Farokh Engineer and BS Chandrasekhar’s 1972-73 mopeds going viral last week provided good reason to elaborate on that unique end-of-series prize as well other rewards cricketers received in the 1970s, 1980s

Two pages from separate Sportsweek magazine issues promoting the moped reward for the top run-maker and wicket-taker in the 1972-73 India v MCC series

Nostalgia spreads far and wide in this world of WhatsApp and social media.

A 1973 advertisement in Sportsweeek magazine announcing BS Chandrasekhar (35 wickets) and Farokh Engineer (415 runs) as winners of Luna mopeds for being top performers in India’s victorious 1972-73 home series against the MCC (England toured under the name Marylebone Cricket Club till 1976-77) went viral last week.

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It landed up in Engineer’s phone too while he was preparing to make a trip to Guwahati for a function organised by the Assam Cricket Association academy.

Engineer expressed his delight at the page from the past going viral. “Even Chandra sent me [this] alongwith thousands of others,” he told me.

Engineer is never short of a back story to an event. In this case, a post-event story. He said, “The presentation took place at CCI [Brabourne Stadium] immediately after the India v England series [1972-73] where myself and Chandra were presented a Luna bike each as the highest run-scorer and highest wicket-taker in the series. I had to catch a flight to UK in a few hours so I asked the........

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