'We used to get Rs 250 per Test then'

CHENNAI: The 79-year-old C D Gopinath, the sole surviving member of the squad which earned India its first Test win at Chepauk against England in 1952, doesn't need an instant to recall the historic moment when he took the last England wicket, latching on to a catch offered by John Statham to long on.
"It's just as if it happened yesterday. How can I forget," said Gopinath."I can reminisce over each and every moment of that historic victory," he added.
"It was the last match of the series. After the Tests in Delhi, Mumbai, Kanpur and Calcutta, we were trailing 0-1 and it was a matter of prestige to level the series. We were pumped up, and it was also a special match for me as I was playing in front of the home crowd. When I took the catch, we knew we had made the impossible possible. It was a moment of great pride," Gopinath recalls.
Recalling his teammates, he says, "Ours was a special team. You don't always have Vijay, Polly, Lala Amarnath, Ghulam Ahmed and Pankaj (Roy) in the same line-up."
The decisive factor in the game was Mankad's 12-wicket haul which resulted in an innings win. "Nowadays no bowler can set a field and bowl like Vinoo. He was so perfect."
Gopinath said all of them considered it an honour to represent the country, it was never about the money. "It was sheer passion. Moreover, BCCI was not that rich. We used to get only Rs 250 per Test as 'smoke money' and always travelled by train. We didn't stay in hotels. Even foreign players used to share accommodation as 'house guest'. But I have no regrets."