WATCH | Rare vintage 1953 video captures Nehru, AKG and S Radhakrishnan together at the crease

New Delhi — The Congress has released a rare video of a cricket match played between a team led by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and another captained by Dr S Radhakrishnan, who was then Vice President and would later become President of India.

The exhibition match, held in 1958, was organised by Members of Parliament to raise funds for people affected by floods. Nehru was 64 years old at the time.

Sharing the video on X, AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Nehru’s team won the toss and chose to bat first. The footage was discovered by Jai Galgali, a researcher of Indian cricket history.
 

One of the most striking moments in the video shows Nehru walking out to bat alongside the then Leader of the Opposition, A K Gopalan (AKG). The two shared the crease during the second innings of the match. The game was played over two days.

The match drew a distinguished audience, including President Rajendra Prasad and several Union ministers.

Nehru’s team declared their first innings at 220 for three. The Vice President’s team ended the first day at 86 for two. The footage also captures Nehru sprinting all the way to the boundary line to stop a shot while fielding — a moment that reflects both his energy and sporting spirit.

The match eventually ended in a draw, but the images it left behind offer a rare and moving glimpse of a time when political rivals stood together at the crease, united by sport and a shared sense of public duty.