The year was 1962. India was going to take on the mighty West Indies for a five-match Test series in their backyard. At a cocktail party before the tour game against Barbados, the West Indies cricketing giant Frank Worrell sowed the seeds of terror in the already injury-hit Indian camp. Charles Griffith, he warned,
“was crude and impolite and he once hit an 18-year-old batter on the head and didn't even apologize. So it would be better to get out than get hit."
Worrell’s words were to prove fateful as the Indian captain Nari Contractor was hit on the head by a sickening bouncer and the incident as we know is etched in cricket folklore.
Contractor made his international debut in 1955. An astounding innings of 81 at the Lord’s in 1959 followed by a dogged performance at home against Australia later that year (which also included his only Test century) established him as a permanent member of the side. He was appointed the captain, making him the youngest at the time. His leadership skills came to the fore in 1961-62 where he led India to historic home series victory against England. But his biggest challenge was about to come.
The West Indies were a tough proposition for any touring side in those days. For Contractor and his men, the 1961-62 tour was a challenge one too many. They were routed in the first two tests by huge margins, with Contractor failing to make an impact with the bat. Then came the critical encounter against Barbados which changed the destiny of the Indian skipper.
Barbados had a potent bowling attack - consisting of Wes Hall, George Rock and a certain Charlie Griffith, who came with an intimidating reputation. The Indian skipper was initially not supposed to play. But injuries within the squad left him no other option.
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Barbados piled up 394 batting first. Then began the Indian innings. After seeing Contractor face a few deliveries from Griffith, Rusi Surti from the non-striker end warned his captain to be careful as Griffith was chucking the ball. Contractor instead asked him to inform the umpire and not distract him.
The next ball hit Contractor on the head, near his right year. He collapsed to the ground with blood oozing out of his nose and ears. He was rushed to the nearby hospital where a local surgeon performed an emergency operation to stabilize him until the neurosurgeon arrived.
Contractor had lost a lot of blood so teammates with the same blood group, including Chandu Borde, Bapu Nadkarni and Polly Umrigar donated blood. In a heartwarming gesture, the opposition skipper Frank Worrell also came forward and donated blood.
Meanwhile, the match continued with players oblivious of Contractor’s condition. After the day's play, Griffith visited the hospital to check on him. As Contractor regained full consciousness after six days, the players and family members breathed a sigh of relief. The incident sent shockwaves through the cricket fraternity and demands were raised to ban bouncers in cricket. Contractor however had strong reservations. He opined,
"I wouldn't like to create a situation that would allow anybody to point a finger at me and say, Because he was hit, he is a crybaby”
In Rajdeep Sardesai’s Democracy XI, Contractor revealed that when Griffith came to bowl that fateful delivery, the area behind his arm went black because someone in the pavilion opened a window in a dark room.
This is why he couldn’t sight the ball that hit him on the head. Contractor could not continue on the tour and his deputy, the 21-year-old Tiger Pataudi, had to take charge, making him India’s youngest captain. India ended the series with a forgettable scoreline of 5-0.
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Frank Worrell’s compassionate and humanitarian act was widely praised. As a mark of respect, ‘Frank Worrell Day’ is celebrated on February 3 every year in the Indian state of West Bengal, where the Cricket Association of West Bengal organizes a blood donation drive. Ironically, Worrell succumbed to Leukemia (Blood cancer) at the age of 42.
The flamboyant left-handed batter made his comeback in domestic cricket merely 10 months after the horrendous incident. His courage and determination was astounding, as he dreamt of making an international comeback. But his international career could not be revived as he was never picked for India again.
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