There is an alluring old-world charm about this city, once known as the Manchester of the East. One of the mills, now shut down, reminds you of the Raj with its British spelling – Cawnpore. Radio cabs and a couple of malls are modern aberrations yet to catch the imagination of the older citizens of Kanpur. The good old cycle rickshaw, battery-operated three-wheelers and city buses in some areas are far more popular.
“Why did this city get the country’s 500th Test,” asked a visiting journalist. He could have raised the same question had he visited Kanpur 30 years ago. Or even further back.
The city hardly boasted of star hotels when Garry Sobers came here as part of the West Indies team in 1958. Despite a late-night party, the graceful left-hander produced an unbeaten 198, which old timers rave about as a timeless classic. G.R. Viswanath scored one of his own on debut here in 1969 against Bill Lawry’s Australia. A year after Sobers’s knock, the legendary Richie Benaud, leading Australia, suffered defeat at the hands of India at this very Green Park, off-spinner Jasubhai Patel claiming 14 wickets.
With such a rich history, Kanpur was not undeserving of the honour of hosting the 500th Test.
A spruced-up Green Park saw five days of intense cricket, India eventually prevailing by 197 runs over New Zealand. A host of former captains descended on the venue to be part of the commemorative celebrations. India completed the task with a flourish in the second session of the final day.
An incident-free match with an overwhelming presence of fans was a fitting tribute to the event. There was no memorabilia on sale for the fans but they went home with an ever-lasting memento — memories of an Indian win shaped by a young team.
