India's Parsee community led the development of Indian cricket, says historian Mihir Bose
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A recent book, âNine Wavesâ authored by journalist Mihir Bose, explains how the Parsee communityâs significant contribution was a major force behind the cricket teamâs success. It has detailed the important role played by Parsee players such as Nari Contractor and Polly Umrigar in the 20th century.
In a book published by Aleph Book Company, broadcaster Mihir Bose has tried to educate the masses of the earliest legends in Indian cricket folklore that heralded a new era for the country by first helping the team make its mark on the international stage early on and then later make it a major global force to be reckoned with.
India has had no shortage of cricketers from the said community, though the present scenario may suggest otherwise. However, it is because of the drive and spirit instilled in the team by players such as Farokh Engineer and Vijay Merchant that the nation is usually one of the favourites for the ICC tournaments.
âIndia's Parsee community led the development of Indian cricket. The early Parsee cricketers, having endured years of condescending remarks from British critics, went on to organize two ambitious tours of England, discovered the first great Indian cricketer, Mehellasha Pavri, and, most importantly, started beating English teams both in England and India," Nine Wave reveals.
While Polly Umrigar scored 3000+ runs at an average higher than 42, Farokh Engineerâs explosive batting saw him end his career with a strike rate of 137.3. While these stats highlight their contribution objectively, in real terms they did much more than just their parts on the field as the community produced some of the most influential captains in Indian cricketing history.
"Parsees remained an important part of Indian cricket until well into the 1970s and I grew up watching Polly Umrigar, Nari Contractor, both captains of India, Farokh Engineer, a crucial member of the 1971 team that beat England in England for the first time, and Rusi Surti, whom we christened the 'poor man's Sobers'. Then Tata, the great Parsee firm, employed some of India's best cricketers, but now there are hardly any prominent Parsee cricketers in India,â reads the book.
