Agnijit Sen in Sydney
I love cricket stadiums. The pulsating crowd, the electrifying atmosphere, make or break for players and above all, the SMELL. Yes, the smell. The smell of history, the smell of tradition, the smell of heritage, as you enter the iconic cricketing venues around the world.
Be it Eden Gardens, Lord’s or the Sydney Cricket Ground. The New Year Test starts tomorrow. As I stepped in to the SCG for the first time, my heart skipped a beat. SCG felt like home. And the iconic SCG has indeed been a proud home to a number of exceptional athletes. Be it cricket, soccer or rugby. And SCG knows how to honour his/her children.
There is a Walk Of Honour greeting you with arms wide open. As I started taking that walk surrounded by history and heritage of athletes, I felt like Alice in Wonderland! The Walk Of Honour starts with two statues. The first one is of Steve Waugh. It stands tall with Waugh holding his coveted baggy green in one hand and his bat in the other.
My colleague Trisha Ghosal reminded of what Shane Warne had said in his book about Waugh. Warnie mentioned that Waugh had a certain kind of obsession with the baggy green, as if he loved it more than his life. Opposite to that statue, quite fittingly, stands the statue of Belinda Clarke, another Australian cricketing giant. The first-ever player to score a double hundred in limited-over cricket, much ahead of the little master from India.
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However, the first name on the plaque is a no brainer. It reads Sir Donald Bradman. A cricketer with a 99.94 batting average. An ‘invincible’ man who once said: ‘Reading poetry and watching cricket were the sum of my world, and the two are not so far apart as many aesthetes might believe.’
A fitting quote by someone whose batting was indeed poetry in motion. The best part about this walk is it’s not only about cricket. Take Betty Cuthbert. Hailed as the golden girl, she is Australia’s most successful Olympic runner with three gold medals in the 1956 games. Actually, when you think of it, there have been plenty of Aussie athletes who could literally ‘run away’ with games.
Reg Gasnier for example. He was the finest running back Australian rugby has ever known. Did you know much like the Ashes, some Australian soccer players had that England connection too? Joe Marston, the first Australian soccer player to succeed in England, finds himself in the Walk Of Honour.
And who can forget the inimitable Keith Miller? Much like his personality, he was a larger than life cricketer. A fighter pilot in World War II, Miller was an attacking batsman, a terrific bowler and a superb slip catcher. No wonder they called him ‘Myth Killer.’ Then there’s Bobby Simpson, an outstanding opening batsman, captain and fielder. As you walk on with awe and gaze, you discover a ‘little master.’ No, not the one you are thinking. He is Clive Churchill, small in size, yet possessed all the rugby league skills in abundance.
And there comes the legendary Victor Trumper. As you must have often heard, the ghosts of Trumper and Bradman still never miss an important Test match in Sydney. But as I said, it’s not about cricket alone. Otherwise Jon White wouldn’t have found his place. This man was one of the cornerstones of the Australian scrum. It’s said and it’s on record that Jon never had a bad match in national jersey.
And of course, who can forget John Warren, who has long been soccer’s most visible public face in Australia. You wouldn’t dare miss the plaque of Sir Richie Benaud as well, captain, all-rounder (the first one to score 2000 runs and take 200 wickets in Tests) and the voice of cricket over the years. For us 90’s kids, Test matches in Australia were always about waking up at the crack of dawn and listening to his unvanquished charm on the commentary.
As I walked around, I found a sense of helplessness running through me. We, the Indians, have never fancied heritage. We throng the streets when a World Cup is won, but do we really honour and care about the heritage of Indian cricket? With all these iconic stadiums all across India, how many of them can showcase this Walk Of Honour, can become a tourist attraction for sports lovers? I think the responsibility lies with us as well, the media and most importantly, the fans. Heritage needs to be treasured and memories need to be cherished. It’s not a luxury anymore, but a much needed necessity.
As I slowly began to proceed towards the Indian nets, I felt like carving a plaque for myself in the corner of my heart. Remember ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ scene?
‘Brooks was here. And Red was too.’
Maybe mine would read,
“The legends were here. And a fan was too.’
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