This tour was privately organized, and was not endorsed by the
Australian Board of Control. Australia's
Test team were touring
South Africa, and the Board, determined that the
Sheffield Shield season should not be further affected by the absence of leading players, stipulated that no current
Sheffield Shield players would be allowed to tour India.[1]
The finance for the tour was provided by
The Maharaja of Patiala, and the team was selected and organized by the Australian cricketer
Frank Tarrant, who had long playing experience in Australia, England and India. The team's official title was "His Highness the Maharaja of Patiala's Team of Australian Cricketers".[2]
The Australian team
The team chosen consisted largely of former Test players and fringe Sheffield Shield players.[3] The players, with their ages at the start of the tour in late October 1935, were:
As well,
Frank Warne (29) played in three of the first-class matches,
Frank Tarrant (54) and Joseph Davis (age unknown) each played in two, and Tarrant's son
Louis (31) played in one. The Maharaja of Patiala also played in one match for the Australians, as guest captain against
Patiala, who were captained by his son,
the Yuvraj of Patiala.[4]
The tour
The tour began in October 1935 in
Colombo with one first-class match against
Ceylon which the Australians won by an innings and 127 runs.[5]
From November 1935 to February 1936, the team played 16 first-class matches in India, including four matches against an
All-India XI: