{"id":118260,"date":"2023-07-17T14:47:49","date_gmt":"2023-07-17T14:47:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=118260"},"modified":"2023-07-17T14:48:16","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T14:48:16","slug":"a-landmark-in-ceylons-cricket-test-history-beating-india-in-january-1965-by-michael-roberts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-landmark-in-ceylons-cricket-test-history-beating-india-in-january-1965-by-michael-roberts\/","title":{"rendered":"A Landmark in Ceylon\u2019s Cricket Test History: Beating India in January 1965-by Michael Roberts"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A Landmark in Ceylon\u2019s Cricket Test History: Beating India in January 1965-<span style=\"color: #800080;\">by Michael Roberts<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-88737 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Michael-Roberts-eLanka.jpg\" alt=\"Michael Roberts\" width=\"160\" height=\"184\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #993366;\">Source:<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 16px;\" href=\"https:\/\/thuppahis.com\/2019\/02\/20\/a-landmark-in-ceylons-cricket-test-history-beating-india-in-january-1965\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Thuppahis<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Nirgunan Tiruchelvam<\/strong>, i<strong>n ESPNcricinfo in 2013 \u2014\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.espncricinfo.com\/thestands\/content\/story\/662127.html\">14 August 2013<\/a>\u00a0to be precise \u2014 with this heading<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>\u201cWhen the Lankans won a \u2018Test\u2019 in India\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/thuppahis.com\/2019\/02\/20\/a-landmark-in-ceylons-cricket-test-history-beating-india-in-january-1965\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49618 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thuppahis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/1965-squads.jpg?resize=500%2C185&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"elanka\" width=\"500\" height=\"341\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Sri Lanka\u2019s rise in Test cricket is one of the finest underdog stories in the game\u2019s history. England have played Test cricket for 126 years, while Sri Lanka have only competed for 31. Yet Sri Lanka has two batsmen with 10,000 Test runs while England have none. Sri Lanka have also produced the game\u2019s highest wicket-taker: Muttiah Muralitharan\u2019s career haul of 800 is more than double the tally of England\u2019s leading bowler (Ian Botham with 383).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Sri Lanka have won Tests in England, West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa. However, a Test win in India has remained elusive. Their score-line in India is appalling. They have played 17 Tests in India, losing 10. Eight of the losses have been innings defeats. The darkest humiliation was the 1994 tour that featured three innings defeats. The 2-0 drubbing in 2009 was also lop-sided.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">However, if you were to delve into the era before they got Test status, you would find an instance of Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was previously known) defeating India in India. It happened in Ahmedabad, in 1965.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Before Sri Lanka were conferred Test status in 1982, the Ceylon side played unofficial Tests. These were four-day affairs that were recognised as first-class matches. India and Pakistan were the only two countries that invited Ceylon for unofficial Test series. The two Asian neighbours constantly pushed the ICC to recognise the island as a Full Member. In 1964-65 Ceylon toured India for three unofficial Tests. The tour included side matches against the leading sides in the Ranji trophy such as Madras, Bombay and Maharashtra.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Ceylon were led by Michael Tissera, a 25 year-old with a puritanical batting technique. As a captain, he was a risk-taker who commanded loyalty from his players, many of whom were older.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">The team included one professional \u2013 Stanley Jayasinghe, a batting allrounder. Jayasinghe had established himself as a stalwart at Leicestershire. Other stars include the veteran wicketkeeper HIK Fernando and the Cambridge opener Mano Ponniah. Ceylon\u2019s bowling was spearheaded by Norton Frederick and Darrell Lieversz, two dangerous young seamers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">India were led by the Nawab of Pataudi Junior, an icon whose fame went well beyond cricket. India were on a high, having recently drawn a Test series against Australia. Despite Ceylon\u2019s lowly status, they played their full-strength side. Their batting included the Oxford Blue Abbas Ali Baig and the Bombay legend Dilip Sardesai. The left-arm spinner Rajinder Goel \u2013 the highest wicket-taker in Ranji history \u2013 led the Indian attack along with Srinivas Venkataraghavan. It was one of Goel\u2019s rare appearances for the country, even if it was only a first-class fixture.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">India won the first two matches convincingly. In Ahmedabad they met their Waterloo, losing by four wickets. Lieversz, Ceylon\u2019s opening bowler in that match, is now 70 and settled in Melbourne. At 22, he was a powerfully built seamer, nippy off a short run even on the tame Indian pitches. Lieversz has vivid memories of the game, some of which he narrated to this writer:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">It was a low-scoring match. The conditions were in favour of the bowlers. There was no play on the first day due to rain. The pitch was under covers that were not removed until the delayed start of play on the second day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Only about one and a half hours of play was possible on the second day. The condition of the ground was still very wet and we found it rather difficult to get a foot-hold when bowling.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Stanley Jayasinghe took nine wickets in the match, despite not being a regular bowler. His county experience was key to his success. He bowled a lot on the tour. He bowled offspin but his constant change of pace seemed to confuse most batsmen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">On the third day, India was all out for 189 in the first Innings thanks to the outstanding bowling of Stanley and Freddy [Frederick]. Our batsmen fought stubbornly back stubbornly with [Anurudda] Polonowita scoring a brilliant 53 and Fernando 38 not out, ending the day\u2019s play at 144 for 7.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">At the end of the third day, Michael summoned a team meeting and informed us that he was thinking of declaring our innings at the start of play the next day even though we were 45 runs behind. Michael felt that the condition of the pitch after the overnight dew would suit our bowlers better. It was a gamble but we all agreed with him, and this declaration was indeed the masterstroke that enabled us to win the Test match.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">I think the shock declaration rattled the Indians. They never would have imagined that they were going to have to bat at the start of play that morning. A tame draw was the popular prediction. The bowling run up area was so wet and slippery that Freddy and I found it quite difficult to achieve a firm foot hold.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/thuppahis.com\/2019\/02\/20\/a-landmark-in-ceylons-cricket-test-history-beating-india-in-january-1965\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49618 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.espncricinfo.com\/db\/PICTURES\/CMS\/58700\/58750.3.jpg?resize=310%2C406\" alt=\"elanka\" width=\"500\" height=\"341\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">L<strong>ong before Muttiah Muralitharan and co. put Sri Lanka on the world map, Michael Tissera\u2019s men gave early notice of the island\u2019s cricketing potential\u00a0<span class=\"magDate\">\u00a9 Getty Images\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"news-body\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><b>However Freddy and I were able to swing and seam the ball lavishly.<\/b>\u00a0Everything seemed to be working out to the plan. We got off to a great start with India losing their first three wickets for four runs. Stanley and Polonowita were also able to make use of the seaming surface.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"news-body\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><b>Stanley was able to adjust his run-up<\/b>\u00a0to compensate for the very wet and slippery conditions we had to bowl in. This was a common occurrence in England. His county experience was a boon. Wickets fell regularly and India were all out for 66. We then had to make 112 runs to win which we did. It was indeed a great win.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"news-body\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><b>The teams got on famously.<\/b>\u00a0Although we were staying in different hotels we spent a lot of time together. We very often travelled to and from the game in the same coach.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"news-body\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><b>The Indians encouraged us to memorize a few sentences of Hindi.<\/b>\u00a0They said it would enable us to \u201cbreak the ice\u201d and converse with people. It started off innocently. Some of the sentences got quite complex. Others would warn us against using them for obvious reasons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"news-body\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><b>There were strict liquor laws in some Indian states in those days.<\/b>\u00a0We were issued with special liquor permits as visitors to India. Many of us shared these permits with our Indian friends.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"news-body\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><b>Tiger Pataudi was a perfect gentleman.<\/b>\u00a0His personality commanded respect. He was revered in India and throughout the cricketing world. Pataudi was appointed captain of India at the age of 21 years and he was considered the best cricket captain India ever had. He was fearless and gifted. He was a skillful batsman who would have broken many records if not for his accident. He had a cheeky sense of humour that kept everyone around him in a good mood. I consider myself very fortunate to have played against a captain of his calibre.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"news-body\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><b>We were close comrades. It was a pleasure playing under Michael Tissera as captain.<\/b>\u00a0I give full credit to Michael for inspiring us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"news-body\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><b>The only sad memory of the match was when Trevlyn Edwards our opening batsman was hit in the face.\u00a0<\/b>It was early in India\u2019s first innings while he was fielding in the slips. The ball shattered his spectacles causing serious external injury to his eye. He could no longer take part in the game. We won the match without our opening batsman.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"news-body\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><b>Our win at Ahmedabad in the third test was Ceylon\u2019s first victory in an unofficial Test match.\u00a0<\/b>It was the first step towards us being accepted as a full member of the ICC. It is sad that after three decades of Test cricket, we are yet to win a Test in India.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"authInfo\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<p id=\"copyrt\" class=\"spncrSmry\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><em><strong>\u00a9 ESPN Sports Media Ltd.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/thuppahis.com\/2019\/02\/20\/a-landmark-in-ceylons-cricket-test-history-beating-india-in-january-1965\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49618 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thuppahis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/ssl-india-1965-22.jpg?resize=500%2C194&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"elanka\" width=\"600\" height=\"341\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>L to R: Standing\u00a0\u2013 Lasantha Rodrigo, Mano Ponniah, Sylvester Dias, Michael Tissera, Darrell Lieversz, Abu Fuard, M Devaraj, D.P de Silva, Herbert Fernando, Ranjith Fernando, Stanley Jayasinghe<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>L to R: In front: Norton Frederick, Neil Chanmugam, Trevlyne Edwards, Dhanasiri Weerasighe, Anurudha Polonowita, Lareef Idroos<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/thuppahis.com\/2019\/02\/20\/a-landmark-in-ceylons-cricket-test-history-beating-india-in-january-1965\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49618 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thuppahis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/ssl-india-1965-11.jpg?resize=454%2C220&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"elanka\" width=\"600\" height=\"341\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Action SHOT from First Test: \u201cDropped catch\u201d from Abhas Ali Baig by Stanley Jayasinghe off the bowing of Darrell Lieversz. Note: Baig went on to score 96.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">L to R: Herbert Fernando (wicket Keeper), A.A Baig (Batsman), D.N Sardesai (Non Striker batsman), Abu Fuard (1st Slip), Umpire S.K Banajee OR K.B Saxena, Darrell Lieversz (Bowler), Stanley Jayasinghe (2nd Slip).<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Landmark in Ceylon\u2019s Cricket Test History: Beating India in January 1965-by Michael Roberts Source:Thuppahis Nirgunan Tiruchelvam, in ESPNcricinfo in 2013 \u2014\u00a014 August 2013\u00a0to be precise \u2014 with this heading\u00a0\u201cWhen the Lankans won a \u2018Test\u2019 in India\u201d Sri Lanka\u2019s rise in Test cricket is one of the finest underdog stories in the game\u2019s history. England [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":111429,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,42710],"tags":[54063,54062,11896,15036],"class_list":{"0":"post-118260","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-aside","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"category-michael-roberts","9":"tag-anurudha-polonowita","10":"tag-herbert-fernando","11":"tag-muttiah-muralitharan","12":"tag-neil-chanmugam","13":"post_format-post-format-aside"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.7.1 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A Landmark in Ceylon\u2019s Cricket Test History: Beating India in January 1965-by Michael Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sri Lanka\u2019s rise in Test cricket is one of the finest underdog stories in the game\u2019s history. 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