Shute Banerjee and Nawanagar

The Nawanagar State team played in the Ranji Trophy championship in the 1930s and 1940s. In Nawanagar’s first venture into the national championship, they won the coveted Ranji Trophy at Bombay’s Brabourne Stadium in 1936-37 defeating Bengal in the final. They had a strong outfit with Amar Singh supported by the highly talented youngster Vinoo Mankad.

However, Nawanagar resorted to a highly unethical practice in the recruitment of the India all-rounder Shute (pronounced Shutay) Banerjee. Banerjee had gone to Bombay with the Bengal team, his home State, to play against Nawanagar in the Ranji Trophy final. As the premier all-rounder, he was having a highly successful season for Bengal.

 On the eve of the match, the Nawanagar State offered Shute Banerjee a job with the condition that he had to join their service from the next morning itself, which happened to be the first day of the Ranji Trophy final! The offer was couched in such a manner that Banerjee would not be able to play against Nawanagar.

 Unemployed Banerjee was in a quandary. He had little option. He opted for the security of a job thereby rendering himself ineligible for the final against Nawanagar. Thus Bengal was deprived of their main player and Nawanagar went on to win the Ranji Trophy with comparative ease.

Those days the eligibility rules of BCCI were highly elastic and inevitably some petty-minded, influential people like the Nawanagar royalty took advantage of the situation.

Shute Banerjee had a strange career even by the strange standards of selection of India teams in the 1930s and 1940s. The tall and broad shouldered Shute was a genuine fast bowler, ranked just beneath Mohammed Nissar and Ladla Ramji for sheer pace at the time.

In 1936 the young fast bowler toured England with Vizzy’s team. Mohammed Nissar of blitzkrieg pace and Amar Singh of crafty brilliance were the automatic choices in the first XI. But when Jahangir Khan played in all 3 Tests bowling 55 overs without a single wicket, one could make out that considerations apart from cricket skills and form were being given prominence.

As if this was not enough, Mohammed Baqa Jilani was played in the final test at the Oval. Jilani had done precious little on tour in comparison to the highly talented Banerjee. That Jilani abused CK Nayudu under captain Vizzy’s orders to get selected in the Oval Test team is another story, another time!

Back home Shute continued playing for India in the unofficial tests with success, even as an opening batsman! In 1946 again toured England with Iftiqar Ali Khan Pataudi’s team. His pace had come down considerably but the intelligent bowler used the seam to good effect on the grassy conditions in England.

This time in 1946 he even created a world record as a batsman! Both Chandu Sarwate and Shute Banerjee, batting at numbers 10 and 11, scored centuries against a strong Surrey side. But the official Test debut still eluded Shute.

In 1948-49 the West Indies came to India. In the 5^th and last Test match at Brabourne Stadium, India took the field with Saradindu Nath ‘Shute’ Banerjee in the playing XI for the first time in an official Test. Now at 36, the fast bowler was well past his prime and no one expected much from him.

However the ‘old man’ came with his bag full of cunning. He took 5 wickets and nearly helped India to win the Test against all odds. India had to score just 6 more runs when stumps were drawn. Ironically the man who brought India to the threshold of a great victory was never selected to play for India again!

His debut and his swan-song coincided. Before bidding his final adieu, by capturing 5 wickets and bringing India to the door step of a great victory, Shute Banerjee proved to the world how unjustly he was handled over the years.

He was the coach cum manager of the East Zone team in 1973-74. Once when I asked him about the injustice that he had to face in his cricket career, he gave a hearty laugh and said, “Results were not in my hands. Concentrated only on effort.” Only a strong devotee of Swami Vivekananda can say this in such a relaxed manner. A genuine Karma-yogi, it was my privilege to meet and admire.

After serving Nawanagar, he went to Bihar and led them till he retired in 1958 at 47! He happens to be the first-ever cricketer to play Test cricket from Bihar, and not from Bengal as CAB wants you too believe!

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