Test cricket is set to make a comeback to Brabourne Stadium after 35 years when India face England in the second Test in December, as the Wankhede Stadium is being renovated for the 2011 World Cup.

The news is music to the ears of the numerous Cricket Club of India (CCI) faithfuls, who have been waiting for years for the traditional form of cricket to return to their hallowed turf.

And no one would savour it more than the flamboyant Indian wicketkeeper-batsman of yesteryears, Farokh Engineer, who incidentally played in the last test at Brabourne, where he scored his career-best 121 against England in 1973.

Engineer, who is also an honorary member of the CCI, sounded ecstatic when contacted by The Indian Express at his adopted home in Manchester. "The Brabourne is a great stadium, one of the finest in the world, with a rich heritage and lots of history attached to it," said Engineer.

Recalling the evening of the first day’s play on February 6, 1973, when he scored his 121, Engineer says, ‘‘J R D Tata was sitting in the Governor’s box at the CCI when I scored my century, and he came down on to the ground and hugged me. He was wearing a white safari-suit which got drenched with my sweat when he did that."

Tata then led Engineer to the dressing-room and started helping him take off his pads. ‘‘At this point, I was too embarrassed that such a great man was doing this for me. He promised to leave me, only if I agreed to have lunch with him the next day at Bombay House, an offer I was privileged to receive,’’ added Engineer.

Engineer's memories of Brabourne Stadium don’t end there though as he recalls his trip to the venue as a child and his star sighting — England batsman Dennis Compton. ‘‘I was perched on my brother's shoulders, watching the game from the east-stand. I called out to Dennis, and he tossed me a chewing gum from the field,’’ said Engineer. ‘‘I met Dennis on a later date in England, and we had a chuckle about the chewing-gum.’’

Engineer considers the Wankhede Stadium to be a very good stadium, but said that it is difficult to compare it with the Brabourne. ‘‘The Wankhede was built in quite a rush, and maybe that is why there is a need for it to be renovated. The Braboune, on the other hand, is a very old stadium,’’ he explained. Engineer played only one Test at the Wankhede, where he got a pair.