Bombay School of Cricket

Between 1920s and early 1980s, there was an acknowledged thought in cricket circles in India. The Bombay School of Cricket. None quite mentioned the admiration openly, but all cricketers grudgingly accepted the fact that Bombay played its cricket better than as well as differently from the rest of the country.

The thought did not restrict the territory to the metropolis only, but it extended to include the Bombay Presidency region. The approach of its players reflected the inherited wisdom of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj: courage, skill, intelligence, planning, determination and patience. All six qualities were equally emphasized. This was particularly true throughout Maharashtra. Reams can be written on this but I shall restrict myself.

If Prof Deodhar laid the foundation at Pune, then the best exponents in the early days were the two Vijays, Merchant and Hazare. Next arrived Polly Umrigar and Vijay Manjrekar. Finally the great tradition rested on the broad shoulders of Sunil Gavaskar. No monopoly of any, all creeds contributed to the inheritance as the great patriot-warrior had always advocated.

By the time Sachin Tendulkar came to the forefront, the approach in Indian cricket had undergone transformation. The 1990s Bombay’s approach changed from the earlier nine decades. While discussing legendary players there is always a tendency to think that only the top players adhere to the regimen. No, not necessarily so. It is the average performers who best exemplify the picture. The tenacity of attrition and the courage to fight till the very end was certainly an influence of Shivaji Maharaj.

 All the best cricketers from the Maharashtra region had almost the same approach: Borde, Contractor, Wadekar, Chauhan, Hemant Kanitkar, Sudhir Naik, Ashok Mankad, Dilip Sardesai, among others. What about the ‘first-class’ performers? Yes, they too had the identical attitude of attrition. For me, two of the best examples would be Vijay Bhosle and Mahesh Sampat because I happened to be on the receiving end, once as the 12^th man and later as a player.

Bhosle the middle-order batter from Bombay would share the dressing room with men who had scored thousands of runs in Test cricket. He was least concerned about their heroics. He had no time to crib about frustrations, no inclination to copy others’ styles, no desire to impress the audience. He had come to fight. And fight he would in his own style and method. A Maratha by blood and guts.

Both Vijay Bhosle and Mahesh Sampat came to Calcutta to represent a Bombay team deprived of its stars who were serving India in international matches. It was the semi-final of the Ranji Trophy in 1970-71 at Eden.

But Bhosle (58) was least concerned about the historic venue or the greenish pitch. He never bothered about match situations and playing conditions. Hail, rain or sunshine Bhosle would not care. He had a sword in hand to defend his motherland with sweat and strength, bravery and blood. With limited means at his disposal, he planned and waited.

At the other end was Mahesh Sampath (141), a tenacious left-hander who had no time or inclination towards artistry. He was a blood-soaked warrior who would fight till his last breath. After an early collapse, the two of them through patience and perseverance helped their team to win from an almost lost cause. Much like the grand predecessor, who pioneered the guerilla warfare tactics to unseat strong opponents.

Six years later yet again Mahesh Sampath (93), again a semi-final at Eden, rescued Bombay from a certain defeat with remarkable determination. No fuss, no glamour, the unknown warrior resisted all our attempts to dislodge him. A rock that drew its inspiration from those brave Maratha warriors of yore.

Let us go back to Eden of 1970-71. A young Bengal spin bowler was making his first-class debut. Against the might of Bombay. Alok Bhattacharya was only 18. Hardly played any cricket at the competitive level. He was somewhat like Bhagawat Chandrasekhar. Unorthodox action with remarkable pace off the pitch for a spinner. He generally bowled fastish leg-spin which was very accurate but hardly turned. But his wristy off-spin would literally turn yards. That was his trump card, used with due diligence.

As Alok bowled to Bhosle, the experienced man played his fastish leg-spin with ease and seemed to have little trouble. However the first off-spin delivery he received absolutely bamboozled him as the ball pitched outside the off-stump, found the gap between bat and pad but just missed the leg stump. Bhosle gave Alok a calm, non-emotional eye to eye look.

Bhosle settled down to face the next ball. Then onwards, every delivery he faced he shouted “Leggie” or “Offie” as he played the ball! It was an unusual experience for all on the field. Inexperienced Alok in his own words, “I just could not concentrate while bowling to him. He seemed to know what I would do!” Bhosle took over the entire responsibility of tackling the unorthodox, deadly accurate spinner. Vijay Bhosle resorted to no abusive words or crude gestures. Only a cool stare to convey his domination.

 Both Sampath and Bhosle exemplified the true spirit of the Bombay School of Cricket like no other. I personally feel among other reasons, it is the rocky, hard soil of the region that makes these hardy warriors. It is the history of the brave Marathas that has inspired the Bombay School of Cricket.