The M Chinnaswamy Stadium played host to its maiden Test four years after construction began in 1970.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: On November 22, 1974, Bangalore was nothing like Bengaluru. Well, the weather was the same for this time of the month: overcast with an inextricable ease to it, but the population was around 20 lakh, and the City hadn’t yet witnessed a Test match.
That day, 50 years ago, would be the first day of a Test match in the City, and in typical Bangalore fashion, rain hampered proceedings by wiping away the first session between Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi’s India and Clive Lloyd’s West Indies.
While the captains surrounded the groundsmen who used hessian strips to wipe the wet pitch, a crowd of over 30,000 people - dressed about as functionally as you would expect those from that generation - wiggled their way through wooden barricades with bottles and snacks.
They then made their way up the dangerously creaky, makeshift wooden stands with 'Rs 8' ticket stubs in their hands to watch those who until then were mostly a product of an imagination built on radio waves.
Thanks to administrator M Chinnaswamy’s vision, and the help of now-forgotten men, the stadium rose in the city's heart like a growing pearl in a young oyster, but it was already ready to be seen.
“The pavilion was built by then and the BEML stand (opposite the dressing room) was done too, but they couldn’t complete the rest of the stadium because there was no money,” recalls Sanjay Desai, a former Karnataka cricketer who was in the stands for this Test. Desai was part of the Karnataka Ranji Trophy squad then, so he had more access than most.
“The stadium was built as and when there was money. If you pay attention, you can see that time stamp on the structures even now.”
Former Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) secretary Sudhakar Rao remembered the game fondly. He too was part of the State Ranji side in the stadium that day. “We hired chairs, I remember that so clearly. Most sitting areas had rented shamianas. At the time, the dressing rooms were basic, the structure was basic, but because we were part of the State team, we got a pass and we got to watch the whole Test from the stands next to the pavilion.”
The sentiment both these cricketers reminisce on most, though, is the excitement in the air because besides taking pride in the four Karnataka cricketers (GR Viswanath, Brijesh Patel, Erapalli Prasanna and BS Chandrasekhar) in the Indian side, they also got to witness India’s greats. Moreover, imagine being there to watch Sir Vivian Richards and Gordon Greenidge on their first day as Test cricketers!
While the legend was Richards was nonexistent at the time (after all, he scored 7 runs in his debut Test), Greenidge would go on to bludgeon 93 runs in the first innings and an impeccable 107 in the second. Lest we leave out Lloyd and his 149-ball 163 in the second innings.
Amid the Calypso carnage, there were few standout moments for India, but they lost by 267 runs in the days which followed so it hardly mattered. But that opening day, that Test, laid the groundwork for the years to come.
Years which witnessed the debut Test for women’s cricket in India, West Indian legend Malcolm Marshall’s debut, the 1987 thriller against Pakistan, Kapil Dev equalling Sir Richard Hadlee’s world record for most Test wickets, a string of Anil Kumble’s milestones (among other achievements, he claimed his 100th, 300th, and 400th Test wickets at this venue) Sachin Tendulkar’s genius in 2010 against Australia, Cheteshwar Pujara’s debut, Afghanistan’s Test debut in 2018….
Years which witnessed the introduction of covered stands, floodlights, bucket seats, Sub-Air system, solar panels, electronic ticketing, large screens....
Nothing since has remained the same, not the stadium, not the sport, not the City, but every once in a while, you’ll catch yourself looking at the floodlights from afar and remember that the pearl is somewhat beautiful still. The City? Tough to tell. But, on November 22, 1974, everything was magic.
Though no celebrations are planned for November 22, KSCA president Raghuram Bhatt said they will celebrate it in a memorable way.
"We had planned a function but we had to push it to another date because of some logistical problems. We will try and commemorate this moment in a grand way. We know how important this moment was for Karnataka cricket and for the City too," said Bhatt.