Mahatma Gandhi’s cricket connection

#3 MCC’s 17th player - M.K.Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi signed as the 17th player for MCC

Marylebone Cricket Club in England and remains to be one of the oldest cricket clubs in the world. MCC is still the authority when it comes to deciding the laws of cricket. The English cricket team would undertake every international tour under the name of MCC from 1877 to 1976-77. Mahatma Gandhi has a very interesting connection with the Cricket Club, here is the story.

The MCC touring team arrived in India in 1933 to initiate international cricket in India. Vijay Merchant’s (a leading Indian batsman) sister, Laxmi Merchant, collected the autographs of all the 16 English cricketers that visited the Indian shores. The list included illustrious names like Douglas Jardine and Hedley Verity.

Laxmi next went to Mahatma Gandhi to take his autograph for her collection. The nobleman leafed through the autograph book for a place to sign. Gandhi eventually noted himself down as the 17th man in the MCC squad and signed “17. M K Gandhi.” This unique act demonstrated how Mahatma Gandhi never harbored any personal grudges against the English men and was only opposed to the tyranny of the British rule.