As a bit of an old timer, I am thrilled to see Test cricket return to the venerable Brabourne stadium. As young cricket fans being initiated into the game the majestic venue in Mumbai (then Bombay) held a special aura for us.

We had read so much of its history, heard so many of the stories associated with the great matches played at the stadium right from the time it played host to its first game in December 1937 that for us young cricket fans it was the ground that inspired dreams.

It was the Maharaja of Patiala's gift to Indian cricket. It was his wish that the country should have a stadium that could rival Lord's. And from the time Lord Tennyson's team played there in 1937, till the time it was host to its last Test in February 1973, few doubted that the hoary history and tradition associated with it coupled with the great deeds performed on the lush green field did not match anything that unfolded on other famous cricketing venues the world over.

The Brabourne stadium might