INDIANS REFORM SOUTH AFRICANS- Nov.1992-The Express

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi wanted the Indians to hate the British policy in India and not the British themselves. Gandhiji’s campaign was motivated by love and peace. He taught the Indians to accept the good that was in British, and one of those good things was ‘cricket’ which the Indians unanimously approved. Gandhiji himself played cricket. There is a portrait of his in cricket outfit at the Rajkumar College in Rajkot, India.

It was Gandhiji who had fought for basic human rights in South Africa. Gandhiji was there in the first decade of this century. The African National Congress was formed thereafter and it was influenced by Gandhiji’s concept. No doubt India was the first overseas country Nelson Mandela visited after his release in 1990 from 27 years in prison.

Mandela, the President of South African National Congress gave an afternoon reception to the Indians and played a few mock strokes with an autographed bat that he was presented with. Invited by Dr. Ali Bacher to attend the second test match at Johannesburg to support South Africa, Mandela brought a laugh with his enigmatic reply “I am very patriotic but India is my second home.”

While India was the first country to punish South Africa for its apartheid policies, it was also the country which proposed the motion to readmit South Africa to test arena, played host on its return to official international cricket and now becomes the first nation to visit South Africa.

The first test match at the picturesque Kingsmead ground was the first between the two countries and it also had the blessings of political leaders. In the past the only coloured man allowed inside the pavilion dressing room would have been carrying not so much a bat or a ball but a dustpan and brush. After almost 23 years South Africa which was taken out of international cricket for its breach of law against human race, saw a 40 year old coloured Omar Henry emerging out of its dressing room. He was there to play cricket along with the White South Africans.

Durban with its vast sandy beach is the country’s largest holiday resort, but until two years ago Henry was not allowed to take a dip in the same bit of sea as a white man. Few years back a team of West Indian cricketers had gone there on an unsanctioned tour, and one of them Colin Croft decided to take a train ride in one of the up market carriages. Unfortunately for him his skin colour did not match those of others in the carriage and he was brusquely taken off.

Now by contrast Henry was sharing a large five star hotel room with team mate Allan Donald, and ordering club sandwiches from the poolside waiter. See the irony of time, 22 years back  the 18 year old Henry had been watching South Africa play Australia from a fenced-in dirt bank that represented the non-whites enclosure at the Newlands ground in Capetown. Perhaps Omar was even supporting the Australians.

Today even those cricketers emerging from the visitors’ dressing room were eleven coloured men who had come to play cricket against them rather than whiten their pads or serve up their lunch. By contrast the Indian cricketers find it hard to make a journey to the bathroom without someone rolling out a red carpet for them.

They were motorcaded into Durban, kissed and garlanded by thousands of Indians who have settled there. They get feted almost everyday and taken to the houses of the local Indians who display their collection of Indian music and films. They could hear Jagjit Singh or watch Madhuri Dixit just like back home in Bombay. They were even taken to the beautiful parks and had some fascinating snaps taken. The kids went up to them with their autograph books. Cooks have been flown all the way from India. The tables were full of garnishing stuff ranging from ‘bhajis to biryani’ along with pickles and papadums.

The eternal Kapil Dev playing in his 117^th test match and in pursuit of Sir Richard Hadlee’s record of 431 test wickets made a sensational start to this historic test match claiming a first ball wicket when he had opener Jimmy Cook taken in the slip by Sachin Tendulkar after skipper Azhar having won the toss had put the South Africans in to bat.He later clean bowled Andrew Hudson for 14 but Kepler Wessels played a captain’s knock and rescued his team with a century. He was out for 118 and South Africa slumped from 138 for 3 to 254 all out. Spinners Kumble and Shastri did the damage. Kapil finished with 3 wickets.

The Jamaican Steve Bucknor, the neutral appointee sponsored by Britain’s National Grid was one of the two umpires on the field. Also for the first time in the history of the game  this test made use of a third umpire watched slow motion replays from his place in the stands and when referred to by the umpires on the field gave his ruling indicating his decision by switching on a red(out) or green( not out) light. Tendulkar thus became the first batsman to be ruled run out by the third umpire. He made 14. Also the Indian skipper Azhar was run out for 36 and it was upon Praveen Amre to steer his side from 38 for 4 to 277 and giving it a first innings lead of 23 runs.

Amre, one more product of Bombay’s Shivaji Park, Dadar, scored his maiden test century and becomes the ninth Indian to score a century on debut. Kiran More remained unbeaten on 55. Then came the rains and the test headed for a draw.

While the New Zelanders are deciding to call off their Sri Lankan tour after 5 people got killed in a bomb blast outside their hotel in Colombo, the Indian cricketers have been receiving a lot of goodwill. Even the South African cricketers have decided to contribute their annual earnings for the year to the ‘Cricket Development Program’.

Full credit to Dr. Ali Bacher who fought remorselessly for South Africa’s recognition. He integrated coloured administrators, developed coaching in the townships and continued to expose his country at every opportunity. He was a proud man when the Indians arrived at Durban. They painted a red dot on Bacher’s forehead. He said wryly “Multi racial cricket”.

Ali Bacher was South Africa’s captain when in 1970 came the ban on them from international cricket. South Africa was a strong team then and could beat England, Australia and New Zeland. But equally strong was the team of Blacks, the mighty West Indians who could thrash one and all.

The Pollacks, Richard, Barlow and Procter all walked in to the World xi of 1970 that played England but the cricketer who stole the limelight with 588 runs, 21 wickets and 8 catches was none other than that greatest cricketer of all time, the West Indian Sir Garfield Sobers.   

Racial integration, South African style. Black ground staff clear the wicket of  water before the Durban Test.