Manuka's New Zealand connection

The history of India at the Manuka Oval has some nice touches. The first time an Indians side played here was in 1947, when Probir Sen, the wicketkeeper from Kolkata, top-scored in the first innings. Probir is forever associated with a story of conceding just four byes when in an innings when India conceded 575 in Melbourne. He was later to jokingly remark: “But only four balls reached me”. Also in that team was Gogumal Kishenchand, popularly recalled for being the bowler off whom Don Bradman scored his 100th first-class century.

India’s touring side also played here in 1981. Opening the bowling for India was Yograj Singh and Kapil Dev: one a promising bowler whose career fizzled out, the other a raw quick who went on to achieve greatness. Yograj, by the way, managed nine runs in the game, seven more than what his son (Yuvraj) managed in the first innings here.

The 1991 side is interesting. Nine members of the side have moved on. It involved on to-be television expert (Kris Srikkanth), three potential coaches (Manoj Prabhakar, Pravin Amre and Chandrakant Pandit), two future selectors (Dilip Vengsarkar and Venkatapathy Raju), two prospective commentators (Sanjay Manjrekar and Ravi Shastri), one potential match referee (Javagal Srinath). Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly were the other two members. What fate awaits? My guess: one a cricketing ambassador, the other a television expert.

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The etymology of the ground name is an interesting one. Until the first World War in 1914 there was still hope that New Zealand would join the confederation of Australia. The thoroughfare running from the site of the future Parliament House was named Wellington Avenue and it was decided to give a Kiwi name to the shopping centre and park planned on the other side.

The tree ‘leptospermum scoparium’, a native of New Zealand, was particularly popular in these parts of Canberra and so the Maori name for the tree, Manuka, was the chosen name. It was only fitting that the first ball of this game was delivered by Richard Sherlock, a medium-pacer born in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Sherlock has represented New Zealand Under-19s and New Zealand A, apart from playing two seasons for Central Districts and Canterbury.