Ceylonese cricket team in India in 1940–41

The Ceylon cricket team visited India in December 1940 and January 1941. Ceylon did not then have Test status, but two three-day unofficial Tests were played: the first was drawn, and India won the second. The tour also included one other first-class match and two minor matches.^[1]

It was the second tour abroad by a Ceylonese team, and one of only two international cricket tours to take place during World War II; the other was the Indian tour to Ceylon in 1944-45.

The Ceylon team

Jayawickreme and Kelaart were the only members of the party that had taken part in Ceylon's previous tour in 1932-33.

Wahid, an opening batsman and left-arm spin bowler who played for Moors Sports Club in Colombo, played only in the two minor matches, and never played first-class cricket.^[2]^[3]

The tour

The tour began with a victory for Ceylon over Madras.^[4] The first international match, against an Indian team consisting mostly of players from Bengal, followed in Calcutta; it was drawn after Ceylon had taken a first-innings lead of 121 thanks to an innings of 138 by Jayawickreme.^[5] In the second international match three days later in Bombay, India fielded an entirely different team, which overwhelmed Ceylon by an innings and 110 runs.^[6] Two minor matches followed; both were drawn.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b "Ceylon in India 1940/41". CricketArchive. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
^ "Cricket". Moors Sports Club. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
^ "Abdul Wahid". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
^ "Madras v Ceylon 1940-41". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
^ "Indian XI v Ceylon, Calcutta 1940-41". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
^ "Indian XI v Ceylon, Bombay 1940-41". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 September 2017.