जब भी ओलंपिक और क्रिकेट दोनों से जुड़े खिलाड़ियों का जिक्र होता है- भारत से एमजे गोपालन (MJ Gopalan) का नाम लिया जाता है। वे क्रिकेट और हॉकी दोनों में बहुत बेहतर थे और दोनों साथ-साथ खेलते भी रहे।
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SportsTranscript
00:00There are only a few days left until the start of the Paris Olympic 2024, and our coverage will shift from cricket to the Olympic Games.
00:09But before that shift, let's talk about the story of cricket related to the Olympics.
00:15The story of the cricketer who said goodbye to the Olympic gold medal in the hope of playing test cricket.
00:24What did he get from this decision?
00:31There have been many players who not only played cricket for their country, but also participated in other games for the country.
00:41Even in the Olympic Games.
00:44Whenever such players are mentioned, the name comes from India.
00:49M.J. Gopalan
00:51M.J. Gopalan was a great player of both cricket and hockey, and played both games together.
00:57In cricket, Gopalan was a right-handed batsman and a fast-medium game player.
01:01While in field hockey, he was a very talented centre-forward.
01:05At that time, many English cricketers played at home in India, and they praised M.J. Gopalan many times.
01:14There is another special record in the name of M.J. Gopalan.
01:17When the Ranji Trophy began in 1934, M.J. Gopalan threw his first ball.
01:26M.J. Gopalan played 78 first-class matches in which he scored 2,916 runs in a century and took 194 wickets as a bowler.
01:37M.J. Gopalan wanted to play both games together.
01:41That's why he used to practice on the hockey field in the evening on the morning cricket nets.
01:47He also went on a tour of Ceylon, Australia and New Zealand with the Indian hockey team.
01:53M.J. Gopalan played in these tours and scored in 49 of the 48 matches.
02:01But in 1936, Gopalan had to choose between cricket and hockey.
02:09Any player who plays two games always comes to a point in his career when he has to choose between two games.
02:20The reason was small in front of Gopalan.
02:23The dates of the two important tournaments were clashing.
02:27In 1936, the Indian Test team went on a tour of England to play a series of three tests.
02:34This tour ran from 29th April to 15th September.
02:38Gopalan had made his Test cricket debut before that.
02:42In 1934, he played his first Test match against England in Eden Gardens for India.
02:50Obviously, Gopalan was also selected for the 1936 England tour.
02:55But that same year, that is, in 1936, there were also the Berlin Olympic Games.
03:01And India was the number one team in hockey at that time.
03:04It was also the gold medal winner.
03:06M.J. Gopalan had also played for India in hockey.
03:10The Olympic Games were from 1st to 16th August.
03:13And this way, Gopalan could participate in only one of the England Test Tour and Olympics.
03:19And when there was a dilemma to choose one, Gopalan, who wanted to play the Test for India, chose cricket.
03:28At that time, India had a famous sports official named Pankaj Gupta.
03:33Pankaj Gupta wanted India to be the number one team in the Berlin Olympics.
03:40Because at that time, there were many stories of defeating Hitler's team.
03:45So he wanted the Indian team to win the gold medal again.
03:49When Pankaj Gupta found out that M.J. Gopalan had chosen cricket and was participating in the cricket camp and not coming to the hockey camp,
03:57Pankaj Gupta went to Madras to convince him.
04:01Because Pankaj Gupta was also involved in cricket, he had an idea that there were excellent bowlers like Mohd. Nisar and Amar Singh in the Indian cricket team.
04:10And because of their presence, Gopalan would not get many chances to play in the tour.
04:15And there was very little hope of playing Test cricket.
04:18Pankaj Gupta explained to Gopalan that Gopalan, come with us to the Berlin Olympics as a part of the hockey team.
04:24It is almost decided to win our gold medal.
04:27But despite this, Gopalan chose cricket.
04:31And from here, M.J. Gopalan's Olympic connection ended forever.
04:37And what Pankaj Gupta had guessed happened.
04:41On the England tour, M.J. Gopalan got a chance to play some first class matches, but he was not allowed to play in the Test match.
04:49At the same time, the pressure of the Indian hockey team remained in the Berlin Olympics.
04:54And after winning the third Olympic gold medal in a row, Team India returned from there.
05:01Look at Gopalan's misfortune.
05:03After this tour, he was never selected in the Indian cricket team.
05:08And he was one of those cricketers who played only one Test match for Team India.
05:16The name of the Gopalan Trophy, which was played between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka for many years, is in his name.
05:23On December 21, 2003, when M.J. Gopalan died in Chennai at the age of 94,
05:30it was said that the important chapter of Indian cricket and Indian hockey history came to an end.