Man with a mission

One singular man with a singular act transformed the thought-process of Indian cricket forever. He conceived the concept of talent-spotting by going deep into the interiors of this wide and wonderful land of ours. No one earlier had thought of this idea. People in cities waited for talents to come to them. Makarand Waingankar thought otherwise. Who had time for village and small-town talents earlier?

Who’s this fella giving gyaan to Indian cricket administrators? The corporate marketing job took the bright gentleman to the districts and beyond. His liberal, social-minded soul hit upon the novel idea and the freelance journalist in him put forward his view to BCCI and KSCA.

Thankfully both Brijesh Patel of KSCA and Prof Ratnakar Shetty – the man who cleaned the cobwebs at BCCI and made it a happening place – were quick to grasp the excellent proposal. Shetty brought some very sincere Talent Resource Development Officers (TRDOs) under the BCCI fold and sent them on the discovery trail.  Almost overnight players from non-fancied areas began to be identified and rewarded. Men like MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Irfan Pathan are prime examples.

Mack in time acted as a mentor to players who faced serious problems. The youthful Yuvraj Singh was a beneficiary. Even non-Test players benefitted from his acquaintance in their respective careers. Young players like Gautam Som and Subhasis Das, both from Bengal, come readily to mind.

Mack has no remarkable cricket background as an active player. Does not belong to any influential media-house.  Has no powerful administrator beside him. But he has a mind of his own.

Has the courage of conviction. An appetite for knowledge and the spirit of innovation. The independent mind of a bright soul: a warrior true to his mission.

 

I first met him in the press enclosure at Feroz Shah Kotla in the mid-1980s. It was a peculiar kind of rapport at first sight. He had not seen me play (thank God), but had read my articles in Tiger Pataudi-edited Sportsworld.

Unsmiling, the firm voice asked, ”Can we please use your articles for our Marathi cricket fortnightly?”  Even I, a poor judge of people, could see the sincerity and the integrity in that tall, confident frame of his. Taking permission from ABP, I gave consent. This was one judgement, I am proud to say I did right!

Waingankar and Pappu Sanzgiri became involved with Sandip Patil’s cricket fortnightly Ekach Shatkar. The magazine put to shade even established English sports magazines in Marathi-speaking regions. Since then Mack has gone from peak to peak in his own individual style and route.

Mack has cricket printed on his heart. Initially in Marathi journalism he brought about a silent revolution which rose to a crescendo that reverberated around the country. His writings and books in English have added dimensions to the history of the game in the country. While on a short sabbatical, he finished his Ph.D on cricket.

Today as I sit and write this blog I realize that I am 76 and still need someone to push me out of my lethargy. Mack did that job with ease. “You have rested throughout 2024 and 2025. Now do start again for the sake of only those who genuinely love cricket.” I thought he was right. Thanks, Mack.

 

 

 

Stoddart: why? why? why?

The unusual story of Andrew Stoddart yearns to be told and retold to show the futility of life. He belonged to the British aristocracy during the heydays of Victorian Britain. Public school background followed by the usual Oxbridge routine.

A contemporary of Ranjitsinhji, in between his birth in 1863 and his death in 1915, he had achieved enough to satisfy any person’s ego for a lifetime and more. He captained England at cricket. Not content, he tried his hand at rugby and went on to represent England, again as captain.

To be a double international in sport is a highly praiseworthy achievement and only a few outstanding sportspeople have done so. But to lead one’s nation in two sports disciplines is a very, very rare occurrence. Not even the legendary CB Fry could lay claims to have led England both in two sports disciplines.

Stoddart played cricket quite casually. Appearing in patches for Middlesex as a middle-order batter, he could be relied upon to play the responsible innings in times of need. He ended his 16-Test career with an above par average of 37.

Discerning readers would understand the gravity of the statistical figure when they consider that he played on ‘uncovered’ pitches favourable to bowlers. Grace averaged 32 and Ranji 44. Of course, stats mean nothing unless properly perceived. The concept of preparing batter-friendly paradises came much later.

All these unique achievements pale into insignificance when we realize that Andrew Stoddart was the first captain in the history of cricket to have won a match after following-on.

He took the England (then MCC) team to distant Australia, sailing months on seas. In the first Test at Sydney, Australia piled on 586 runs. England’s reply did not go beyond 325. With such a huge lead the Australia asked England to bat again. With defeat staring at them, England reached a decent score of 437 in the 2^nd innings. With just 176 to win Australia began its 2nd innings.

Overnight rain affected the fifth and final day’s play. The teams agreed to add an extra day for the benefit of the paying spectators. On the 6^th day Stoddart’s team shot the opponents out for 140, thereby winning the match by the narrow margin of just 10 runs. Andrew Stoddart became the first-ever captain to win a match after following-on! This was incredible.

 For nearly 90 years the unique record remained till Mike Brearley’s England upset Australia’s apple-cart in a similar fashion at Leeds in 1981. Brearley making a comeback as captain had the pleasure to see Bob Willis take 8 for43 as Australia collapsed for 111. Botham’s contributed 50 and 149 and took 6 and 1 wickets.

Similarly Sourav Ganguly’s Indians had the measure of Steve Waugh’s Aussies at Eden in 2001. While saluting the magnificent contributions at Eden in 2001 of the magical trio of Laxman (281), Dravid (180) and Harbhajan (7 & 6 wickets), let us not forget that Stoddart’s men were the first to achieve the epic feat way back in 1894.

 Andrew Edward Stoddart’s modesty came to the fore as he maintained that his captaincy had little to do with the ultimate unique result! Grace and graciousness combined.

But what followed was very, very strange. One day at the prime of his life Stoddart decided that enough was enough. He put a pistol to his ear and pulled the trigger. People were shocked. They moaned and sobbed. None knew the reason. No amount of research has been able to unravel the secret.

England captain at cricket and rugby; historic achievement as cricket captain; highly acclaimed all over yet Stoddart yearned to see for himself what lay beyond death…

 

 

Test cricketer who went missing forever!

One of India’s double-international in sports was Cota Ramaswami from Chennai. Prosperous, articulate, confident, Cota Ramaswami was an amateur sportsman in the most authentic sense of the term. For him sport was certainly not the first priority.

 

Educated at Cambridge University, on his return accepted a highly responsible post in the Madras Agricultural Services. In the midst of his various activities Ramaswamy found the time to lay bare his outstanding sporting qualities.

 

At Cambridge University he was denied a chance even to appear in the cricket trials!

Promptly the Telegu-speaking Cota switched allegiance to tennis and volleyed his way to a Cambridge ‘Tennis-Blue' in the early 1920s. A decade later he was representing India in Davis Cup encounters.

 

Cota Ramaswami was a gifted timer of the ball. In his youth, the graceful left hander would use all his propensities for stroke-play with gay abandon. A delightful mix of academics and sports, his was a commanding figure for the big occasion.

 

When selected to play for Madras Presidency in 1935-36 against Ryder's Australians, Ramaswami was nearly 40, and well past his prime. But the gifts of timing and application were still very much in evidence. He scored 48 not out and 82 with utmost ease and utter disdain.

 

Then within months the India team for the tour of England was announced. Finding his name in the team, Ramaswami was said to have remarked that he “was chosen for reasons other than cricket”!

 

Actually he was being far too modest and unnecessarily self-critical. Probably he said so because he knew that his salad days were behind him and that his physical condition did not measure up to his own high ideals.

 

The 40-plus man made his debut at Old Trafford with 40 and 60. Followed with 29 and unbeaten 41 at Oval. Thus with an average of 56.66 his debut and swansong series coincided. Rejected by Cambridge University cricket team, the sophisticated old man quietly showed England Test team his actual worth as a batter.

 

Ramaswami was the most respected personality in the Indian team on that dreadful tour of England in 1936. His impeccable bearing, his academic credentials, his manner of speech and conduct earned the admiration of his team mates. He was the man who was the perpetual mediator between the warring groups.

 

When the impetuous youngster Lala Amarnath was being sent back from UK in 1936 on disciplinary grounds by captain Vizzy and manager Brittain-Jones, it was the sensible Cota Ramaswamy who pleaded with the administration to keep the talented Lala Amarnath back with a caution. That matured view was not kept, but frowned upon.

 

 One fine morning in 1990 at Chennai the 94-year old Cota Ramaswamy – double international in tennis and cricket – tottered out of his house and drifted away into the unknown…his body was never found!

 

 

Sports bio-pics in India

Indian biographical films of sportspeople are remarkable for deviating into fiction. Hardly ever we find a film that reveals the truth, especially about the incidents and the people who helped the latter-day heroes in their formative years.

To motivate young talents these bio-pics ought to seek and show the truth behind the great success stories. Why not reveal the names of people who worked behind the scenes when the young talents really needed encouragement and exposure? Why not interview at least some of the actual early coaches, the talent-spotters and the mentors?

Instead most of these films are full of misinformation. Unnecessary details and scenes are created in an effort to attract audiences and perhaps to satisfy influential egos. Is this supposed to be artistic licence where you can project an essential theme entirely oblivious of facts? I honestly wonder.

If one is handling fiction, that’s fine. But if one claims that one is revealing facts, one should at least stick to genuine truth. Shall give my discerning readers a few examples.

In an otherwise wonderful bio-pic depicting the life of India’s famous football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, the main actor’s role has been performed by a tall, strong, handsome man. In real life Rahim-sahab’s physique was puny-thin and his height very short.

Actor Ajay Devgn’s performance was outstanding but the problem is that the figure of the real Rahim was absolutely the opposite to the physique of the reel Rahim! Surely Rahim-sahab would be the first to admit that he never was a good-looking, strongly-built, tall person. The credibility of the bio-pic is in question.

“This is somewhat like Amitabh Bachchan playing the role of Lal Bahadur Shastri,” very convincingly asserted Subroto Rana Sirkar, the prominent former sports journalist and ‘strictly unofficial’ sports historian. Abslolutely to the point. Amitabh Bachchan would surely do a very good job of the role of Shastriji but if the physical forms of the individuals vary to such an extent then a wrong message would be conveyed to the cine-goers.

In another bio-pic on Milkha Singh it is specifically shown that Milkha Singh is taking a sidelong glance in the famous Rome Olympic 400 m race! In a sprint no one – not even in a school race – would look sideways at his opponents. Can you imagine an athlete in the Olympic Games glancing at his opponent during the course of a sprint? It is these fallacies that make these bio-pics look silly.

In a bio-pic on Sachin Tendulkar we are shown that at the net practice coins are placed on the stumps while young Tendulkar is batting. The coach’s idea was to encourage the bowlers to hit the stumps and win that coin as a prize. This concept is excellent, no doubt.

But this issue has been copied from Ranjitsinhji’s early cricketing life in England. Why not give credit to the original man? The Nawanagar prince while in England would privately practice against the best of English professional bowlers at the nets. In addition to their professional fees, he would keep a guinea on each stump to entice the bowlers to bowl him out and claim the coin as his prize!

Why do our bio-pic film-makers not involve the actual people who were behind these success stories? Why not mention and highlight the real people who may not be influential enough or well-known? Why harp on half-truths? Why not do a little more SINCERE research? Why not question the answers of the celebrities? Why force down trash on innocent audiences? Why not be truthful?

Wish our film-makers have a good look at ‘Crown’, a film on the British royalty over the years with ‘warts and all’.

Photo credit: Facebook

 

 

Photo: courtesy Wikipedia (Moti Nandi) & You Tube (Sukumar Ray)

Thursday Blog on RAJUMUKHERJIONCRICKET.BLOGSPOT.COM

Cricket & Literature

Shakespeare and Tagore never wrote on cricket. Surely they had other important subjects in mind. But that did not stop many other great literary figures of English and Bengali literature to contribute their views on this great cultural heritage of Britain.

We have discussed the associations and contributions to cricket of Conan Doyle, PG Wodehouse, HG Wells and Nobel laureate Samuel Beckett in this series. Recently JU (English) alumna Soma Mukherjee has further related that eminent authors of the distinction of Wordsworth, Tennyson, Shelly, Keats, Byron and George Orwell among others have also rendered superlative contributions to the British national pastime.

These world famous writers have raised cricket literature far beyond the writings on any other sport in the world. Both in terms of quality and diversity. The richness of cricket literature has generated a very high level of prose and poetry because of the august presence of these illustrious authors.

Cricket literature has a unique dimension of its own in the pantheon of the game. It is not restricted to international cricket scenario at all. More so is the coverage of village-green cricket, local school matches, college and university cricket. Even club and road-side cricket.

In India hardly any established novelist wrote on the game. Dom Moraes did make an effort with The Grass is Green but did not pursue. Eminent author RK Narayan too wrote a wonderful piece MCC on young, village boys trying to form a cricket club.

Fortunately in Bengal, eminent researcher Shankari Prasad Bosu left behind some splendid authorship on cricket before delving into his magnum opus on Swami Vivekananda. He delighted in relating the cricket stories of old, among which ‘Ball porey, bat norey’ (Ball drops, bat moves) was the most popular.

My wife Seema brought into my focus a most unusual illustration: sketch of a lady-in-saree square-cutting a pumpkin! My all-time favourite author of nonsense-verse, the famous writer Sukumar Ray – Satyajit Ray’s exceptionally brilliant father – drew an inimitable illustration to go with the absurdly, immortal line: kumro niye cricket khele keno rajar pishi?  (Why is the king’s aunt playing cricket with a pumpkin?)

Every Bengali-speaking person is aware of the genius of Sukumar Ray through the pages of ABOL TABOL. The quote appears in the widely acclaimed nonsense-verse ‘Bombagarer Raja’, which was written between 1921 and 1923.  As a close relative of Prof Saradaranjan Roy, the father of Bengal Cricket, to Sukumar Ray the game of cricket was not a mere sport but an emotional attachment. Was he the first to put cricket in print in Bengali literature?

But the man who brought cricket to the centre-stage of Bengali literature was none other than the eminent novelist / short-story writer Moti Nandy. Moti-da was a master story-teller with turns of phrase that had the connoisseurs yearning for more. His literary efforts traversed all sports, but his first love remained cricket. My mentor in more ways than one. Much more on him later.