Back on the uneasy saddle, while the run river flows

After the Oval Test I, from a Gavaskar-centric point of view, just hoped that this dream run continues for SMG. He was rightfully given back the captaincy for the long season ahead, which I thought was only justified. It should not have been taken away from him in the first place. But now that the threat of Packer was off, I guess the selectors were feeling more secure!

A feast of cricket awaited us in the next few months; warming up against a Australia without the ‘Packerites’ and then going onto the season’s derby, Pakistan in India after almost two decades and capping it with the jubilee test against England at Bombay.

Needless to say the trip for me was set to continue too. 13 Test matches over 3/4 months. Overdose for some, but not for the cricket junkie. How I wish we could get back to 5 Test series again in the present days. As someone just getting into his teens, I was ‘sure’ that his hero was going to go great guns anyway. So the roller-coaster ride began even before Oval had really sunk in!

By this time I was into reading quite a bit of cricket. I remembered how India had lost the series in Australia two years ago when the Packer players away. Australians, by now I knew, typified the never-say-die attitude even when some of their top players are not present. In short, they were hard to beat. But I was hoping Gavaskar’s India would prove to be too strong for this Australia, who was now without the same key players missing two years back and this time even Thommo wasn’t going to be there, and this time in India. But they were not to be taken lightly as they had discovered a new tyro called Rodney Hogg who had taken 41 wickets in the Ashes the previous season and was going to be supported by Alan Hurst and Geoff Dymock. Dymock was a left arm medium pacer, but I somehow did not like left arm bowlers against SMG and always felt left arm bowlers had a however slim, but a chance against the master early in the innings (This might be now as I think could be due to the fact that I never liked facing left arm bowlers very much, foolish me thinking of myself in the same breath as my hero). They were to be ably supported by Yardley, the off-spinner who Gavaskar later went on to say was the best off-spinner he played against. But one thing that all of these bowlers lacked was ‘experience’ especially in India. But the fighting spirit was something I was looking forward to seeing and expecting.

I hardly remember the first two tests at all except that Gavaskar opened with a 50 at Chennai, but heavy rain played spoil sport in both the matches. Nonetheless the much vaunted fighting spirit of the Aussies coming to the fore, and the Indian bowling lacked fire with Kapil still young, though Doshi and Yadav made strong statements on their debuts. It was not a beginning that a Gavaskar fan was looking forward to by the way. In a blink of an eye 2 tests went by without the master scoring a century, or getting an opportunity as much.

But I had reason to be excited again as the bandwagon rolled into Kanpur next for the 3rd Test. The test was to begin on a holiday (I think, at least, I remember going to the ground on the 1st day) and the scampering for tickets began. Me and a friend of mine managed to get hold of tickets and no way were we going to miss out on the opportunity. Cricket fever used to rule Kanpur for Test Matches in those days. Long queues outside the Green Park with mounted police. We decided to go down to ‘Meghdoot Hotel’ (my dad knew the manager who would allow us entry!!) early in the morning where the cricketers always stayed, to catch a glimpse of the players. I was again lucky. We saw some of the Aussies at the breakfast table and went we straight off barging in for some autographs! Then the turn of the Indians to come down into the lobby, but no signs of Gavaskar, which pricked a little of my enthusiasm I must say, but they left for the ground in a huff, so didn’t get much of a chance to get any autographs of any Indian players! As the crowd started building up outside the hotel, we made our way out and cycled out to Green Park in order to ensure that we reached the stadium before the game started.

Delighted I was when India won the toss ensuring the chance to watch Gavaskar bat straightaway. That is an advantage that I always enjoyed, with Gavaskar being an opening batsman. I more or less knew when he was going to bat and as a result could plan to get a near a transistor or the TV later on. The excitement that comes with the beginning of a test match or an innings is not the same in the middle of the innings. Another small reason why Gavaskar was my hero. To come back to the Kanpur Test. India batted first and once again I hoped that we would finally be privileged to witness a masterly Gavaskar century at his in-laws in our town. The going was good after an initial hostile Hogg spell was masterly negated by SMG in quite muggy conditions. But if I remember correctly after the first hour, the little master closed all doors for the Aussies; few went past his bat, where as the trade mark drives, cuts flowed. Lunch came, 50 was passed and the expectation grew and so did trepidation. When he went smoothly into the 70s I was extremely nervous. I had never watched Gavaskar get this far in flesh and blood, live. I prayed that he would get the 100, his first of the series, when suddenly disaster struck (for me, as well as for India which was usual in those days), may be lapse in concentration. He was gone and so did a major part of my interest, though the other little master GR Vishwanath played a little cameo and was last out, but India faltered and ended up with 270 odd in the first innings. I rued my bad luck that I was not at the right place at the right time to see a Gavaskar century, live at the ground. It ultimately remained a curse that I never did and its one of my life’s regrets. The next few days at the school were spent, getting regular updates on the radio which by now was an integral part of my school bag! It was indeed a happy moment when India won the test match, the first of the season and first after SMG’s return to captaincy. The next test was going to be in Delhi and with half the series gone, and I was now getting agitated that Gavaskar was yet to score a century. This was unheard of in my little life till then.3 tests of relative obscurity for the one and only Sunil Gavaskar! The test started again on a holiday, India again won the toss and Gavaskar resumed again. Infact I particularly remember Narrottam Puri and his hindi counterpart Ravi Chaturvedi mentioning on the radio that the master was having a difficult time in the middle against Hogg who was at his incisive best and fastest. I remember he got a chance or two in the beginning. But then as was customary, he wore down Hogg and then let unleash the scorchers. It was a fine innings as I pictured from the broadcast, laced with 17 boundaries and hit a six of (I think) Peter Sleep too! It must go without saying that I lost a major part of my nails when he was into the nineties but finally the magical three figures was reached! Though, the day ended with a disappointment as he got out just before close, I was satiated finally that the account had been opened for the series. Dom Moraes in his book has mentioned that it was one of his better innings and his mastery of Hogg and the others after the initial hiccups was top-drawer, and that is image that I formed in my mind while listening to the commentary of the innings. How I wish that I could see it again? The test itself should have landed in India’s pocket after Australia was made to follow-on, but the bull-dog spirit again saved the match for them in the 2nd innings and despite Kapil’s heroics in the first innings, the bowlers simply could not measure up on a by now flat pitch on the 4th and 5th days and the match was drawn.
The bandwagon now shifted to the Eden, where the last time round, Gavaskar had scored 2 centuries and I, ever the optimist, hoped that he get at least one this time. After all he had to make up for a rather lean first half of the series! On the contrary, it turned out to be quite a damp squib for me, with Gavaskar failing in both the innings and juggling my memory I only remember a marathon innings by Graeme Yallop and a tense finish on the final day after Australia made a bold declaration. Gavaskar and Chauhan chased the target but then Gavaskar first, and then Vengsarkar and Vishwanath both fell quickly and set India back, though Yashpal Sharma played a blinder to give visions of victory but it was too late by then. Another drawn test. So after 5 tests India and SMG were 1 up only. Not exactly fairy tale stuff. And the fighting spirit of the Aussies had to be admired, with the trinity Hughes, Yallop and Border doing very well and the bowlers Hogg occasionally (despite the no balls) and Geoff Dymock threatened, with Yardley and Higgs toiling manfully.
The scene finally arrived at SMG’s hometown where he had always been successful though it had been a mixed venue for India. I really hoped that he would score at least another century and India wins. Against a less than best Australian side, it would be unsatisfactory if India won by a similar margin as against the Windies in the previous season. The bowling had to click and I hoped that the batting led by Gavaskar clicked before that. He won the toss again and this time Calcutta looked a blip between Delhi and Bombay. He was in full flow and it became only a matter of time before the century. I was hoping that he would go on for a double (since the next day was also a holiday a Sunday) and I could hear him batting. That was not to be. He had 22 centuries now and I was suddenly at the end of it started wondering at the unthinkable Don Bradman’s record being surmounted, that by an Indian. It dawned on me, looking at the cricket ahead and the frequency of his centuries, that it was not conjecture but a certainty that he would break that record in the next 2 or 3 years! Cock-sure fan if there ever was one. In a small matter India earned a thumping win by an innings, with Doshi and Yadav in full cry and Kapil coming into his own in the second innings. The score-line for India/Gavaskar: 2-0 / 2 at the end of series, was good but frankly I was expecting at least 3 from Gavaskar especially after the Oval euphoria. Never can have enough of good things in life!

With the Australia series dried and dusted India now looked ahead to another marathon series, the derby of the season, a formidable Pakistan in India after nearly two decades. The Indian bowling looked good in patches against Australia and the batting was fine without being spectacular with GR Vishwanath being in the forefront in averages and Gavaskar following in a close second. But the Pakistanis had pinched the previous series and would be coming in with a full strength size and we shuddered what was in store for the hapless Indian bowlers. All hopes rested with the batting, led as usual, by the master. There was a lot of hype before the series and a huge buzz. In the curtain-raising interview in the ‘Illustrated Weekly’ Gavaskar was asked, how did he think India will fare against such a strong Pakistan team? Gavaskar replied “They will smash us to pulp”!!! and all hell broke loose in the media. I was amused by reading the answer and also didn’t know what to make of it. I could be excused, I was all of 13. But the media started a campaign saying that Sunny Gavaskar was a defeatist and that he was scared of Pakistan and all the usual banalities. Little did they know of the master-stroke (unlike any of the mental disintegrations and verbal volleys of today)?!! Just like one of his silken straight drives taking the bowler by surprise!

Packer Fracas, its Aftermath and SMG influences

Just after the series against West Indies ended, I was still in a bit of a daze with the success that SMG had had in the last couple of seasons and further ‘that’ evening made my world more Gavaskar-centric.
I was by this time engrossed in my own little world of cricket. Having taken up to opening the innings for my school and club I was doing fairly well. Mr. Lal, (our sports ‘sir’ as we used to call him), was pretty impressed with my technique and saw some promise. Same went for my club where the members of the seniors’ team came up with a lot of encouragement. The whole fixation was about having a water tight technique; perfect execution of shots, and meeting the old adage “to be a cricketer you must look like one”. So I sported the white panama hat which SMG started donning more often around the time and copied his gait as well, in white shirt and white flannels!!! Though I was not formally coached (anyway, you did not get too many professional coaches in Kanpur those days), I understood the game fairly well and coupled with the encouragement from outside and my performances on the park, my life started gravitating more and more towards this great game and my cricketing hero.
I was anxiously awaiting the upcoming England tour, which I was hoping would be another territory Gavaskar will conquer since he had till then, been only an above average performer there. In the 70’s the certificate of being a great cricketer came usually from England, not that Gavaskar had to prove anything to anyone but still this was one country where though he had scored his best hundred till then, it was but a solitary one and he was still considered as a ‘very good’ batsman rather than a ‘great’ one by the stiff upper-lipped Englishmen. Now, I (like most of his admirers) know that Gavaskar was the antithesis of the subservient type of an Indian Cricketer, the exception. He didn’t consider Lord’s to be the Mecca of cricket, didn’t like the slope either or the atmosphere, the overbearing and condescending attitude of the British and being a proud Indian he cared two hoots about what the English thought of him. The era of the colonial masters was over more than 30 years now for him. But he also knew that cricketing life comes to a full circle only when one sets Thames on fire, even if for once!

So to get back to 1979. We were still a little bit in the dark about the Packer circus particularly with its influence on Indian cricketers. It was only known later that Gavaskar was the prime candidate for recruitment on to Packer rolls and he had said ‘yes’ on the condition that the BCCI will let him play for India, regardless. The other one who fell by the way side was Kirmani. All this happened in the background and I as an Indian cricket fan was astonished when the selectors dumped Gavaskar as the captain for the Prudential Cup for the summer and the following Test Series against England! The reason as per some of the print media was that he did not lead India well enough. I was fuming! A series in which India should have won 3-0 but for a toothless attack, cannot surely be blamed on SMG I thought, but I did not then know, the behind the scenes machinery that worked. It was a façade and as a quirk of fate, it was Venkat who got the captaincy for the twin series again after a gap of exactly four years! How SMG must have felt. It was just his stature as a cricketer that prevented BCCI to drop him, though Kirmani did not escape the axe. So much for Indian selection! Let down by his tribe again he could have pointed to those critics, who have relentlessly criticized him as a mercenary, that they must remember, and bloody humbly as well, that it was the Packer Series that Gavaskar rejected, not India. He would have got more money playing in the Packer series with the cream of world cricketers, but for him playing Test cricket for his country was paramount, money was important but secondary (for most mortals it is the other way round).It is just elementary that the Packer circus dissolved around the time that Indian selection for the England tour was taking place!

Predictably, it was a poor Prudential Cup in 1979 for India where we managed to lose even to Sri Lanka and Gavaskar did not have a great time either. Except for scoring his team’s highest 55 against New Zealand he did nothing else. He had played just one ODI between the 2 Prudential Cups in 1975 and 1979!!! It goes to show that limited overs cricket was yet to take over the Indian consciousness. It was more so for someone like Gavaskar who was raised in the Bombay school of cricket where “play along the ground” philosophy was still the code of batsmanship unless you were a tail ender attempting cow shots. West Indies won again in a lackluster tournament, but in India we hardly noticed. The business end of the season just beckoned!

1979 India-England series was the first one that I followed on the ‘Test Match Special’ on BBC, with the legendary John Arlott, Brian Johnston, Chris Martin-Jenkins, Fred Trueman and Trevor Bailey to provide with the relay of the spectacle to come. The start was as usual dismal with the customary 1st Test loss away from home for India. But did Gavaskar bat beautifully, along with Vishwanath. He would continue to hook and pull in this series at most times against a pretty formidable attack of Willis, Botham and co. In fact his 61 in the 1st innings was a gem and would have most likely turned into a 100 if he had not been run out (ironically with his partner being Vishy!). The next few innings served as starters to the impending main course. Incredibly all but one of them was 50+ scores (the one being 42!). Still no sign of the much awaited 20th century! The author Chris Clark in his book on SMG has clearly given indications that he was fixated by the prospect of a SMG century in England as it was with many of the other English cricket followers. One could suppose that along with him, I suspect, half a billion people wanted it badly too. It was getting to be a case of so near it so far. Gavaskar kept getting out in most inopportune circumstances or to great deliveries or catches that was reserved as if specially for him. In the 1st test he got run out for 61 and then in the 2nd innings for 68 to a lifter from Hendrick. In the 2nd at Lord’s he scored 42 in the 1st innings in most difficult circumstances and in the second turn got to 59 when he got out to a fantastic catch by Brearley. By the time the last test at Oval arrived the scorecard was still blank. Four 50’s and a near one, but no century. In the 1st innings at the Oval, finally he had his first failure of the series and by this time one would believe Mr. Clark would have lost a good bit of money in wagering on odds for a Gavaskar century! He still had hopes pinned on the 2nd innings, but by the time England declared in the 2nd innings, India were faced with an uphill task of surviving a major part of the last session on the 4th and the whole of the 5th day. The deficit was a mere 437 runs!! All of England, including the expatriate Indians had come to the foregone conclusion that the cause was lost. I suspect even Mr.Clark would have given up on India at the time (!) though he had a respectable 10 pounder at stake for a different purpose, that is, a Gavaskar century! A bit like me I thought, except I didn’t have 10 pounds to put a bet on it! A win or loss didn’t matter at this stage, but a Gavaskar finale did; since defeat was anyway a foregone conclusion which was nothing new for Indian Cricket. But even the most die-hard fan would not have anticipated the events that were to unfold in the next 24 hours. Of course, India had the world record 406 chasing score, and several other ‘last salvos’ in the recent past, specially since Gavaskar made his entry into Indian Cricket. However, even for a die-hard fan this was just that much more difficult. Yes, the pitch was still playing the true Oval pitch, the batting line-up was relatively stronger, with Gavaskar, Vishwanath and Vengsarkar who was on his way to become the Lord of Lord’s, but this was a formidable team, and at its peak, with one of the best brains in the game as captain Add to that, the sheer pressure at the fag end of a long and demanding tour which had only moments of glory, but no real success. So when Gavaskar went out to the middle with Chauhan, the only interest left in the game (at least for me, and I suspect a few million) was whether Gavaskar can score a century and go down fighting like many times before. None of us had an inkling of an idea of what was to come. A Shakespearean drama ending almost like a Hitchcockian thriller!

Hot September Nights

I remember, it was late evening in Kanpur where we stayed in a compound housing four families, and we were about half-a-dozen kids with a penchant for sports, primarily cricket. It was a usual hot North-Indian summer that was coming to an end with splattering of rain, now and then. Because of the weather, in the night a friend and I, staying in the compound slept on the big terrace of our house, which had a covered portico, to which we would run in case a passing shower were to intrude on us. That September night, when India started out on their second vigil we had just finished dinner, and I geared up next to the radio, when Gavaskar and Chauhan went out to bat, and though the next day I had school I still was glued to the radio till the match finished with India going in at 76 with both of them unseparated. Gavaskar in the meanwhile was completely in command and masterly described from the far pavilions by the inimitable Arlott, Brian Johnston and the others. Next day I remember, I wanted school to get over quickly so that I could reach home and get glued on again. I ‘knew’ that India was going down but Gavaskar...well; would he finally get that elusive hundred? It was a hot day I remember, and on reaching home, I told my mom that we were sleeping on the terrace that night. In the meanwhile the cricket started and I got on to the ride again. The little master’s magic was going to be weaved on the match now. His handling of the key man Botham, Willis and the spinners was unparalleled. It didn’t matter that there was no TV then or I was away from the scene by a small matter of a few thousand miles. I saw it through the commentary team’s eyes. As the evening wore on, the maestro got into the 90s, and finally but finally he reached his 100 with a boundary and there would be no stopping him now. A ‘champagne moment’ as Johnston bellowed. This I was to realize later, happened to be BJ’s signature comment when something momentous was happening between the 22 yards. India was still going strong at lunch with the opening stand untouched. At 213, when Chauhan went, there was still no chance of India winning, but with a fair chance of a draw. But then suddenly Gavaskar exploded without so much of a notice, with the able support of Vengsarkar, he suddenly took charge, not so much by blind hitting, but maneuvering the attack so clinically that I suspect an already graying Brearley to have gone grayer that evening. The master was giving an exhibition that day, which England had had only fleeting and tantalizing glimpses earlier in the summer, but this was like a five course dinner in place of the starters that were on offer earlier. At my end, while all this madness raged on, I couldn’t partake much of the dinner that was laid on the table and bumbled away to the terrace, with my friend. While we lay under the stars on the steamy night, Sunil Manohar Gavaskar unleashed his entire repertoire of drives, glances, flicks and cuts to launch first his 150 and then his double-century when the total itself was only 324. So much for claims of him being a dour and defensive batsman! I couldn’t just lie down anymore, nor could my friend. In the meanwhile, it started to drizzle. As we dragged our ‘chaarpayees’ (as they are called in the north) under the portico, the hearts were beating loud, my nails taking a battering as it usually did whenever I was tense (which I always was when ever Gavaskar batted) and sweating. The rain cooled down the temperatures outside but not me! Then suddenly catastrophe! Vengsarkar lost his cool and wicket. India was still 70 runs adrift but Gavaskar was still there. But madness came up on India. For no particular reason, Vishwanath was pushed down the order, and out came Kapil Dev who was still not the finished article. What we need was not mindless violence, but tactical brilliance of the other master, especially since he was the man in form. Needless to say, Kapil came and went and in the meanwhile England slowed the game down so harshly that just 6, yes six overs were bowled between tea and the start of the mandatory overs. If it was India who would have been guilty of slowing the game down thus, all hell would have broken loose, but since it was England, all has been dusted and brushed under the carpet. To help English matters, blunders by India continued with Yashpal coming in after Kapil and though he was a quick runner between the wickets, as a batsman he was no comparison to the great Vishy. Gavaskar had to continue the charge and finally when he got to 221, his highest score till then, all was not lost. India had been going at a run a minute and just needed the final push, when at 389 the master departed playing a tired shot to Botham. I still remember the hiss on the radio, which was multiplied by the clapping in the background and the incomparable Arlott and Fred Trueman paying tributes. For me I just prayed that this gargantuan effort of the master didn’t go waste. It was well past 10 in the night and sleep wouldn’t come. I had school the next day, but who cared. Vishwanath, finally emerged and promptly started with a boundary (poetic justice?), and then suddenly things started going pear shaped when India were within touching distance. Vishwanath was given caught out in highly dubious circumstances, off a bump ball. Mr.Constant, who was to become an Achilles’ heel to the sub-continental teams later on, had got into the act. For a better part of six hours Sunny Gavaskar did not give a sniff of a chance to, let alone the fielders, even the umpires. But now the flood gates were opened and although the tailenders tried gamely, wickets started going down rapidly in the last few overs and there was a fair chance, with 2 deliveries to go India had to hit two boundaries and England had to grab 2 wickets, to achieve a result. It ended in a draw. I was tired, petulant and angry that India could not win the test match, due to varied measures of some peculiar captaincy by Venkat, England’s gamesmanship after tea and the umpiring towards the later stages. It was well past 11 till that the commentary went on and finally, drained of all emotional energy, the last thing I remembered was the rain stopping outside and a cool breeze starting to take off, only to be woken up by my mom early next morning to get ready to go to school.

For the next few days I was pre-occupied first of ‘what might have been’, and then ‘what had been’. It was hailed by the knowledgeable as the greatest innings that Sunil Gavaskar had ever played and that this would go down in the pantheons as one of the greatest innings played at the home of cricket. I was finally satisfied with my hero.

221 Fast Forward

I have since then watched this innings many times on video, and possess different versions of it. John Arlott was eloquent about it, so was Richie Benaud. It is truly one of my treasures. The command that the little man had over his batting, his environment, and his partners at the other end, has left me enthralled over my lifetime of cricket following. I still can’t choose between his 101 at Old Trafford, 221 at Oval, 121 at Delhi and 96 at Bangalore, and that is because each one of those were so typical and so different from each other in context and texture. And in that sense if Indian Cricket was my universe Sunil Manohar Gavaskar was Lord Vishnu. A small matter as to which was his best innings is a welcome confusion!

Back in 1979, I now looked forward to take some of these lessons of the master on to the cricket field towards my own cricketing progress.