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Sports : General
By S. Thyagarajan
MJ was an icon of his times. At least in this metropolis, few sportsmen attracted such attention as he did by the sheer force of his personality and proficiency in more than one sport at the international level. In a period when sport was perceived as the preserve of the aristocracy, Gopalan underscored the fact that latent talent, if rightly encouraged and marshalled, was bound to bloom regardless of the status or position in life. He was indeed lucky to have a mentor in C.P. Johnstone, his boss at the Burmah-Shell and skipper on the field. If the association with C.P. Johnstone embellished Gopalan's art of bowling and artistry with the willow, the chance discovery of the talent by the first sportswriter of The Hindu, Murugesa Mudaliar, opened for MJ the charms of hockey. "While watching a hockey match in Mylapore, the famous journalist saw a young chap in dhoti and kudumi playing as centre forward convert a short corner with a bullet like shot which hit the goal post and broke it into two... on the spot. Murugesa Mudaliar collared the young fellow, took him to a sports firm and got him a complete hockey outfit. Next evening he made Gopalan a right extreme for the YMIA team in their final against UTC in the SIAA tournament. At once Gopalan justified Mudaliar's faith by scoring the only goal of the match," recorded that veteran journalist, E.K. Ramaswami, of The Hindu in an article. Endowed with an extraordinary physique — tall, loose-limbed and broad-shouldered, Gopalan was an instant hero. His large wrists were hard and tough; anyone who shook his hands, even when he was 80-plus, felt the power of that grip. It is this strength that enabled him reach the top in two demanding disciplines, cricket and hockey. His admirers marvel at how Gopalan used to cycle his way after a full day's play at MCC, rush for a hockey tie at MUC or SIAA, and still be fresh for the next day's game. Former captain, Vijay Merchant wrote, "I well remember that quite often when representative matches were played in Madras, he used to cycle about 10 miles to get to the ground for a couple of hours practice and then go back the same distance to start work for the day. Once or twice, I appealed to the authorities to get the necessary leave for him the whole day.....but Gopalan would have none of it." Any attempt to evalaute Gopalan within the web of statistics is a fruitless endeavour. He played in an era when the romance of cricket and the nuances of hockey were the chief concern for the purists. The elegance and grace of his off-drives, the rhythm of his bowling action, and the aesthetics associated with the scoop from the mid-field to the winger on either side in hockey pleased the senses. Never was he seen as a utilitarian; in everything he exuded a touch of class. "Gopalan's art takes the senses by assault by its bravura. As the off-drives thunder over the grass pursued by an unavailing fieldsman, he elevates the game to the highest regions of thought," commented the noted essayist, N.S. Ramaswami. There were, however, instances when figures did underline his calibre. One admirer, T.M. Ragunathan, recalled that the 101 not out against United Provinces in the Ranji Trophy in 1940 was a classic effort both in conception and execution. Another opined that the 64 for South Zone against John Goddard's West Indies team in 1948 was an astonishing effort while some asserted the 98 for Madras against Lord Tennyson's team was a matchless innings seen at Chepauk. An outstanding bowling performance was the six for 16 in the first and seven for 57 in the second innings against the All Ceylon in 1932. Five of the six victims were clean bowled in the first innings. The six for 23 against Jack Ryder's Australia in 1935-36 was another splendid effort. He had an 11 wicket haul in that match. An unknown fact to many was that Gopalan in 1938 figured for the Hindus in the quadrangular along with CK, Lala, and Vijay Merchant. The power equations at the all-India level then were such that it was impossible for anyone from the south of the Vindhyas to make much headway in Tests. Gopalan had just one Test appearance in 1934 against Jardine's team, scoring 18 runs in two innings and claiming the solitary wicket of James Langridge. The controversial tour of England in 1936 gave little scope for Gopalan to demonstrate his prowess. Even today, many wonder why Gopalan opted out of the hockey team to the Olympics at Berlin where India captured the gold. Gopalan's colleague and another double international on that tour, C. Ramaswami wrote, "Personally, I feel that Gopalan would have been wiser if he had gone with the Indian Olympic hockey team which won the gold." "I first thought hockey was his second love and cricket the first. He is a grand fellow," wrote Dhyan Chand in his autobiography, GOAL, when MJ chose to tour New Zealand with the hockey team in 1935. The team played 48 matches during its tour of Madras, Ceylon, Australia and New Zealand. It won all the matches totalling 584 goals. Gopalan played 39 of the 48 matches. The honour of delivering the first ball in the Ranji Trophy against Mysore in 1934 fell on Gopalan. For more than a decade and half, he figured in the National championship aggregating 1142 runs and claiming 69 wickets. His reign in the Presidency Matches against the Europeans lasted from 1927 to 1948. The presence two pacemen, Gopalan and Rangachari, both Test stars, made the local league outfit, Triplicane Cricket Club, a force to be reckoned with. Gopalan was a regular for over two decades, and figured occasionally even when he was in the late 50s. Crowds thronged the Marina whenever MJ participated in a league on that ground. Once a section of the spectators went into an uncontrollable fury when their idol — in the his late 50s — was intimidated by a beamer from a top rated state spinner. The veteran did not flinch. Gallantly he carried on. As a national selector, Gopalan was credited with enabling three local players, A.G. Kripal Singh, A.G. Milka Singh and V.V. Kumar, get a chance in the Indian team against England at Bombay in 1962. The Gopalan Trophy instituted for matches between Madras and Ceylon in 1953-54, and the gate named after him at the MAC Stadium are testimony to the respect and regard he has among the administrators and followers. As his mentor, C.P. Johnstone wrote in the testimonial souvenir in 1952, "the most important of all was his sportsmanship; his demeanour on the field was always an example for every young cricketer or hockey player to follow." As S.A. Govindarajan, Assistant Editor of The Hindu summed up in foreword in the Commemoration Souvenir in 1952, "but to us in Madras he will ever remain the modest, kindly sportsman, always avoiding the limelight but every ready to help others." The memory of Gopalan will ever remain.
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