A correction.

In my last article I mentioned that the former Test opener Apurva Sengupta of Services rose to become a lieutenant colonel in the Indian army. Col Samir Bose has rectified the factual error of mine by mentioning that Sengupta went on to become a lieutenant general and won several gallantry awards. Thanks to Col Bose, I stand corrected.

 

Following is an excellent article from Col. Bose which I wish to share with all cricket addicts.

TWO ALL -ROUNDERS

                Our latest coach Ravi Shastri and the great Wilfred Rhodes, had many similarities as all-rounders.  Both were right hand batsmen and bowled left arm orthodox spin.   Shastri appears  to be the better batsman and Rhodes the better bowler.  Here are their Test career stats.

Batting

Player	Tests	Inns	No	Runs	HS	Ave	100’s	50’s
Ravi Shastri	80	121	14	3830	206	35.79	11	12
Wilfred Rhodes	58	98	21	2325	179	30.19	2	11

Bowling

Player	Tests	Balls	Runs	Wkts	Ave	5 Wkts/Inns	10 Wkts/Test
Ravi Shastri	80	15751	6185	151	40.96	2	0
Wilfred Rhodes	58	8225	3425	127	26.96	6	1

                The batting feats of Wilfred Rhodes does not compare favourably but during his career he held both the 1^st wicket partnership record of 323 with Jack Hobbs and 10^th wicket partnership of 130 with R E Foster.  The first wkt partnership was bettered by Hutton and Washbrook, who raised it to 359 and Roy and Mankad to 413.  It is now held by Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith at 415.  In the 10^th wicket partnership of 130 Rhodes contributed 40 not out, but enabled Foster to score 287, which remains the highest score by a debutant.

                It is said that he was last in the batting order in his debut Test, but the score card shows him to have come in at No.10 with J T Hearne at No.11.  He scored  6 in the first inns and did not bat in the second.  Another cricketer making his debut for Australia in the same match made 0 and 11. He was the immortal Victor Trumper.  Ravi Shastri  also made his debut at No.10 and scored 3*.  In the second innings he scored 19.

                There was a period when Rhodes regularly opened with Jack Hobbs.  As a result his bowling suffered.  In the 1911-12 series against Australia he bowled a total of only 18 overs.  After the First World War, he was back again tormenting the batsmen with his guile.  On his debut on Jun 1-3 1899, Rhodes took 4 for 58 and 3 for 60.  In England’s second innings,  only a brilliant 93 not out by Ranji, out of 155 for 7 wkts, helped draw the match.   Ravi Shastri’s debut was no less dramatic.  His figures were 3 for 54 and 3 for 9.  Because of his height (6’3”), Shastri was obliged to bowl a flatter trajectory, but the awkward bounce of the ball made the batsman play defensively.

                I give here the description of a slow left arm orthodox bowler, “ he prevailed by length, variations of flight, but chiefly by unceasing accuracy always demanding close attention from the batsman, every ball a decoy, some balls guileless, some artfully masked and one of them, the master ball.  He was economical in action, a few short strides, then a beautifully balanced sideways swing of the body, the arm loose and making a lovely arch.  He could go on for hours”.  Anybody  reading this would assume the bowler to be Bishan Singh Bedi.  And he would be wrong.  This is the description of Wilfred Rhodes by Neville Cardus, both masters in their chosen fields.

                When cricket was resumed in 1919 after World War I, there were plenty of good batsman around, but a dearth of strike bowlers, so Wilfred Rhodes reverted to his earlier role and batsmen once again had to deal with the tormentor.  Rhodes had made himself into a batsman by practice and hard work.

                Shastri, on the other hand maintained his bowling skills and gradually improved as a batsman till he became a regular opening batsman.   He never looked back and ended up with 11 centuries and 12 fifties.  Shastri himself admitted that he was not particularly talented but had come up only through hard work.  For over a decade, Ravi Shastri  rendered yeoman service to Indian Cricket.  As an obdurate batsman, he put a price on his wicket.  In his last test he opened the innings as he was wont to do, while Wilfred Rhodes came in at No.10 in his last Test.  He remained not out in both innings, scoring 8* and 11*.  Shastri in his last test scored 10( 107 minutes and 76 balls) and 5 ( 96 minutes and 68 balls).  That personifies his will to fight.  His record of 3830 runs and 151 wkts in Test cricket speak for themselves.  Rhodes in his last test, at the age of 52, bowled 20.5-12-17-1 and 24-13-22-1.  This test is famous for another reason.  Andy Sandham, opening the innings, scored 325 in the 4^th Test 3-12 April 1930, the first triple century in Tests.

                We tend to forget that Ravi Shastri is the holder of two batting records in first class cricket.  His normal batting being underlined by obduracy, one tends to forget that he equalled the feat of six sixes in one over, first achieved by Gary Sobers. Shastri hit Tilak Raj for six sixes in an over in a Ranji Trophy match, Mumbai vs Baroda in 1984.  He also went on to score the fastest ever double century in first class cricket (200* in 123 balls) in that innings.

                We salute these two cricketers, two all- rounders, imbibed with great fighting spirit, whose feats will always be remembered wherever cricket is played.