Come Saturday (Nov 12), on the anniversary of that historic day that set the ball rolling for cricket in India, an all Parsee team will take on British XI for the 1886 Trophy at the Parsee Gymkhana in Kennedy Seaface.
It's been 130 years since an all Parsee cricket team led by Dr Dhunjishaw Patel visited the British shores via a three-week voyage to play 28 games, which saw them win one, lose 19 and draw rest playing against clubs and towns.
Come Saturday (Nov 12), on the anniversary of that historic day that set the ball rolling for cricket in India, an all Parsee team will take on British XI for the 1886 Trophy at the Parsee Gymkhana in Kennedy Seaface.
And all this thanks to Matt Greenwell, a British expat living in India for the past seven years. A sports and cricket enthusiast, the managing committee member of the British Business Group, is a book worm and loves reading about history.
During one such read of Ramchandra Guha's A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian Cricket History of a British Sport, Greenwell found out about the rich history of the game in this country and the role of Parsees in the game that is followed like a religion in India.
Even before an 'All India' team toured England to play its first ever Test match in 1932 under the leadership of Maharaja of Porbandar — Natwarsinhji Bahvinhji along with the the likes of CK Nayudu, Amar Singh and Mohammad Nissar, it were the Parsees who visited the United Kingdom in 1886.
Greenwell, a member of Malabar Pirates comprising Brits, Australians, South Africans and Germans that plays friendly games in Mumbai, then came up with an idea to celebrate the milestone. And he shared this thought with his friend and Parsee Gymkhana vice president and cricket secretary Khodadad Yazdegardi, who immediately agreed to revisit the history by holding a game between a British team and Parsees.
It will be a 30-over game and the umpires will be counting the balls with marbles. "It is going to be played in white clothing with red ball. It is a historic moment for the Parsee community," said Yazdegardi, a former cricketer.
"Farokh Engineer (former India wicketkeeper) will be flying down from UK for this special occasion and Nari Contractor (former India batsman) has promised to be present at the occasion. However, they won't be playing," he added.
The Parsee team will comprise some players above the age of 40. "Despite being the pioneers of the game in India, we are struggling to have youngsters who play the game. Hence, we will have players over 40 taking on the English side," he added.
Yazdegardi revealed that the breakfast and lunch will comprise only Parsee delicacies.
Meanwhile, Greenwell is looking forward to take on the Parsees and defeat them like his predecessors did. "We are all excited to be a part of history and preparing for it well. I hope we repeat what the English teams did then," he smiled.
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