Thus began my journey with International games and it’s just a coincidence that I will be officiating my 100^th International game at the very stadium where I had begun my journey. The test match between India and Afghanistan which begins at Bengaluru on 14.06.18 would be my 100^th International game. It is also a coincidence that this 100^th game has come in my 50^th year of my cricketing career.

On May, 10, 1975, at home, Doddamma, Kitty, Seeki and Dodda Jayamma interviewed a girl in alliance for me. Her name was Vijayalakshmi, who became my life partner on 25^th June 1975.

Marriage took place at Hoysala Karnataka Sangha Hostel. Wilson Gardens, Bangalore and was attended by mother’s mentor “Seeni” with his family, which made me very happy. 

I was never aware of the fact that the “Emergency” was clamped in the country on June, 25, 1975.  When I reported for duty at the Bank, one of my colleague – Clement Susainathan, called me aside and asked “what were you doing on 25^th June”. I told him sheepishly, that I got married on that day. He joked that when the entire country was having Emergency on that day, you were having your “Emergency Night”. Clement resigned from the bank later and has settled down in US. We had a get together when he visited Bengaluru last year.

Prior to our wedding, I went for a walk with Vijayalakshmi and her sisters and cousins. At one moment, we two were left alone while her sisters and cousins were walking a few steps ahead of us. I suddenly told my would-be wife that you are “my second wife”. She was puzzled for a moment and stared directly in my eyes. I told her that Cricket is my first wife and she was my second. She was relived and told that she is very much interested in Carnatic Classical Vocal music. From that day to this day, we have never interfered in our respective fields.

I was the official scorer for many domestic matches such as Irani Cup matches, Duleep Trophy matches and a couple of Ranji Trophy matches played at Bengaluru.

In one such Irani Cup match played in the month of October in scorching heat, there was no shelter for official scorers. Sri M Chinnaswamy saw the lapse after the start of the match on the first day of the match and arranged for shelter during Lunch. Sri B Satyaji Rao, remembers this incident even to this day and the reaction of Sri M Chinnaswamy to the lapse of providing shelters to scorers was really apologetic. He was feeling a “Papa Prajna” for the lapse. It appears he told all the officials about this lapse and also feeling for me as I scorched under the Sun’s heat.

I sweat a lot and I used to score the matches with an Ink Pen. There were occasions when the score sheet used to get smudged due to my placing the palm on the score sheet. The score sheet used to look ugly. Seeki – my uncle came with a solution of using Dot Pens. I went a step ahead and used four coloured dot pens – Blue, Black, Green and Red. Singles scored by the batsmen were with Red, twos with Green, threes with Blue and fours with Black. This made the score sheet very colourful and also gave it a beautiful appearance. Thus I became the first scorer to introduce colour pens for scoring. This also made me easy to count the number of fours and sixes scored by the batsmen with ease.

Bengaluru became the test Centre hosting the test match between India and West Indies in November 1974. All India Radio had two commentary booths – one in English and another in Hindi. Cavale was an automatic choice for English Booth and M.S. Srihari, Programme Executive, All India Radio, was scouting a scorer for the Hindi Booth. It appears that he contacted Sri M. Chinnaswamy who had suggested my name. B. Satyaji Rao had also used his good offices to have me as a scorer for the Hindi Booth. B. Satyaji Rao and M.S. Srihari were good friends.

Thus, I made my international debut as a scorer for the first ever test match at Bengaluru between India and West Indies.

Suresh Saraiya, who was the Commentator for the English Booth had travelled to Bangalore along with Yashwant Chad, a scorer for All India Radio commentary broadcast of commentaries in Bombay, assuring him of the scoring assignment for the Bengaluru test.

It appears that Saraiya had put pressure on M.S.Srihari, to have Chad as a scorer instead of me citing the reason that I have no experience of scoring a test match. But M.S. Srihari, according to him, told Saraiya, that since Bengaluru has become a test centre and will host test matches in future, I have to build up a panel at Bengaluru and cannot have Chad as a scorer for the test. Thus H.R. Gopala Krishna, the International test cricket scorer was born.

Seeki my second uncle – was all help to me on the eve of the test. He knew that I have little knowledge of numbers in Hindi and gave me a book containing the Hindi equivalent to numbers. Seeki was a Hindi teacher and had passed MA Examination in Hindi from Benares University. He was also a Tamra Patri Awardee by Sri B.D. Jatti for his contribution to Hindi in the State of Mysore/Karnataka as a Hindi Pracharak.

Another interesting thing happened during the test. On the second day of the test, Tony Cozier, Guest Commentator for English Commentary broadcast saw my score sheet in person during lunch and appreciated it. He asked me whether I am officiating the third test at Madras.  I said no and requested to have the autographs of West Indian Cricketers on the score sheet. He took the score sheet to each of the touring West Indies team member and had their autographs for me. The score sheet is still the proud possession of mine. I have laminated all the four sheets. All the four score sheets of four innings of the test are annexed to this note.  I am glad to note that these score sheets have found a place prominently at the entrance of the club house of KSCA.

In the year 1971, Engineers did not get a job as there was recession in the entire country. Civil Engineers were absorbed in PWD. It was a hard time for Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. I had worked on Daily wages of Six rupee a day in the Soil Testing Sub Division of PWD at Ananda Rao Circle, Bangalore.

I applied for a Box Advertisement in Deccan Herald from a Nationalized Bank calling for Clerks and wrote the written test. I was selected by Dena Bank and got an appointment letter asking me to report at Sarjapura Branch in the first week of December 1971. Doddamma was unhappy at my joining the Bank job. She expressed her unhappiness and said, “Annaiah was an Engineer and was an officer and you being an Engineer, I am unhappy at your joining the Bank as a clerk.” Again Kitty came to my rescue in convincing Doddamma and I reported at Sarjapura Branch of the Bank and joined Dena Bank as a clerk on 15.12.1971

Annaiah’s concern about me was evident from the following conversation in the year 1969. I was doing my fourth year Engineering and on a particular Thursday (Thursdays we did not have classes after 10.00 AM – I used to be back home by 11.30 AM), we were conversing. Suddenly he asked me, ‘Gopala – have you taken drinks’. I was taken aback at this and asked why you are asking me the question. He told me that you are going to a college which is far away. If there is no class, you are spending time in the room of a friend/class mate who is in the hostel. Now a days drinking has become a habit among the students in the hostel. If you are into it, please tell me, as a father, I ought to know your habits. I told him, that I am not into it, and promised him that I will never take it. As long as he was alive, I never touched it and after his demise also I never touched it. I was offered drinks by G.R. Viswanath on his birth day, Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath and K. Srikkanth offered the drinks on the tour of Sri Lanka at Kandy and many clients had offered me the drinks while in service with the bank. I have said a firm “no” to all these offers and remained a “teetotaler” through the 49 years that have gone by.

In the year 1972-73, MCC toured India and played a match at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. It appears that MCC did not have a scorer on the tour and requested Shri M. Chinnaswamy to arrange a Scorer for them. M. Chinnaswamy was looking out for me in the Stadium. I was in the stadium premises. I had gone to the stadium to collect the entry badge for scoring the match next day. He sent words for me. When I appeared before him, he handed over the MCC Score Book and asked me to score the match for MCC.  My joy knew no bounds and the first thing I did was to inform my Guru Cavale regarding the assignment. He felt happy for me and gave me some useful tips as the score cards differed in style.  I brought the score book home in the evening. I was introduced to Mr. Donald Carr, who was the former England Captain and the Manager of the touring MCC team by Shri M. Chinnaswamy on the morning of the match as ‘Your Scorer’. I warmly shook his hands. It was a three day match and at the end of the first day, Shri Chinnaswamy asked me to show him the score book and expressed happiness at the way the work was carried out. On the last day of the match, I handed over the score book to Mr. Donald Carr after the match was over and he patted on my back saying “Well Done, My boy”. His words of appreciation came in presence of Shri M. Chinnaswamy, Shri Nagaraj and Shri B. Visweswara Rao. It was great honour for me. I cherish those encouraging words by a renowned England captain even today.

During July 1969, there was a tragedy at home. Chikka Jayamma who was pregnant had an abortion at her in-law’s residence. She saw the abortion happening in front of her eyes and breathed her last immediately suffering from a heart attack. It was on Ashada Shuddha Trayodashi, two days prior to Bheemana Amaavasya Festival, she breathed her last.

Her death has a huge impact on my educational career. I was unable to concentrate on studies. I completed the Engineering course but withdrew from the Examination in April 1970. Appeared for the examination in September 1970 – passed in all subjects except two in which I got ordinance.  Appeared for two papers in April and failed again.

During June 1971, Annaiah fell sick and was admitted to Bowring hospital for treatment. He did not return home and breathed his last exactly at 9.00 PM on 31^st July 1971. I remember the time as precisely as I had a watch in my hand and Annaiah had asked me the time just the previous minute. He was to be discharged on 31^st July 1971 in the morning. He called for the “Panchanga” from home and had told the Doctor that he wished to get discharged on 01 Aug 1971, as 31^st July 1971 was Navami. He could not fulfill his wish as he breathed his last on Navami itself.

Doddamma, Kitty, Seeki and Dodda Jayamma and we two, me and Chandri were totally shattered at the demise of Annaiah. Doddamma’s pain was unbearable as she lost her daughter and son within a span of one year and that too in front of her eyes and in her old age. She was 85 plus then.  I was direction less and spent many hours playing cards with a decent company of friends. I used to reach home late 11.00 PM or sometimes past midnight. I never bothered to study for the two ordinance papers I had to finish. It was Kitty’s timely intervention and advice put me back on rails. Later on I learnt that it was Doddamma’s direction to Kitty to talk to me. I was at studies again and passed the two papers with ease by getting good marks and completed the B.E. Degree in Electrical Engineering. I paid heed to Kitty’s advice and stopped playing cards with the same intensity I used to play. Late coming home was put to halt and I became an obedient boy of the family.

In retrospect, Annaiah knew his time of demise. This was confirmed as he had casted Ashtaka Varga, which gives the exact time of one’s death. I found this casting/prediction hidden in a box kept in his cup board after some years. He has learnt Astrology so well from his maternal uncle “Kanti” who was a renowned Astrologer of his times in Channaraya Patna. I was also lucky enough to learn Astrology basics from Annaiah and Kanti.

Annaiah’s profound knowledge of Astrology was made known to me by his brother-in-laws – Ramanna and Kittu. Ramanna was to tell me that he had gone to Thirthahally to see my mother who was sick. During conversation with Annaiah, Ramanna was told the exact time of death of my mother. My mother passed away almost the same date predicted by Annaiah. Kittu also told me the same incident appreciating the knowledge of Astrology of his brother in law and was awe about his predictions.

During Annaiah’s hospitalization, I was with him in the hospital. He was hospitalized for a month. I used to spend nearly Ten Rupees a day. During the last week of July, he had asked me how much money I have. I told him I have fifty rupees with me which I had borrowed from his cousin Prabhakara {Yenkana Maga} towards the examination fees which I had to pay on the last date of August,04, 1971. He asked me to spend the amount and assured me that the examination fee can be drawn from his Pension Account which would be disbursed on 31^st of July.

Annaiah’s colleague by name Shri Gundu Rao used to visit him at the hospital on hearing the news of his hospitalization. Shri Gundu Rao had retired as Executive Engineer from PWD and was staying in Bowring hospital quarters with his son Dr. Somashekhar who was an anesthetist. Shri Gundu Rao slipped a note of fifty rupees into the hands of Kitti as Annaiah’s body was taken out in a trolley from the ward. Annaiah’s cremation expenses were met with the amount of fifty rupees given by Shri Gundu Rao. I paid my examination fees by borrowing from my classmate Chandrashekhar who was already employed with MICO.