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Test Cricket Tours - India to England 1946

 

 

Tour of England 1946       Captain: the Nawab of Pataudi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

India’s third official Test tour

 

Third Test-playing tour of England by India

 

 

(April - October 1946)

 

 

The fourth All-India tour of England (if 1911 is included), and the last All-India tour before partition in August 1947, marked the resumption of official Test match cricket after the seven year gap caused by the Second World War.

On 12 March 1946 MCC announced that they had no objection to the Nawab of Pataudi, who had previously played Test cricket for England in the ‘thirties, leading the Indian team.

Although domestic cricket in India had taken place without interruption during the War, while the English players’ development was held back for six years, the England team proved to be considerably stronger and won the only Test match where rain did not prevent a result.

Vinoo Mankad was the first tourist to do "the double" (1000 runs and 100 wickets in an English season) since Learie Constantine in 1928.

 

 

Other Indian tours

 

Previous tour

England 1936

 

Next tour

Australia 1947-48 

 

Next England tour

1952

 

 

 

 

Members of the Test tour  party (16)

 

 

Opening batsmen: : Vinoo Mankad, Vijay Merchant, Mushtaq Ali.

Middle-order batsmen: Abdul Hafeez, Lala Amarnath, Gul Mohammad, Vijay Hazare, Rusi Modi, Nawab of Pataudi senior.

Wicket-keepers: Datta Hindlekar, Rao Nimbalkar.

Spinners: CS Nayudu, Sadu Shinde Chandra Sarwate.

Fast bowlers: Shute Banerjee, Ranga Sohoni.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abdul Hafeez

N Ind

N

21

LHB

 

L Amarnath

S Pj

N

34

RHB    RM

 

S N Banerjee

Bi

E

32

RFM

 

Gul Mohammad

Ba

W

24

LHB

 

V S Hazare

Ba

W

31

RHB   RM

 

D D Hindlekar

B

W

37

WK

 

V M H Mankad

Gj

W

31

RHB    SLA

 

V M Merchant

B

W

34

RHB  opener   vice-captain

 

R S Modi

B

W

21

RHB

 

Mushtaq Ali

Hk

E

31

RHB opener

 

C S Nayudu

Hk

E

32

LBG

 

R B Nimbalkar

Ba

W

30

WK

 

Nawab of Pataudi senior

S Pj

N

36

RHB

 

C T Sarwate

Hk

E

26

OB

 

S G Shinde

Mh

S

22

LBG

 

S W Sohoni

Mh

S

28

RFM

 

 

British_Raj_Red_Ensign-svg 

 

Zonal representation

 Quadrangular teams

E: East Zone (4), N: North (3), S: South (2), W: West (7).

 

Ranji Trophy teams

Ba - Baroda (3)

Bi  - Bihar (1)

B  -  Bombay (3)

Gj  - Gujarat (1)

Hk  - Holkar/Indore (3)

Mh - Maharashtra (2)

N Ind -  Northern India (1)

S Pj - Southern Punjab (2)

 

 

Abdul Hafeez did not play in the Ranji Trophy in 1945-46 nor did Nimbalkar play in the Quadrangular.

 

  

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

(22 June 1946) :

      29 yrs 8 months.

 

 

 

Test Appearances made before the tour

 

Merchant 6,  Mushtaq 5,  Nayudu 4,  Amarnath 3,  Pataudi 3,  Hindlekar 1,  Hafeez 0,  Banerjee 0,  Gul 0,  Hazare 0,   Mankad 0,  Modi 0,  Nimbalkar 0,  Sarwate 0,  Shinde 0,  Sohoni 0.

 

 

 

 

 

Tour Officials

 

Pankaj Gupta

Tour Manager

K S Ranga Rao

Treasurer  (withdrew?)

Bill Ferguson

Baggageman/ scorer

Arthur Gilligan

Liaison Officer

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selectors

 

Dr P Subbaroyan (chairman), C K Nayudu and D B Deodhar were the selectors, with A S de Mello present.

 

 

 

 

 

Selection

 

Homi Contractor and Pankaj Gupta were competitors for the post of manager but, with the support of northern states, Gupta was appointed.  Mr K S Ranga Rao, Hon Secretary of the Indian Board, was appointed treasurer but turned the post down (?)

 

Vijay Merchant was expected to be captain after leading the Indian side to victory against the Australian Services in 1945-46.  The powerful Bombay Cricket Association lobbied for him, while the Maharaja of Patiala used his influence on behalf of the Nawab of Pataudi.  The Indian Board of Control cast 10 votes to 8 in favour of Pataudi, and on 26 January it was announced that he would captain the side.

 

Unavailable:   At first  Merchant, Modi, Mushtaq Ali and Pataudi were all unwilling to make the tour. 

 

Tour Party Announced:  26 February 1946.

 

Not Selected : Fazal Mahmood.

 

 

Time between selection and departure from India

 25 days

 (26 February - 23 April)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travel

 

 

New Delhi/ Karachi   Q  Bournemouth

 

The manager, Mr Pankaj Gupta, arrived in England first, coming to Bournemouth on 16 April where he was met by A E R Gilligan.  He expressed anxiety about the team's clothing and equipment not arriving in time for it had been sent by steamer from Bombay and he had no idea when it would arrive.  Nor had he much idea when and where the team would turn up. He had to send back 17 complementary Cup Final tickets because the tour party had not arrived in England in time.

 

Pataudi, Amarnath and Banerjee were the first players to reach their destination. They arrived from New Delhi at Karachi on 25 April and left next day by a BOAC York plane. They landed at Hurn Airport, Bournemouth, at 5 pm on 27 April, having flown via Cairo. 

Another batch of tourists : Mushtaq Ali, Nayudu and Sarwate left Delhi on 24 April for Karachi and there met up with Nimbalkar and Gul Mohammad who had flown on the same route on 23 April. This group arrived in England by RAF Dakota on 26 April…. a 51-hour flight.

Another group, following a similar route via Cairo, were Kardar, Sohoni and Shinde while a fourth batch (Hazare, Hindlekar, Merchant, Mankad and Modi) had arrived in Karachi on 25 April and left for England the next day by flying boat.  Bill Ferguson met them at Poole.

 

 

Time spent in England

 158 days

(26 April -  1 October)

 

 

 

 

On-tour selection committee

 

Nawab of Pataudi (captain), Vijay Merchant (vice-captain),  Lala Amarnath (senior player).

 

 

 

 

 

Reinforcements

 

None

 

 

 

 

Fixtures/Results

 

Worcester

Worcestershire 

Lost 16 r

Oxford

Oxford University 

Drawn

The Oval

Surrey 

Won 9 w

Cambridge

Cambridge University 

Won inns 19 r

Leicester

Leicestershire 

Drawn

† Edinburgh

Scotland 

Won inns 56

Lord's 

M.C.C.

Won inns 194 r

† Osterley

Indian Gymkhana 

Won 6 w

Southampton

Hampshire 

Won 6 w

Cardiff

Glamorgan 

Drawn

Portsmouth

Combined Services 

Drawn

Nottingham

Nottinghamshire 

Drawn

LORD’S

ENGLAND   First Test

LOST 10 w

Northampton

Northamptonshire 

Drawn

Liverpool

Lancashire 

Won 8 w

Bradford

Yorkshire 

Lost inns 82 r

Manchester

Lancashire 

Drawn

Chesterfield

Derbyshire 

Won 118 r

Sheffield

Yorkshire 

Drawn

† Sunderland

Durham 

Drawn

OLD TRAFFORD

ENGLAND  Second Test

DRAWN

† Guildford

Club Cricket Conference 

Drawn

Hove

Sussex 

Won 9 w

Taunton

Somerset 

Lost inns 11 r

Swansea

Glamorgan 

Won 5 w

Edgbaston

Warwickshire 

Drawn

Cheltenham

Gloucestershire 

Drawn

KENNINGTON OVAL

ENGLAND   Third Test

DRAWN

Southend

Essex 

Won 1 w

Canterbury

Kent 

Drawn

Lord's 

Middlesex 

Won inns 263 r

Hastings

South of England 

Won 10 r

Scarborough

H D G Leveson-Gower's XI

Drawn

 

 

 

 

 

† not first-class

 

 

Time spent in England before First Test:

 57 days

(26 April - 22 June)

 

.

 

 

 

 

Test appearances on tour

 

3 -   Abdul Hafeez,  Amarnath,  Hazare,  Hindlekar,  Mankad,  Merchant,  Modi,  Pataudi.

2 -   Mushtaq Ali,  Nayudu,  Sohoni.

1 -   Gul Mohammad,  Sarwate,  Shinde.

0 -   Banerjee,  Nimbalkar.

 

 

 

 

 

Highlights

 

     Vinoo Mankad achieved the double of 100 wickets and 1000 runs in the season.

     Rusi Modi defied England in the first innings at Lord’s with 57* as India collapsed to 200.

   

    Vijay Merchant’s classic innings of 128 ended with him run out by Compton kicking the ball onto the stumps

 

 

 

 

 

Tour Summary

 

 

 P

 W

L

 D

Aban

Test Matches

  3

  0

1

  2

-

Other first-class matches

26

11

3

12

-

ϯ Minor matches

  4

  2

0

  2

-

All Matches

33

13

4

16

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return to India

 

 

 

London   T   Bombay

               ‘Burma’

 

 

At the end of the tour, the Nawab of Pataudi and Nayudu were the first to depart, in advance of the main party.  Nimbalkar (an aide-de-camp of the Maharaja of Baroda) would be staying in London with his employer and Abdul Hafeez (now to be known as Kardar) would be going up to Oxford University to read Philosophy.

Merchant flew home on 3 October.

The main body of the tour party - the manager and eleven players (Amarnath, Banerjee, Gul, Hazare, Hindlekar, Mankad, Modi, Mushtaq, Sarwate, Shinde, Sohoni) sailed from the Royal Albert Docks, London, on ss 'Burma' on 1 October.

They were greeted on arrival in Bombay by Pataudi, the Board President Mr Anthony de Mello, the organiser of the tour Mr Ranga Rao, and other officials on 26 October. 

Five matches were proposed for the coming season between the touring team and The Rest.

 

 

Time away from India

 186 days   (23 April to 26 October 1936)

 

 

 

 

Finances

 

The tour recorded a profit of £4 500.

 

 

 

 

 

Published accounts of the tour

 

"Indian Summer"   (1947)  by John Arlott  [Longmans]

"       ?                      Bruce Harris

"The Fight for the Rubber"  L.N.Mathur  [Publication: Lakshman Singhji Bahadar]

 

 

 

 

 

Postscript

 

 

 

 



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