Mohinder Amarnath

A wry, cryptic smile played on his lips. Otherwise not a trace of emotion creased his handsome face. Deprived and detested, he was Karna reborn. Like the Mahabharata hero, his spirit never flagged; his body never faltered. Brave and strong he was, but his real strength was in his implacable faith in himself.

 

Mohinder's cricketing career has been a zigzag movement. Unlike other stalwarts who have shown steady progress or rapid rise, Jimmy Amarnath's career graph was identical to an ECG report. The curve went up one moment and at the very next would be seen to be plunging down. He never had a moment's rest during the course of a career that stretched from 1969 to the late 1980s.

 

He has always been a loner. Never quite found any attraction to the petty communal and regional groups that invariably dominate the India teams. He was his own master. Never needed to stooge around to lap up the drops of honey that generally come to the favoured ones.

 

Like his irrepressible father Lala Amarnath, he had the gumption to speak his mind. Lala way back in 1936 had criticized a captaincy decision. Similarly Mohinder Jimmy Amarnath called the national selectors 'a bunch of jokers' in the 1980s. In time both stood vindicated. Courage has its own way of redeeming itself.

 

 

 Groupism would have abhorred this man of strong principles and impeccable manners. He never belonged to any faction and inevitably paid the price of not receiving the supportive nod. Not that he bothered. In fact he would have vehemently opposed to be such a puppet. He was a serious soul, a soul that searched within himself. But no restrictions ever crippled him: whenever the need arose he was fully capable of soaring far, far beyond horizons.

 Plunged into depths, drawn over burning coal, tortured with solitary confinement, Mohinder did not lose his cool, his composure and his character. Confident of his own capabilities, he treated success and failures with similar disdain. Nothing and no one could divert him from his strong sense of principles.

 However with the Mahabharata hero he had one major difference. Karna sacrificed his amulet as an act of generosity and knowingly hastened his death. While Mohinder willingly put on the helmet and rejuvenated his career. Moreover Karna was deprived of paternal care, but Mohinder was indeed fortunate to have the master tactician Lala to supervise his cricketing skills.

 Mohinder, nothing else but self-respect and national honour mattered. No amount of battering bruised him. No amount of heckling unnerved him. In the face of odds he would stand firm in defence of the honour of himself and more importantly the nation.

 

Time and again Mohinder was laid low by the short rising delivery. In Pakistan Imran Khan struck him a nasty blow on the face. At Kingston the West Indies bowlers peppered him black and blue. And at Mumbai Rodney Hogg felled him on the wicket. It is a saga of cricketing legend that Mohinder got up every time he was laid low and went out to battle again.

 

 He did not seek the refuge of nursing homes, or the shelter of pavilions. He had pride, he had guts. What a contrast he must have been to those fancy fairies who went to the Caribbean as batters in 1982-83 and stayed away from the fast bowlers even in the island matches.

 

Mohinder made his Test debut in 1969 against Bill Lawry's Australians at Chennai. At the time he was just about 19 and was selected to open India's bowling attack. People guffawed initially, but as his slow medium movement accounted for Keith Stackpole and Ian Chappel, they gulped and nearly choked themselves. Yes, he did send back two of the prominent batters of the time. Stackpole was dismissed bowled and   Chappel lbw. But the feat of the young medium pacer was not good enough for our myopic national selectors. As the Test ended so did Mohinder's first taste of international cricket.

 

Years passed in the national championships without any ripples. People who mattered seemed to have forgotten the young man. The potential that he had displayed as an all-rounder with the Indian schoolboys sides in England and Australia in the late 1960s went under wraps.

 

 While at school he was upstaged by his elder brother Surinder's stylish elegance, but the knowledgeable realised that the younger Amarnath had much more tenacity and talent as a batsman to succeed at the top level. He used, his feet splendidly against the spinners and was not shy of stepping out at the slightest pretext. He played classically straight and eschewed all possible risks by being very selective as regard horizontal-bat strokes.

 

However it must be readily granted that around this time Jimmy's approach against pace was not without reproach. He looked uncomfortable against the short, rising delivery. But then, to be honest, who doesn’t?  “It's only that some people play those lifters better than others,” so spoke Rohan Kanhai, as did Patsy Hendren in an earlier era. How true, how very true.

 

However the fact remained that Jimmy, who was so very assured in tackling spin, gave the impression that the short, rising delivery was his Achilles’ heel.

 

Rarely do we see a cricketer overcome a genuine weakness to such an extent that in time he comes to be regarded as an epitome of skill in that particular field. Mohinder who had suffered so many times at the hands of pace, ultimately developed to such an extent that he came to be regarded as the perfect model against pace bowling. This is no mean achievement.

 

No other cricketer in the long history of cricket can lay claim to similar fame. When the West Indies fast bowlers themselves maintained that Mohinder was their most feared opponent, he received his highest accolade.

 

His was story of raw courage and intelligent application. He decided to meet fist with fist; sword with sword. He practised hard and alone. For hours on end, day after day, month followed month. Not for him the easier option of resignation to fate. He could have adopted the easiest way of blind, wild heave of the bat at the ball, which some of our modern stars seem to be thriving upon. He also could have tried the time-tested technique of weaving and ducking.

 

But Lala suggested that he meet the ball square on, to put the bat to the ball in full measure. He adopted the idea, mastered the art. Such was the degree of competence and courage that he could hook the fastest missile beyond the ropes with utmost disdain.

 

Mohinder did not follow the classical pattern of hooking which recommends that the ball be kept down, preferably to the left of the square leg umpire. The difficult task was mastered by a handful only. Men like on Don Bradman, Patsy Hendren, George Headley, Rohan  Kanhai and our own Kapil Dev, among others, are considered to be the master exponents.

 

On the contrary Mohinder met the climbing delivery on its rear and sent it soaring into the stands. Such was his control and confidence that the risky stroke of hitting up became his patented trademark. When he was around no fast bowler was willing to see his express deliveries sailing over the rails. The helpless batter became the most feared hooker in the world.

 

What exactly was the reason for Mohinder 's emergence as a world class batsman ? Extremely difficult to pinpoint a particular reason. No answer would be conclusive. However I personally felt that in his case it was an issue of mind over matter. An unyielding determination to tide over odds. An extraordinary will-power that would not brook any obstacle.

 

His cool-cucumber bearing nursed a distinctive, analytical brain. His courage made him an optimist. Constant neglect had made him impervious to changes in fortune. It appeared that during the period between 1979 and 1985 when he was at his peak that a superior spirit had entered into his self. He just could do nothing wrong. Whatever he touched turned into gold. Even his slow wobbles of swing and seam mesmerized men like Richards and Lloyd.

 

Technically he underwent a radical change. He opened up his stance, standing almost square to the bowler. No side-long glances; he squared his shoulders and looked at the bowler almost straight on. This of course gave him the necessary initial position for the hook and the pull. With his feet wide apart, he gave himself a wider base and so a better balance. Actually he gave the impression that he was ready for the hook and the pull.

 

All this is of course much easier said than done. Mohinder did it in his own way and came up trumps. However his immense credit was that despite having a square-on stance, he did not reveal any weakness on the off-side. This was indeed quite a revelation. For players who shift their emphasis so obviously generally compromise on their, original ability. But in Mohinder’s case such apprehensions were frivolous.

 

Another fascinating technique of Mohinder's was to play fast bowling basically on the front foot. Generally the best of batters who play fast bowling well are those who are very strong on the back foot. One rare exception was the stylish England batsman Tom Graveney, who very capably tackled pace off the front foot but then he was not known to be an outstanding hook-stroke exponent. Mohinder too did so and was outstanding against Imran's in-dippers and lifters in 1982-83, when he scored at will.

 

After his Test debut in 1969, Mohinder next Test was in 1975-76, on the twin-tour of West Indies and New Zealand. Quite a success he was. In the Port of Spain Test when India successfully chased 400 plus to win the Test. Mohinder hit 85 and then in the following Test at Kingston where the West Indies resorted to bodyline bowling Mohinder alone stood ground to score a magnificent 60 out of India's 97. Back home he had another fair series against New Zealand and then a lean time against England at home. In 1977-78 he was an outstanding success in Australia.

 

 

But a serious head injury in 1979 took its toll. He lost his form and place in the team. However when he was again back among runs and wickets he had the mortification to be overlooked for the tour of England in 1981.

 

This was the final straw. Now Mohinder perceived that in the troubled waters of Indian cricket to survive he would have to swim all by himself. The life jackets and the helping hands were for people with other surnames, with different off-the-field skills.

 

With the sheer weight of performance Mohinder battled his way in to the team for Pakistan in the winter of 1982. A series that exposed the short-comings of Indian cricket like no other. And the Gods chose Mohinder to be our only saving grace. Against Imran at his ferocious best, he reeled off 109 not out, 53, 22 and 78, 61 and 64, 120 not out, 19 and 103 not out. Within months Holding, Roberts, Garner and Marshall were dumbstruck as he plundered 29 and 40, 58 and 1, 7, 13, 91 and 80 and 54 and 116.

 

The silver streak stretched to the Benson & Hedges World Championship victory in 1985. Between 1982 and 1985 he was arguably the most prolific batter in the world. None else had surpassed his consistency and courage against the fearsome West Indies attacks in the 80s.

 

Mohinder's cricket was based on guts and intelligent application. And a fascinating brand of optimism. By the time he was forcibly omitted he had scored 4378 runs at 42.50 with 11 centuries in 69 Tests. In the shorter version too he left aft indelible imprint, both in batting as well as in bowling. The crowning glory being the Man of the Match award in that glorious World Cup final of 1983, which has been so deeply highlighted that it needs no further delineation.

 

Mohinder's bowling indicated that apart from pace and movement, subtle variation could also make a man a match-winner. A few bouncy jogs took him to the crease and gave him the required momentum and rhythm, and then an easy action would ensue. He created no feeling of apprehension, none at all of deception. I honestly suspect that it was his drowsy, laid-back approach that lulled the batters into a false sense of confidence. The wobbles of either way, bowled to perfect length and line, would then do their finishing job. He was the man who started the trend of bowling gentle floaters in the one-dayers, the highly successful current tactic the world over.

 

He was an excellent captain of Delhi and North Zone. Ably guided generations of cricketing colleagues. He was the man who as coach laid the foundation for the success of Bangladesh, the ultimate credit for which went to Gordon Greenidge who succeeded him. He was a martinet; as far as he himself was concerned. But with others he was an extremely caring soul.

 

Mohinder Amarnath's conception of the game was clear and concise. He did not resort to unnecessary academic debates and pedantic lectures. In fact he hardly ever opened his mouth. His views on cricket were exclusively for his own development, unless of course if anyone cared to seek his opinions.

 

Once after a disastrous series against West Indies when he had scored just 1 run in 6 innings and had appropriately enough lost his place in the national team, I asked him what he felt had gone wrong with his batting. Cool as ever, Jimmy said that he had analysed his batting and found that there was no apparent technical problem. What he needed, he said, was a lot of batting in the ‘middle’ and a lot of runs to regain his confidence. So he had decided to go to England in the Indian off-season to play as much as possible: friendlies, charities, benefits and the leagues.

 

It needed a lot of self confidence to say that he found no technical faults in his own batting even after getting just 1 in 6 innings. But then that was Jimmy. Clear, candid, concise. A man who did not believe in excuses or in vague arguments.

 

Again his ideas about physical fitness is worth memorizing. He himself loved to run, to stretch, to bend. Hour after hour. But no woolly thoughts clouded his judgements. He fully appreciated that every different individual had his own way keeping fit. Even as a national selector, Jimmy would bring his exercise-mat with him to the ground and do his routine physical stretching!

 By the way, it is pertinent to note he had the courage to resign from the national selector's role on a point of principle. So very typical  of Jimmy. Wonder if anybody else has ever done it in Indian cricket. Doubt it.

 

He would stick to his views. But would have the decency to listen to others. It was this acceptance of others, especially of those different from his views that made him such a delightful company. A gentleman of manners he was. Of handsome bearing. A man worth emulating. Surely among the most courageous batsman ever in the history of cricket. Proud to call him my friend.