Sydney then and now!

Tomorrows Indians versus Australia A game at the Sydney Cricket Ground SCG may not see a galaxy of Australias current stars but its a fixture that the visiting team will treat with great importance For it will be played with the pink ball just like the December 17 opening Test match at the Adelaide OvalThe likes of vicecaptain Ajinkya Rahane Cheteshwar Pujara Prithvi Shaw Wriddhiman Saha Ravichandran Ashwin and Umesh Yadav figured in the India A v Australia A game which concluded in a draw on Tuesday but for skipper Virat Kohli Mayank Agarwal KL Rahul Jasprit Bumrah Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav Fridays game at the SCG will be the only threeday tuneup for the TestGone are the days when teams touring Australia played a good number of matches before the first Test In 194748 Indias first series against the men from Down Under and the first after Independence Lala Amarnaths side played against all the five state teams Western Australia South Australia Victoria New South Wales and Queensland before the opening Test battle at Brisbane Prior to the Queensland v Indians game there was a fourday matchup between the Indians and an Australian XI captained by Donald Bradman The hosts lineup was not a complete Test XI but they had Bill Brown who was run out by Vinoo Mankad for backing up too far in the second innings of this game Keith Miller teenager Neil Harvey Sam Loxton and Bill JohnstonBradmans firstclass centuries count was 99 and this was a nearideal setting to get to 100 at his beloved SCG where he had watched his first Test match as a 12yearold He returned home after watching his hero Charlie Macartney in that 1921 Ashes Test vowing hed never rest until he played at the SCGOn November 14 1947 the Indians batted first to score 326 Chandu Sarwate who watched his fellow opener Mankad depart for three put on 80 for the third wicket with Gul Mohomed 85 with nine fours Playerturnedwriter Jack Fingleton cringed every time Gul flicked his first ball to fine leg during the series and expressed the need for the then 26yearold batsman to tighten up his defence G Kishenchand who came in at No 8 scored 75 and with last man wicketkeeper JK Irani 43 put on 97 for the 10th wicket The Australians lost Brown early and Bradman strode in with the excited crowd lighting up the SCG with applause appreciation and anticipation for his century of centuries on Day Two of the match Bradmans biographer Irving Rosenwater wrote Sydney forgot its dearer bread the bitter struggle over the Banking Bill and that the New South Wales wheat crop was in jeopardy all went to see BradmanHe tackled the Indian attack with relative ease but missed getting run out with Miller as his partner in the 90s The opposition were overawed They according to their team manager Pankaj Gupta were there to learn from him Sarwate was kept at short midwicket when Bradman was approaching his landmark century ExBCCI secretary and national selector Sanjay Jagdale who spent a considerable amount time with Sarwate remembers the Indore cricketer telling him how good Bradman was and that he could choose between three areas to hit one deliveryBradman and Miller enthralled the swelling crowd and when Bradman reached 99 with an over shy of tea Amarnath summoned Kishenchand to bowl Bradman later appreciated Amarnaths tactic of getting a bowler who had not bowled on tour in an effort to dislodge him Indeed Bradman was not aware of Kishenchands legspin and played him cautiously Kishenchands second ball beat midon and Bradman took one of the most significant singles in his decorated career He called it a great moment in Farewell to Cricket and elaborated I think of all my experiences in cricket that was my most exhilarating moment on the field Miller at one point had overtaken Bradman through his adventurous strokeplay but decided to hold back as The Don approached his century Not long after the tea interval Miller threw away his wicket bowled by Mankad for 86According to RS Dick Whitington in Keith Miller The Golden Nugget the charismatic allrounders barber wanted to know why didnt he go on to get his century Miller replied I realised it was Dons day that I was stealing the showBradman went on to score 172 and the Australians claimed a 54run lead Kishenchand was in the news again when he topscored an unbeaten 63 before Amarnath declared at 304 for nineThe Australians had to score 251 for a win in 150 minutes and Mankad ensured their adventure did not end up being a cheerful one In 12 leftarm spin overs he claimed eight for 84 as the Indians won by 47 runs the Australians bowled out for 203 in 30 overs Considering his run out of Brown Mankad played a hand in every dismissal except that of tailender Morgan HerbertThe joy of the Indians was shortlived as they lost their next game to Queensland and then the Test series 04 But in Bradmans words the Indians in this game played with great zestDoubtless Kohlis men will display that quality in ample measure over the next three days at the SCG but unlike Amarnaths team which endured pullouts in the form of Vijay Merchant Mushtaq Ali and Rusi Modi they are not underdogs for the Test seriesmiddays group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance He tweets ClaytonMurzelloSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individuals and dont represent those of the paperKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news