Ian Burns

Ranga Plays Australia - a cricket dream Ian Burns

It's only four years after the end of WW2, when there were no great cricket matches. But now things are getting back to normal: the Australians have thrashed the Poms in England, India has played its first Test series in Australia, and 'the Don' has retired. In a small Bangalore village young Ranganathan Rao is musing about life in general and cricket in particular. The weather's been hot and dry for ever - everyone's eyes are skywards, looking for the monsoon. Except for Ranga's, whose spinning fingers begin to itch. Kumar, Ranga's English/Geography/History teacher, as part of a discourse on the strangeness of the English language, introduces his pupils to an especially strange word - that he heard an Australian say during the war - and invites them to try to pronounce it and identify its meaning. After many unsuccessful attempts Kumar reveals both the word's pronunciation and meaning, and suggests that everyone might remember this, as one day they might go to Australia. This starts Ranga thinking.