It’s a beautiful day for cricket. The turf is green. The radio is crackling. The scoreboard is ticking. The crowd is cheering. And the sun is beginning to set on the British Empire.

We travel in time to an age when caste and class divide the pavilion. On and off the field, cricket reflects the discrimination that prevails in colonial societies. Players are segregated, teams assigned ethnic names, and coloured players docked their pay for using gates meant for white Englishmen.

Yet, it is this golden age that gives us greats like Ranjitsinhji and Duleepsinhji, and later Griffith and Sobers. Many new flags flutter in the winds of change as the colonies assert their independence. A game designed to cement the British Commonwealth takes on a life of its own and engenders a new world order.

Credits:Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi and Velu Shankar

Explore further:

Books:

• Mid-Wicket Tales — From Trumper to Tendulkar (Sage India, 2014)
• From Mumbai to Durban: India’s Greatest Tests (Juggernaut, 2016)

YouTube:

Cricket Giants Of 1890s (0)www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0KqQiurckQ

Rare Footage of English and Australian Cricket Teams (1905) | Sporting Historywww.youtube.com/watch?v=ChrFcjLJymU

1972: Gavaskar, Venkat, Solkar visit Ranjitsingh's home in Nawanagar.www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu3wIJkz5lg

Calypso Summer 1960/61 - Part 3 ABC Australiawww.youtube.com/watch?v=VFitqoB2B08

Shehnai Recital of Ustad Bismillah Khan | Part 1www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JeMR0RAHZg

All India Radio Signature tunewww.youtube.com/watch?v=WuS-UiaKiVk

England & Australia 1948 | The Lord's Ashes Test | Classic Cricket Filmswww.youtube.com/watch?v=l-xXMHXUMZg

Maryan - Official Teaser 3www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V8iZBq0JPo

The captains who shaped Indian cricket in the 1950s and 1960s scripted a tale of guts and glory on and off the field.

There was the stylish Ghulam Ahmed who chose to stay with India after Partition (while his nephew Asif Iqbal went on to captain Pakistan). There was the swashbuckling Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who became the youngest Indian skipper at age 21. Despite losing an eye in a car accident, he played with a ferocity that earned him the nickname of Tiger.

And there was the unforgettable Vinoo Mankad. On the Australia tour of 1947-48, the legendary all-rounder opened the batting fearlessly against the fearsome pace duo of Ray Lindwall and Keith Miller. After scoring ducks, he knuckled down and took tips from his opponents. By the end of the tour, he had helped himself to a couple of centuries.

Despite their prowess on the field, even the best Indian players had to dance to the tune of the selectors.

Mankad’s blazing talent had attracted the attention of English County leagues, and he was invited to play professional cricket for much better pay. This didn’t go down well with the cricket administration in India, which paid its players a pittance. When the bosses gave him an ultimatum to choose, the feisty Mankad asked them to take a walk.

Discover more exciting vignettes as we trace the story of Indian cricket in the second episode of Well Caught with Giri and Raghu.

Credits:Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar

Acknowledgements and resources

• YouTube | Jai Galagali channelWest Indies - India 1948 - 1st ever test series Brabourne Stadium Bombay
• India Pakistan 1st Test Match 1952
• 1952 India Pakistan Lucknow 2nd test
• 1950-51: Commonwealth Cricket Team arrives in Bombay
• Vinoo Mankad: interviews, clear footage, Golden voices of John Arlott’s and Pratap Sharma
• YouTube | Paul Sawtell: music from Desperate (1947)
• YouTube } 1950 HITS ARCHIVE: The Third Man Theme - Anton Karas (his original #1 version)
• YouTube | Broadcast Imaging channel | Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi || Old Rare Interview || Anmol Ratan Tv Serial (1990)
• YouTube | New Zealand vs India 1968 | India's First Away Series Win
• YouTube | Vintage cricket GOLD! Incredible interview with LEGENDS Keith Miller and Denis Compton, 1980.
• YouTube | ICC channel | Meet the ICC Hall of Famers: Vinoo Mankad | 'The finest Indian left-arm spinner ever'

Athletic and courageous, all-rounder Kapil Dev smelled like team spirit (with a splash of Palmolive) and brought to India’s arsenal the firepower of wily pace, gutsy batting, and a never-say-die attitude. Promoted to captain in 1983, he led an underdog side (nicknamed Kapil’s Devils post facto) to a historic World Cup triumph. To date, he is lionised for his unforgettable 175 not out against Zimbabwe and his spectacular sprinting catch to halt the ferocious onslaught of Vivian Richards in the final.

The Eighties saw India on the ascent, aided by a lineup of fluent stroke-makers in Dilip Vengsarkar and Mohammad Azharuddin, and tenacious all-rounders in Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri. Gavaskar, by now the elder statesman, cantered to a record 34 centuries and 10,000 Test runs.

In 1987, when the World Cup was first played outside England, the home crowd in the subcontinent expected a repeat of 1983. That was not to be, but the end of the decade brought new hope. In November 1989, a 16-year-old boy marched out into the middle to face the brunt of a pugnacious Pakistani pace attack. His name was Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Cricket would never be the same again.

Credits:Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi and Velu Shankar

Acknowledgements:

YouTube

Kapil Dev Was India's Greatest Match-Winner: Sunil Gavaskarwww.youtube.com/watch?v=mwE9hMdlQ_4

1983 WORLD CUP SEMI FINAL INDIA vs ENGLANDm.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gavrm8m-U…IzgwaW5uaW5nMDE%3D

HIGHLIGHTS: Prudential World Cup Final 1983 Watch India Win World Cup 83 Final | #83TheFilm Trailorwww.youtube.com/watch?v=WmKQ7W-Miso&t=71s

Kapil Dev and the story of the 1983 World Cupwww.youtube.com/watch?v=L6TYFyDm5Io

1983 World cup winners: Indira Gandhi celebrates with Kapil Dev and co.www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAIiVk3yhwI

Kapil Dev - Palmolive Ad | (RARE)www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fA7QhWcJM8

Old Indian TV Ads featuring Kapil Devwww.youtube.com/watch?v=6WIRuaN_Bbc

Old Doordarshan ad Vimal ft Ravi Shastriwww.youtube.com/watch?v=CBJS4un2fvk

M13 - Final India vs Pakistan 1985www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDudsBwP5…H8fwOxWz&index=12

*RARE* INDIA v ENGLAND - SEMI FINAL 1987 WORLD CUPwww.youtube.com/watch?v=8P4Rq9mtxhc&t=12s

Cricket bat sound | Hitting Soundwww.youtube.com/watch?v=_g0ceWN2_Mg

India v

In the Nineties, match fees were fatter and the stakes higher, yet the temptations were darker. The match-fixing scandal exposed an underbelly of bookies, betting and sleaze. At the turn of the century, as heads rolled and reputations were sullied, the game weathered its darkest phase.

In the decade of redemption that followed, captains and coaches employed analytics to decide match strategies. In Ganguly, India found an aggressive skipper who walked his talk. No one embodied leadership and team spirit like Dhoni, inspiring international respect for Team India that was buoyed by the dramatic 2011 World Cup victory.

From the colourful radio commentaries that brought the game alive in the early days of Test Cricket to the elaborate theatrics of T20 in modern television broadcasting, cricket has travelled the distance. As it takes to the global stage at the 2028 Summer Olympics for the first time since 1900, we can say that the sport has truly come of age.

Reliving these defining moments, Raghu and Giri hang up their gloves in this series finale of Well Caught.

Thank you for listening.

Credits:Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi and Velu Shankar

Acknowledgements and Resources:

YouTube:

Zee TV Closedown (1997)www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky5I81rYeVo

Javed Miandad last ball sixer in sharjah cup final 1986www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhYJqV-cbMI

India Pakistan Cricket Classic SHARJAH PEPSI CUP 1996www.youtube.com/watch?v=22QqFrlmkww

Fmr cricket captain threatens to reveal match fixing nameswww.youtube.com/watch?v=mNy7IaJpwRo

INDIA: CRICKET MATCH FIXING ALLEGATIONS: REPORT (V)www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqMa1EIJwo4

Not Cricket ! - Match Fixing (Orig 2001) Pt1www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVOmJVTeIEc

Manoj Prabhakar presents a videotape on match-fixing in 2000www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNYa2yuhNn8

deepanshu madan on match ka mujrim konwww.youtube.com/watch?v=xu7YGK1a0bo

Dadagiri ( Title treck )www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjLJhCiDdvM

Harbhajan Singh Rips Apart Australia | 15 Wickets in 1 Match | INDvAUS 2001www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_cfSOcOB8A

Sourav Ganguly: The Courageous Captain | Ian Chappell, Sachin Tendulkar | Discovery Pluswww.youtube.com/watch?v=c4DY8iBQd5o

Cricket Connected: Nasser Hussain on Sourav Gangulywww.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq3J-JEk9