When Nehru took on Radhakrishnan on the cricket field!

An unusual and evocative chapter from India’s sporting and political past has resurfaced, revealing a cricket match played in 1953 that saw then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru lead a team of parliamentarians against a side captained by former vice-president S. Radhakrishnan.

Rare footage of the match — organised to raise funds for people affected by devastating floods — shows Nehru and Radhakrishnan sharing the cricket field with fellow lawmakers, cheered on by a large crowd. The archival video was shared on X by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who credited cricket historian and archivist Jai Galgali for unearthing the remarkable visuals.

“For the past nine years, Jai Galgali has been an extraordinary archivist of Indian cricket of a bygone era. This video he unearthed and uploaded is both unusual and fabulous,” Ramesh said in his post.

According to the footage, Nehru — then just two months short of his 64th birthday — won the toss and chose to bat as parliamentarians trotted onto the ground dressed in traditional cricket whites. In a striking moment that underscored the spirit of the occasion, Nehru is seen batting alongside then leader of the Opposition A.K. Gopalan during the second innings of the two-day match.

The video also captures then president Rajendra Prasad and several Union ministers watching the proceedings from the stands. Nehru’s XI declared their first innings at 220 for three, while the vice-president’s XI closed the opening day at 86 for two.

As the second day’s play began, the MPs again emerged in whites, with the commentator remarking that “cricket knows no politics” — a line that neatly captured the mood of the exhibition match.

The footage offers glimpses of Nehru’s enthusiasm on the field, including a moment where he chases a delivery to the boundary to prevent a four and fields in close positions. During breaks in play, both Nehru and Radhakrishnan appealed to spectators for generous contributions to flood relief.

The vice-president’s XI later declared their first innings at 231 for six. In reply, Nehru’s team declared their second innings at 160 for three, with Nehru himself coming out to bat amid commentary noting that he was wielding the willow after a gap of 40 years.

The match ended in a draw, but Nehru continued his involvement beyond the crease, taking on the role of an auctioneer at the conclusion of play to further raise funds. Nearly Rs 1 lakh was collected through the exhibition match for flood relief.

Exhibition cricket matches featuring parliamentarians have long been used to support social causes, and politicians have on several occasions displayed notable skill on the pitch. As recently as 2024, Members of Parliament played a friendly 20-over match at Delhi’s Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium to raise awareness against tuberculosis.

In that match, the Lok Sabha Speaker’s XI, led by Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur, defeated the Rajya Sabha chairman’s XI by 73 runs, with Thakur named ‘man of the match’ for his unbeaten knock of 111 runs.

With PTI inputs