The great Hindi litterateur Munshi Premchand was born on this day on 31 July 1880 in Lamhi village near Varanasi. Such was his mastery that his stories and poems seem relevant even today. He wrote on many subjects, but few know that he was an ardent cricket follower and also wrote his thoughts on the game. He was against appointing kings as captains during the colonial period and has broken this trend in his actions.
Premchand wrote a story in 1935 which was based on the India vs Australia series. The Australian team was in India under the captaincy of Zack Ryder and the team played several first-class matches in several cities.
The tour was organized as a private affair and, therefore, the Australian Cricket Board was not involved. The main organizer of the tour was the Maharaja of Patiala and the Indian side was named All India XI. India was not a Test playing country. The match was played at a ground owned by the Maharaja in Patiala and incidentally, he played for Australia while his son turned out to be the Indian captain.
Premchand wrote a story on it and titled it ‘Cricket Match’. He wrote, ‘Our team was stronger than the enemies, but we lost and they took away the trophy. Why? Because we do not believe that talent is a qualification for leadership. We consider money important to leadership. His Excellency was elected captain. But how many hearts were set on fire, how many people accepted this decision as the ruler, where was the enthusiasm, where was the resolve, where was the enthusiasm to fight till the last drop of blood.
Earlier in 1932, he wrote about India’s tour of England. Premchand wrote that the Indian cricket team may not have had the same success as the Indian hockey team, but its successes were still significant.
He was also thrilled at India’s success and wrote, “Indian cricket team back home. Although he did not get such a stupendous success, he showed England that India cannot be neglected even in the field of play. The truth is that the people of India can beat the world when given opportunities in every walk of life. The people of England take pride in cricket. This pride must have got a big setback this time. It is a matter of happiness that the Viceroy felicitated the Indian team and introduced himself as a gentleman.
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