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No caste at the crease
Updated On: 21 March, 2024 05:26 AM IST | Mumbai | Upala KBR
Ajay, Tigmanshu and Priti join forces to back biopic on Palwankar Baloo, India’s first Dalit cricketer; film adapted from historian Ramachandra Guha’s book
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Ajay Devgn
Sometimes, heroes and their achievements are lost in the annals of time. Palwankar Baloo’s is one such story, remembered only in the inner circles of Indian cricket. With his 2002 book, A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport, historian Ramachandra Guha put the spotlight on Baloo, the country’s first Dalit cricketer. Now, producers Ajay Devgn, Tigmanshu Dhulia and Priti Vinay Sinha are set to make a film on the sportsperson, who triumphed over caste discrimination to earn his rightful place on the pitch.
Starting out as a groundsman at cricket clubs in Pune, Baloo shifted to Bombay in 1896 and was selected to play for the Hindu Gymkhana. In 1911, the left-arm spin bowler played in the all-Indian team during their England tour in which he took 114 wickets. While today he is considered the greatest Indian cricketer of the early 20th century, he faced discrimination throughout his career as he belonged to oppressed caste. It is said that during tea intervals at matches, his tea would be brought separately outside as he was not allowed entry in the pavilion. His lunch was served at a separate table.
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