The Bicentennial MG Kailis-Chemplast Trophy.
March 1988 was a momentous month in the history of Tamil Nadu cricket. The state team won the Ranji Trophy for the national championship after a lapse of 34 years. That season, Western Australia had annexed the Sheffield Shield, to win the Australian national cricket competition.
Inspired by the possibility of the two national champions locking horns to decide the better team between them, N Sankar mooted the idea of an annual contest between them to MG Kailis an Australian friend who headed the MG Kailis Group.
The result was the MG Kailis-Chemplast Trophy.
The inaugural edition of the trophy took place in Perth, Western Australia, and Western Australia emerged triumphant, while the return fixture next year at Chepauk ended in a draw without an innings being completed. The championship was therefore retained by the visitors. The magnificent trophy adorns the WACA pavilion.
The tournament provided huge exposure for the young cricketers in each of the two teams to the conditions obtaining in the host country. The Tamil Nadu cricketers were especially fortunate to play against international players at a time when such opportunities were few and far between.
MG Kailis (centre) and N Sankar (extreme right) seen with the trophy.
For The Sanmar Group, and its Chairman, it has been an earnest desire to continue to make the MG Kailis-Chemplast Trophy a permanent annual fixture, but despite several attempts to revive it, many difficulties have so far stood in the way of the revival.