ABSTRACT
An analysis of the Australian cricket team’s experiences in India in 1935/36 reveals that many elements fulfilled clichéd colonial expectations of extravagance, privilege and hedonism. Yet, the cricketers simultaneously grew tired of conforming to the role of the colonial class. The team’s immersion in India encouraged the players to re-evaluate their attitudes towards racial inclusion, the legitimacy of colonization, Indian sovereignty and the pedagogical role of the white cricketer in the Orient. A close textual analysis of the writings of participating cricketers Wendell Bill, Ron Oxenham, Charlie Macartney and Jack Ryder details their responses to the social and racial codification they encountered, which it is argued was at times unexpectedly liberal. Australian batsman Hunter Hendry’s manuscript has not been critiqued elsewhere and provides valuable insight into his ambiguity towards the role of the white cricketer in India.
