The launch of Indian-Australian cricket

Abstract

An analysis of the Australian cricket team’s experiences in India in 1935/36 reveals that many elements fulfilled clichéd colonial expectations of extravagance, privilege and hedonism. Yet, the cricketers simultaneously grew tired of conforming to the role of the colonial class. The team’s immersion in India encouraged the players to re-evaluate their attitudes towards racial inclusion, the legitimacy of colonization, Indian sovereignty and the pedagogical role of the white cricketer in the Orient. A close textual analysis of the writings of participating cricketers Wendell Bill, Ron Oxenham, Charlie Macartney and Jack Ryder details their responses to the social and racial codification they encountered, which it is argued was at times unexpectedly liberal. Australian batsman Hunter Hendry’s manuscript has not been critiqued elsewhere and provides valuable insight into his ambiguity towards the role of the white cricketer in India.

Notes

1. Ironmonger was born in Queensland but spent the majority of his adult life in Victoria and New South Wales.

2. Hendry’s manuscripts were written approximately half a century following the tour so they should be appraised with caution as hindsight can frequently influence judgment and the clarity of memory can sometimes dwindle. The manuscript was not based on earlier writings unlike Bill.

3. The paucity of scholarly analysis critiquing the Taj Mahal Hotel is lamentable considering its iconic reputation.

4. The Tata dynasty was, and continues to be, involved in almost every aspect of industry and economic life of India and throughout the twentieth century their ventures expanded to include the steel, motor vehicle and nuclear industries (Ray 1983, 174).

5. Considering Leather’s success in cricket was also limited it is unlikely that he could guarantee Morrisby tenure. Morrisby did not move to the Mainland due to family circumstances however he had a successful amateur cricket career at state level in Tasmania.

6. The Bombay communal competition originated from Presidency matches in the late-nineteenth century and was based on communitarian lines and controlled by the Gymkhana clubs.

7. The Ryder archive includes letters from locals requesting autographs.

8. Confusingly in an earlier article, Oxenham states that he is a non-drinker (November 25, 1935).

9. Accounts of the number of Europeans who died during the siege vary, which highlights the dubious veracity of the narrative.

10. The Connemara is now a Taj hotel.

11. At times the cricketers stayed with royal families.

12. Healesville is a picturesque town in the Victorian Yarra Valley. Possibly Ryder visited the area for holidays.

13. A close reading of the tour reveals that the Australians most likely lost the last two Tests because of injury to many of the players and the onset of tour fatigue.

14. None of the trialed players succeeded in captaining the India team in England in 1936. Instead the Maharaja of Vizianagram was appointed the position.

15. Reprinted from the Sunday Dispatch (England).

16. C. K. Nayudu is sometimes referred to as Naidu.

17. The 1933 Census revealed that only 0.42% of Australians belonged to a non-Christian religion.

18. In the lead up to 1968/69 Marylebone cricket tour of South Africa, Basil D’Oliveira, a mixed-race, South African born cricketer was selected to play for the English team. D’Oliveira had moved to Britain six years earlier to escape the restrictions of apartheid in South Africa. Complying with pressure from the South African cricket authority, D’Oliveira was subsequently dropped from the team. The incident gained political momentum causing public outcry and the tour was eventually cancelled.

19. Compare this with Oxenham’s attitude to being invited to meet Gandhi on page 19.