, but I don't think so many people would argue about Ajit's sleeping. Have you heard about the new menu that went on after that test match was won with Gaviska curry and Chandra Soup and what have you being christened in Indian restaurants in London, in and around London? I heard this one from Ravi Shastri. Now, I don't know whether Ravi was pulling my leg.

It was true, but he said, you know, it was called Chandra Soup because England landed in soup because of Chandra Tell us about Chandra because again I was a kid and I remember watching him bowl and he was quite mesmeric wasn't he and he was

say he had this he had suffered polio as a kid so his left arm really didn't operate when he was bowling like you see a wrist spinner now that left arm's very important and so Chandra managed to develop

quite an unusual action and despite the lack of that input from that side actually bowled pretty quickly, didn't he? Yeah, he did. I mean, I remember Vivian Richards once saying after playing him at the Ferocia Kotler that, man, this guy can bowl fast.

So, you know, if the great Sir Viv said that, then he must have been quick. I think it was a bit of a whiplashy kind of thing as well. So he didn't always know where it was going to land. But when he was in, as Ajit Wadikar has said in his book, that when he saw the way Chandra was bowling in that first wicket in the second innings when Jameson was run out

of a sort of deflection of Chandra's feeble attempt to field the ball and the deflection resulted in Jameson being run out. Adid Wadikar says I just thought it was his day and it was. Yeah. I'm just looking through the names and again as a

very young boy watching I mean there are some pretty heroic Indian figures here on there I mean do you do you consider obviously suddenly Gavisca clearly and I essentially you called Faruque engineer Mr. Engineer so there is this kind of

this great respect to you. And Dilip Sartesai I mean the other important thing there was a bit of a furor because when late Mr. Ajid Wadeke or Rajit Sir he became the captain because you know he replaced someone like Pataudi Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi

and there was a little bit of a furor there I mean not too many people wanted him as the captain so obviously debut series wins against West Indies comes here, wins against England establishes himself as the captain and yeah I mean that that was I mean that year 1971 was huge for Indian cricket and and like I said something like some like Ajit Badikar Dilip Sardesai obviously Mr. Kavaskar I mean Sunnyjee he's obviously a legend

Aiknath Solker I mean there's some massive massive names there which are like part of us growing up and that's where I think Indian cricket we don't acknowledge enough the kind of you know heritage, call it, or that we've had over a long, long period of time. I mean, we are who we are because of every generation you see some great cricketers, iconic cricketers coming through.

Yes. Prakash, the point I've put to Frouk there about the Indians living here, if you like, and comparing it to the way that the West Indians living here were sort of really energized by the West Indies teams coming over here and winning and

putting him on the map. and so on. I mean, do you think that was right? Because they were clearly looking at the photographs. But there were thousands of Indian supporters here. Look, it had to have been. And I can only narrate a story that my uncle, who was a doctor and was living in England at the time, and wasn't much of a cricket fan, surprise, surprise. But even he, I remember, after he returned to India, would often talk about what cricket meant and watching Faruq Engineer play even in country cricket, because there was an Indian guy playing. So it was that kind of pride, I think, that to be able to come out and play against the colonial masters,

a win, I'm sure that we can beat them at their own game, in a manner of speaking, I think that must have been very, very special, I guess, for a lot of people. I can't speak from personal experience, but I would imagine that it would have been very, very similar to what the folks from the Caribbean felt when the windies were on a roll. This is the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. What gets you pressed?

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