Cricket 1906

C R IC K E T : a w eek ly r e c o r d o p t h e g a m e . JUNE 21, 1900. 1 1 - > M ( ----- > - '/?£COAl m m m - E — ) M c _ — 3 nri" j @§ “ Together joined in Cricket’ s manly toil.”— Byron. Ho. 723. VOL. XXV. THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 1906. m i c h «a. ME. K. SESHAGHARI. Those who hare followed the develop­ ment of cricket in India will have heard of K. Sesbachari, the clever wicket­ keeper of Madras. Although the game has made distinct advancement in India since fifteen years ago, and is more popular to-day than ever, it is not a little remarkable to find an Indian, a Brahman by birth, dwarfing all his competitors in the country. Seshachari’s early cricket dates back to his teens, when, as a colt, he showedaspecial aptitude for his own favourite pas­ time. Indeed, so keenwas his taste for wicket-keep­ ing, and so well did he acquit.himself in the minor clubmatohes, that he found himself elected as amember of the Premier Hindu Club of Southern India. Here he had adequate scope for his abilities, and he soon settled down to regular practice, continuingto play for the Hindu Club at Madras, his alma mater of cricket, for several years together with marked success. Thus he was able to build up a reputation, which, at firstmerely local, soon developed and spread throughout the cricketing centresof India. To-day his capabilitiesasa cricketer are recognised by veteran andnovice alike. European visiting teams have eulo­ gised his talents as a wicket-keeper, and many of their members have good reasons to recollect some of his performances. It was Seshachari’s practice, simple but effective, to have balls thrown indis­ criminately . at him, and it was this method that gave him the power and quickness for which he is so remarkable. His real cricket career may be said to have begun in 1900, when he found himself at Ootacamund, the delightful sanitarium of Southern India, whose sweet half-English air is most exhilarat­ ing and congenial to the crick«t«r. In this braoing climate, andwith experienced European cricketers, among them Mr. C. T. Studd, giving him the benefit of their invaluable advice, Seshachari continued to make progress with the bat as well as with the gloves. His batting, which at one time was scarcelymediocre, had improved enough to enable him to score a hundred or two, while his wicket- keeping was considered by many good critics of the game as quite first-class. When the Oxford Authentics played the United Hindus at Bombay in Novem­ ber, 1902, Seshachari kept wicket for his side so brilliantly as to earn the unani­ mous opinion of the Englishmen that he was the best stumper they had met in India. In the second innings of this eventful match Seshachari batted so well that a defeat which was momentarily expected was oonverted by his play into a draw which was creditable to his side. In recognition of this fine effort he was resented with a gold watch and chain y an admirer—a graceful acknowledg­ ment of provedworth. After this match, and during the season of 1903 in Bombay, Seshachari’s services were always in demand. In the Indian Sporting Tints of Sep­ tember 6 th, 1903, his performance against the Farsi Gymkhana is thus described :— “ Seshachari kept wicket very finely, bringing off three mag­ nificent catches. He is a stumper of the highest order, and has no equal in India. I can speak with some authority in this matter, as I have seen suoh men as Bray, Reynolds, French,MacphersoD, 8 prott, Wallcott and Goxon, none of whom, in my opinion, so nearly came up to the standard of first-class wicket-keeping at home as the Madras man.” The season of 1904-5 was aquietone with Seshachari, as his attention had to be given to business. But in the great annual fixture of the Bombay Presidency v. Hindus he took a promi­ nent part. Indeed, his wicket-keeping helped his side to a handsome win. In India the Bombay Presi­ dency X I. is generally the strongest that can be brought together, and to beat this team wants a lot of cricket as well as good luck. Seshachari’sbrilliant dismissal of Gaptain Greig, the famous Hampshire cricketer, elicited the fol­ lowing comment in the Times o f India:—" So long as Greig’s wicket remained intact, so long there was hope. He had been playing up to now faultless cricket, and was taking no risks. And now, in him and his partner the last hope of the Englishmen lay. Three runs later and there came perhaps the most brilliant feature of the matoh. Erasha, the Hindoo fast bowler, sent down a ball with a lot of pace on and it pitched well in front of the crease. The great bats-