First-class Cricket Career
Baloo played for the Hindu side in the famous 1906 and 1907 matches against the Europeans of the Bombay Gymkhana, in which the Hindus defeated the Europeans by 109 runs and 238 runs respectively. These matches led to various newspaper commentaries, of two types: ones proclaiming a victory over caste prejudice as the united Hindu team triumphed, and others painting them in nationalist tones as a victory of the natives against European rule.
Baloo was chosen for an all-Indian team to tour England in 1911, consisting of Parsis, Hindus, and Muslims, captained by a Sikh. In results terms, the tour was a failure, but Baloo was the outstanding performer for the tourists, taking 114 wickets at an average of 18.84, 75 of which were in first class matches.
From 1912 to 1919, Baloo was a regular player in the Bombay Quadrangular tournament, between the Hindu, Parsi, Muslim, and European Gymkhanas. Despite regular calls for him to be named captain of the Hindu team, there was still enough caste-based prejudice within the club to prevent it. Three of his brothers, Shivram, Ganpat and Vithal, also played in the Quadrangular, and Palwankar Vithal eventually captained the Hindu team.
In 1920, Baloo was dropped from the side to play the Muslims. Rank and file members of the club were outraged and at a meeting after the match expressed their displeasure so vehemently that Deodhar was removed and Baloo invited to play again for the Hindu Gymkhana, as vice captain. During the next match against the Parsis, Deodhar's replacement, M. D. Pai (also a Brahmin), deliberately left the field for an extended period, allowing Baloo to direct the team in his absence. In this manner, Baloo broke the barrier against members of his caste acting as leaders, at a time when Mahatma Gandhi was just beginning his campaign against the stigma of Untouchability.
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