First Pongal Test: Australia thrash India in 1959-60

The first edition of the Pongal Test was played as late as in 1959-60, when Gulabrai Ramchand’s Indians took on Richie Benaud’s Australians.

Though the Pongal Test at Madras used to be a regular feature on the Indian cricket season, the first edition was played as late as in 1959-60, when Gulabrai Ramchand’s Indians took on Richie Benaud’s Australians. Going into the Test with the series levelled 1-1, the Australians dished out an innings defeat inside four days, thanks to some excellent bowling that did not allow India to post 150 even once in the Test, marring the festive mood of the locals, even if only slightly. Abhishek Mukherjee looks back at January 13, 1960, the day the first Pongal Test started at Corporation Stadium, Madras.

Over the past few decades, the Boxing Day Test has been a more-or-less accepted concept at MCG, Kingsmead, and at times, Basin Reserve. It is also almost a norm for Australians to play a Test at SCG in the first week of the year.

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In India, too, used to a norm in the five-Test home series: Tests were played only at Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, and Kanpur (one for each zone); till as late as 1969, Lucknow and Hyderabad were the only other Indian cities to have hosted Test cricket.

Though there was no set pattern for the other three venues, with time Eden Gardens got what they called the New Year’s Test. Exactly how Eden Gardens acquired this is not clear, but it started from 1948-49 — the second Test they hosted. The first six of the ten Tests played at Eden Gardens were New Year’s Tests.

Thai Pongal (or simply Pongal), spanning the last day of Maargazhi and the first three days of Thai, is the biggest festival in Tamil Nadu. While it usually corresponds to January 13 to 16, at times the span is pushed back a day, starting on the 14th. The idea was to coincide the Madras Test with Pongal.

Unlike in Calcutta, it took Madras 26 seasons to host the first Pongal Test. By that time the centre of Madras cricket had shifted from Chepauk to Corporation Stadium. Australia, led by Richie Benaud, won the first Test at Kotla easily, thanks to a dazzling 114 by Neil Harvey; Benaud himself intervened with 3 for 0 and 5 for 76, and the Indians were routed by an innings.

Things seemed to take a similar route at Green Park, when Australia bowled out India for 152 and were cruising at 128 for 1. Then Jasu Patel bowled the spell that made him feature on a postage stamp and earned him a Padma Shri: his 9 for 69 and 5 for 55 were more than enough for India to level the series.

Nari Contractor’s 108 took India to 289 at Brabourne Stadium, but Harvey responded with 102. The hero was, however, Norman O’Neill, with 163. Australia declared with a lead of 98, but Pankaj Roy and Contractor added 95 for the opening stand, while Abbas Ali Baig and Ramnath Kenny put on another 109 down the order, saving the Test.

India fielded two debutants for the Test. One of them, the local Milkha Singh, was not a new name. While his father Ram Singh was a stalwart of Madras cricket (he should have been on the 1936 tour to England, but for Vizzy and regional quota), his elder brother Kripal Singh had slammed a hundred on Test debut.

The other, 20-year old Man Sood, was a curious case. Though he had been spectacular in University cricket, Sood, a specialist batsman, had played only five First-Class matches (81 runs at 13.50) when he was included for the Indian Board President’s XI against the tourists. Sood top-scored with 73, and playing for Indian Universities, he got another 20.

Les Favell had missed the Kanpur Test and had scored 1 at Bombay. Gavin Stevens had opened with Colin McDonald at Bombay, and the pair had added 60. Favell had batted at five. The Australian management were keen on both Peter Burge and Ken Mackay, which meant that Favell had to sit out.

Unfortunately, Stevens ran a temperature just before the match. Ian McDonald, the team doctor, ruled Stevens out, and Favell was drafted in.

The Favell response

Benaud had no hesitation in batting first on a pitch made to assist the Indian spinners, Bapu Nadkarni, Chandu Borde, and Patel. Australia, too, boasted of Benaud and the Chinaman bowling of Lindsay Kline. A keen contest awaited the locals on the first day of the festival.

There was a 15-minute delay to the start, for Favell wanted the sightscreen to be moved. AAP reported that “a squad of helpers with crowbars had to be called to move the heavy metal screen.” Soon afterwards, McDonald was hit on the finger, and it had to be attended to.

Favell added 58 with an obdurate McDonald before Patel bowled one straight past the latter’s bat and hit timber. Harvey was bowled by Ramakant Desai cheaply, but O’Neill played his shots, reaching 40 in no time. Then Desai produced a scorcher — a yorker that hit the base of O’Neill’s leg-stump.

Meanwhile, play was held up several times, when Ramchand asked for a change of ball. Ten minutes after tea, the ball had to be replaced again. When the ball lost shape for a third time, the ones present at the ground were not sufficiently old, so Benaud and 12th man Barry Jarman walked out with a stock of balls.

Even these were rejected, and finally a new ball was acquired. O’Neill rubbed the ball on the ground till the umpires agreed to it.

In between all this, Burge did not let the pressure accumulate, and ensured Australia did not lose another wicket. Runs were not easy with interruptions happening and Bapu Nadkarni bowling at one end. Favell reached a well-deserved hundred, and at stumps Australia were 183 for 3 with Favell on a round 100 and Burge on 13.

The second morning saw Favell stumped off Nadkarni for 101, followed by a flurry of wickets. At 249 for 7 India sniffed a chance, but Mackay, at his obdurate best, bailed the tourists out. Benaud put his head down as well, helping Mackay add 59.

Ian Meckiff and Kline contributed as well. Mackay, making complete justice to his ironic nickname ‘Slasher’, batted for three-and-a-half hours for his 89; in the end he was last man out, stumped, trying to accelerate with 9 wickets down.

The last three wickets took Australia to 342. Not only did Desai (41-10-93-4) and Nadkarni (44-15-75-3) take 7 wickets between them, they also ensured Australia scored at a mere 2.23 an over.

The Kunderan assault

India’s response began in spectacular fashion. Contractor was unwell, and Ramchand promoted the aggressive Budhi Kunderan to open with the trusted Roy. It was Kunderan’s second Test. In his previous innings he had been out hit wicket, trying to pull Meckiff and treading on to the stumps.

That did not seem to have any impact on Kunderan. Alan Davidson’s first over was a quiet one, but Kunderan went after Meckiff in the second, smashing 16 in the over, bringing Madras to her feet.

Davidson soon found Roy’s edge, but Kunderan was unperturbed. He continued with the onslaught till stumps. “He proceeded to flay the new-ball attack of Davidson and Meckiff as if they were J & K bowlers,” wrote Sujit Mukherjee of the onslaught in Playing for India.

Note: Some sources, specifically N Manu Chakravarthy of The Hindu, mention that Kunderan had taken 14, not 16, off the Meckiff over.

India finished the day with on 46 for 1 with Kunderan on 33 and Kenny on 11. When play resumed, so did Kunderan.

It was too good to last for long, but it did, for some time. Benaud rotated his bowlers, and it eventually took Mackay to break through. Kenny had scored 33, helping Kunderan add 75.

Kunderan continued to make merry before Benaud cleaned him up. His 71 had included 12 boundaries, and had come off a team score of 111.

He was yet to play Ranji Trophy.

Meek capitulation

India surrendered once Kunderan fell. Of the last eight batsmen only two scored more than 7. Davidson (3 for 36) and Benaud (5 for 43) ran through the Indian line-up. They were bowled out for a mere 149, losing their last 8 wickets for 38, and were asked to bat again.

Davidson had resorted to spin towards the end of the innings. Sood (remember, he did not bowl or keep wickets), batting at nine, was stumped off him for a duck. He slipped while bowling his third over of the second innings, and had to leave.

Meckiff took charge. He removed Roy and Kenny, reducing India to 11 for 2, and Kunderan walked out for the second time in the day, this time to join Contractor. Davidson used the rest day to recuperate.

Kunderan made a whirlwind 33 (6 fours) the fourth morning in a stand of 43. Contractor fought hard, refusing to give an inch away. Such was his grim determination that the next morning The Sydney Morning Herald called him “one of the best left-handed opening batsmen in the world.”

Benaud snared Borde, and Harvey, summoned to bowl his military-medium, cleaned up Milkha. But Nadkarni hung around; for some time it seemed India get close to the 193-mark to make Australia bat again.

Eventually Contractor lost his patience, trying for a lofted drive off Kline; it was a difficult catch, but Meckiff secured it. Contractor’s four-hour vigil had amounted to 41. Ramchand gave Nadkarni company for an hour before the latter tried a risky single; Harvey threw down the stumps from cover, and Nadkarni fell for a 104-minute 18.

Sood arrived, again at nine. Desperate for runs, Ramchand went for the big shot and was stumped off Benaud. Almost immediately Davidson was summoned; he was, after all, stranded on 99 wickets.

It took Davidson two overs: poor Sood went first, bowled for 3 to become Davidson’s 100th wicket (Sood never played another Test); and Patel was cleaned up for a duck.

India were bowled out for 138, less than their first innings score.

What followed?

O’Neill scored another hundred at Eden Gardens (in late January). Australia led by 137, but gutsy batting helped India set 203. Australia played for the draw and finished on 121 for 1, securing the series.

New Year’s Tests at Calcutta and Pongal Tests at Madras kept taking place, though not with any regularity.

 

Season	Opposition	New Year’s Test (Calcutta)	Pongal Test (Madras)
1948-49	West Indies	Yes
1951-52	England	Yes
1955-56	New Zealand	Yes
1958-59	West Indies	Yes
1959-60	Australia		Yes
1960-61	Pakistan	Yes	Yes
1961-62	England	Yes	Yes
1964-65	England		Yes
1966-67	West Indies	Yes	Yes
1972-73	England	Yes	Yes
1974-75	West Indies	Yes	Yes
1978-79	West Indies	Yes	Yes
1979-80	Pakistan		Yes
1981-82	England		Yes
1984-85	England	Yes	Yes
1987-88	West Indies	Yes	Yes
	Count	12	12

There were, of course, several seasons in which one or both Tests did not happen (though both grounds hosted Tests, they were on other dates). With the calendar expanding, both New Year’s Test and Pongal Test are now things of the past.

It is to be noted, however, that both Australia and South Africa accommodate their Boxing Day Tests.

Brief scores:

Australia 342 (Les Favell 101, Norman O’Neill 40, Ken Mackay 89; Ramakant Desai 4 for 93, Bapu Nadkarni 3 for 75) beat India 149 (Budhi Kunderan 71; Alan Davidson 3 for 36, Richie Benaud 5 for 43) and 138 (Nari Contractor 41; Richie Benaud 3 for 43) by an innings and 55 runs.

(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor at CricketCountry and CricLife. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)

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