Is Thiruvananthapuram, India, a place of stories or did Viv Richards really hit a six and smash a hotel window?
Is Thiruvananthapuram, India, a place of stories or did Viv Richards really hit a six and smash a hotel window? The University Stadium’s main entrance is the only one of the six gates that is ever unlocked.
The fence was put up not because people were afraid of breaking into the stadium during the night of the state’s first-ever international game and converting it into a bar, but because they wanted to keep the cows and goats out.
The gate guard explains that a nanny goat got loose and ransacked the facility, which houses the offices of many state sports governing bodies. “The truth is, we keep closer tabs on goats and dogs than on people,” he admits.
Stadium
The India-South Africa series begins on Wednesday at the sparkling modern Greenfield Stadium. Still, the city’s cricket soul is imprisoned in the unkempt University Stadium, surrounded by the State Assembly Building, the Palayam Mosque, the Mascot Hotel, the CSI Christ Church, and its cemetery.
The stadium seems like something out of the past, with its jumbled collection of netless goalposts, worn-out running tracks, and creeper-embroidered stands. Church End and Hotel End were the titles given to the two ends of the fast-paced field.
Cricket stories, told with the inevitable flourishes and exaggerations that come with them, whirled between the two ends. Just like this one.
An unrepaired damaged window at the Mascot Hotel went unnoticed for years. The hotel proudly displays the shattered glass from which a big six from Viv Richards is said to have come.
The wait staff proudly exhibited the unattended window to the guests as they toured the restaurant. With the hotel’s recent renovation, the problem was at last resolved. Or so the legend has it.
On this ground, Richards has appeared twice: once during a mid-tour practice match in 1984 and again during an ODI in 1988.
In the one-day international, he did not bat because West Indies won by nine wickets, and in the warm-up game against India under-22, he was knocked out for one by former India opener WV Raman’s left-arm tweakers, one of his five wickets.
Statements
“I know that’s a valuable wicket, but I really can’t recall where or how I acquired it. My recall of the contest is hazy because it took place over 40 years ago.”
“It was good for the city, and I’m sure it was a terrific experience for us to play against the West Indies team, but that’s all I can recall. I recall having to rush into the city early that morning to attend the game. Raman told this outlet,” It’s apparent that we were all enthusiastic.
Which means we’re no closer to solving the puzzle. Even if it was just a mistake by the scorer, if he had hit one, it would have been a monster. The hotel is located down a road 30 feet in width beyond the stadium. The garden extends for an additional twenty feet. Still, with Richards being Richards, it’s not completely out of the question.
Some claim to have witnessed the famed batter shatter the glass, while others claim to have heard the trembling sound of leather on glass.
Although Suresh Kumar, one of the hotel’s ground attendants, did not see the incident, he was confident that Richards was responsible for shattering the glass since his grandpa had already informed him. I can point you in the right direction,” he claims.
Other tales include Patrick Patterson almost drowning at Kovalam beach, and Kris Srikkanth hooking Winston Davis for a six on his way to a century. In 1981, the MCC team swung by for a charity match and is rumored to have stayed up partying till dawn.
Declarations
At least there’s evidence for this. Former assistant scorer turned statistician S Raju recalls, “I saw that shot and sat shocked. My superior, Murthy sir, lectured me for failing to record the snippet quickly.
My scoring career with international matches began and ended with that game.
During the ceremony where Richards, the captain, was awarded a bronze replica of the Charminar as a prize, rumors circulated that someone from the crowd had broken into the locker room and stolen the team’s gloves and bats. Neither Raju nor Suresh felt comfortable attesting to its veracity.
It’s possible. Even now, there is no fence in sight. Chaala Bazar (a historical marketplace)! exclaims Kumar.
A city of stories
Truth, however, should not be allowed to destroy the charm of fiction. And Thiruvananthapuram is a city that takes great pride in its history and narrative traditions.
About the vintage automobiles and boundless wealth of the royal family. about the splendor of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, with its hidden treasure vault guarded by fire-emitting snake-guards. And about the many battles waged by Marthanda Varma, the most powerful king of the former Travancore dynasty.
What about the countless strikes at the samara-panthal (a designated area for demonstrations near the secretariat), the blood and sweat blended with tar and history, and ideas and ideologies swirling around liki? Or what about the scandals from the secretariat? Or the shifting political squalls that waft through the corridors of the Niyamasabha Mandiram (Legislative Assembly Building)?
The arts have their own venue in the form of the century-old, lovely Kanakakkunnu Palace, which is part of a larger complex that includes an amphitheater and a fairground.
However, the city has a fiercely realistic side that prevents it from getting caught up in the nostalgia of the past and instead painstakingly plots out its future.
No tears were shed when it was removed from the center of cricketing activity in the State and could no longer accommodate even a domestic match, let alone an international one. The show doesn’t desperately follow athletes or sports celebrities.
Sanju Samson is a popular figure in his hometown of the city, although the excitement around him there is not overwhelming. The backlash against him when he was left off the World Cup team was mostly the result of online commentary rather than genuine displeasure on the part of his countrymen.
ISL
Unlike when the ISL games were played in Kochi, the Sevens were played in Malabar, or when Kochi used to host international cricket games, the reacquaintance was calm.
The thrill was low when international cricket returned to the site in 2017. The stadium was filled, and there was much jubilation in the upper tiers, but neither the pregame nor the postgame had anything to live up to. Nothing changed; it was as though the city had never paused for the game.
The present is often overlooked as the city flits between its idealized past and its bright future. There may not be another place in the state where students strive so hard to succeed academically.
The city is home to some of the country’s top educational institutions and intellectuals; here, kids can get a head start on their education.
If you asked them to rank the importance of sports, it wouldn’t even make a list. The city often dresses like a dispassionate observer or chronicler who does not have any personal investment in any stream (other than perhaps the scholarly).
The city has accepted modernization just like any other major metropolis, yet its residents place a higher value on preserving their history. And the tales of yesteryear, whether from the Palace or the University Stadium, are also confined behind those six doors.
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