Cricket Race and Religion


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

Cricket Race and Religion

Cricket, Race and Religion: In colonial India, cricket was organised on the principle of race and religion. The first record of cricket being played in India is 1721. It was played as a recreational sport by English sailors in Cambay.

  • The first Indian club, the Calcutta Cricket Club was established in 1792.
  • Through the 18th century, cricket in India was only played by British military men and civil servants in all white clubs and gymkhanas.
  • The first Indian community to start playing the game was the small community of Zoroastrians, the Parsis in Bombay.
  • The Parsis came into close contact with the British because of their interest in trade and this was the first Indian community to westernize. They founded the first Indian cricket club, the Oriental cricket club in Bombay in 1848.
  • History of Gymkhana Cricket: Parsi clubs were funded and sponsored by Parsi businessmen like the Tatas and the Wadias. There was quarrel between the Bombay Gymkhana (a whites-only club) and Parsi cricketers over the use of a public park. So the Parsis built their own gymkhana to play cricket.

    A Parsi team beat the Bombay Gymkhana at cricket in 1889, just four years after the foundation of the Indian National Congress in 1885.

  • Indian National Congress was an organisation which had early leaders, like the great Parsi statesman and intellectual Dadabhai Naoroji.
  • The establishment of the Parsi Gymkhana became precedent for other Indians, who in turn established clubs based on the idea of religious community.
  • By the 1890s, Hindus and Muslims were busy gathering funds and support for a Hindu Gymkhana and an Islam Gymkhana.
  • The history of gymkhana cricket led to first-class cricket being organised on communal and racial lines. The teams that played colonial India's greatest and most famous tournaments represent religious communities
  • Quadrangular and Pentangular Tournaments : The first-class cricket tournament was called the Quadrangular as it was played by four teams, the Europeans, the Parsis, the Hindus and the Muslims.

  • Later, the Quadrangular became the Pentangular when a fifth team, viz the Rest was added.
  • The Rest was comprised of all the communities left over. For example, Vijay Hazare, a Christian, played for the Rest. By the late 1930s and early 1940s, journalists, cricketers and political leaders had begun to criticise the racial and communal foundations of the pentangular tournament.
  • The distinguished editor of the Bombay Chronicle, SA Brelvi, radio commentator, A FS Talyarkhan and India's most respected political leader like Mahatma Gandhi, were against the Pentangular as competition. It was played at the time when nationalists were trying to unite India.
  • A rival first-class tournament on regional lines, the National Cricket Championship (later named the Ranji Trophy), was established but was not able to replace Pentangular tournament. It was present until independence but colonial tournament died with their rule.

    Caste and Cricket: Palwankar Baloo was born in Poona in 1875. He was the greatest Indian slow bowler of his time.

  • He played for the Hindus in the Quadrangular tournament. Despite being their greatest player he was never made captain of the Hindus because he was born as a Dalit.
  • His younger brother, Vithal was a batsman. He became captain of the Hindus in 1923 and led the ream to a famous victory against the Europeans.
  • The Hindus brilliant victory was due more to the judicious and bold step of the Hindu Gymkhana in appointing Mr Vithal as a captain of the Hindu team .The moral that can be safely drawn from the Hindus magnificent victory is that removal of untouchability would lead to swaraj, which is the prophecy of Mahatma Gandhi.
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