20-05-2025
Jayant Narlikar's love for cricket: Three stories from the ground in England
Scientist, educationist, institution-builder, and science populariser Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, who died in Pune on Tuesday (May 20), also happened to be an avid cricket fan, whose love for the game dated back to his primary school days in the 1940s.
Growing up on campus at Banaras Hindu University, where his father, Vishnu Narlikar, was a professor of mathematics, cricket was the young Jayant's favourite sport, the great scientist wrote in his blog, Musings, in March this year.
A lucky ticket: Good fortune at Lord's
As a student at the University of Cambridge, one of the high points in Narlikar's life came when he got an opportunity to watch a game at Lord's, the Mecca of cricket.
It was a story of remarkable good fortune, as Narlikar recalled in his blog. This is what happened.
India, led by Datta Gaekwad (father of Anshuman Gaekwad, who opened for India in the 1970s and 80s), toured England for five Tests between June and August 1959. England, led by Peter May, won the first Test at Nottingham by an innings and 59 runs.
The second Test began at Lord's from June 18. India, who batted first, were bowled out for 168, with Nari Contractor scoring 81 runs. England were 50/3 at the close of the first day's play.
Young Narlikar had planned to be at Lord's for the second day's play. After a 90-minute commute by train, he reached the venue before time, and looked for the ticket counter. But he was unable to locate it, and approached a member of the London Metropolitan Police for help.
This Bobby turned out to be Lady Luck herself, dressed in a policeman's uniform. To Narlikar's great surprise, the policeman handed him an envelope with a free match ticket inside. Narlikar later learned that the envelope had been left with the policeman by someone who could not be at Lord's himself, with the request that it should be handed over to a needy Indian student.
'I was also thanking my luck that of the half a dozen policemen present there, I happened to approach the Bobby with the ticket,' Narlikar wrote in the blog, titled 'My Flirtations With Cricket'.
The Test did not go well for India, though. England scored 226 in the first innings, and India folded for 165 in the second innings. England chased down the target of 108 to win by 8 wickets and go 2-0 up in the series.
Prof in the stands: Surprise at Leeds
In July 1965, Narlikar was visiting the University of Leeds, where he was hosted by his friend Kumar Chitre. Headingley Cricket ground in Leeds, a Test match venue since 1899, had been on Narlikar's bucket list.
As it happened, New Zealand were touring England at the time, and the third Test was to be played at Leeds from July 8. Narlikar and Chitre planned to watch the match at the ground.
The problem, however, was for Chitre to get leave from his lectures. It seemed a daunting task to persuade the Head of the Department, Prof TG Cowling, to grant Chitre leave – however, things did work out ultimately.
The two friends found themselves in the stands at Leeds. And there, to their great surprise, they found Prof Cowling himself – seated two rows ahead of them, and heartily applauding the players!
Against Pakistan: A generosity that backfired
While at Cambridge, Narlikar's cricketing experiences travelled beyond the stands to the ground itself.
Indian research students at the university had formed a cricket team that often played friendly matches with a group of Pakistanis at the Churchill College ground. The Indian researchers were led by Chitre, who was a spin bowler. Narlikar himself bowled leg-break.
During one such friendly game, the Pakistanis did not have the numbers to make up a full team, so Narlikar asked his English colleague John Faulkner to play for them. It was a decision that the Indians would come to regret – Faulkner cost the Indian side the game that day, Narlikar recalled.
