History was created in Mumbai on Thursday as for the first time since India played its first ever Test here in 1933, no Mumbaikar could make it to the playing eleven of a Test played in the nursery of the country’s cricket.

Although Mumbai player Shardul Thakur was included in the squad for the fourth India-England Test that commended here today at the Wankhede Stadium, he was not included in the playing XI at the eleventh hour to mark a rare happening.

Since 1933 when the Bombay Gymkhana, also in South Mumbai, played host to the first Test not only in this city but in the entire country, no Indian team has been without a Mumbai player in the eleven.

However with Ajinkya Rahane being ruled out of the remainder of the series after sustaining a freak finger injury during practice yesterday and Thakur, who was in the squad as a cover for Mohammed Shami, also not included, meant there was no representation from Mumbai.

There have been instances in the past when a playing eleven had six to seven players from Mumbai.

This is also the 25th Test being played at this ground, since the first one in 1974-75, and 44th overall with the Brabourne Stadium, on the south side of the Churchgate railway station, having hosted 18 games from 1948 to 1972.

And add to that, this is the first Test since Sachin Tendulkar made his debut that India are playing a Test in Mumbai where the Master Blaster is not in the XI.

Interesting times for Indian cricket, indeed.

With PTI inputs