Wriddhiman Saha and Test Cricketers from Bengal

When prominent cricketers and established cricket writers rated Wriddhiman Saha as the best wicket-keeper in the world, a new chapter was added to the history of Bengal cricket. Never before has a Test cricketer from Bengal been regarded as the best in the world.

Pankaj Roy was a prolific performer for India in the 1950s. As an opener he added 2442 notches to the nation’s run kitty for a healthy average of 33 with five centuries. Roy also held the world first-wicket record of 413 runs with Vinoo Mankad for decades. He did great service for India and received due recognition.

So did Sourav Ganguly more than three decades later. Ganguly performed brilliantly as a batsman. More so as an exceptional leader of Team India. His polished stroke-play fetched 7212 runs in 113 Tests at a distinguished average of 42 with 16 Test centuries. As an opener in over-limit cricket he was consistency personified.

Roy led India in a Test match at Lord’s in 1959 whereas Ganguly was truly outstanding as a leader of men. His phenomenal success as captain both at home and abroad made a huge impression among the connoisseurs of cricket.

But neither Roy nor Ganguly was ever ranked among the best players in their respective eras. That honour was destined for Wriddhiman Saha, the wicket-keeper-batsman who was in the India skipper Dhoni’s shadow for quite a while.

With Dhoni’s retirement from the Test arena, Saha earned the opportunity to show-case his talents. Donning the gloves on regular outings, Saha’s actual worth was laid bare to the world at large. The quiet, composed gentleman went about his task in his own inimitable way. He was the ultimate professional in the most appropriate meaning of the word. His peers and critics were delighted to see the excellence that he achieved without any fuss or mannerisms. He made wicket-keeping look like a walk in the park. His effortless glove-work reminded genuine followers of the game of Alan Knott and Bob Taylor; and old timers of Don Tallon.

 Neat and relaxed; effective and effortless Saha took us back to the golden age when wicket-keeping was a specialist’s job. In the last two decades too many gloved men have masqueraded as wicket-keepers at cricket with disastrous results. In the multi-day Test matches, pretenders have been exposed totally.

In an era when a wicket-keeper’s ability is considered secondary to his batting skills, Wriddhiman is a glorious exception. He has made it to the Test XI by virtue of his splendid glove-work. Although he is an excellent batsman, he still prefers his wicket-keeping to do the talking for him. The specialist wicket-keeper has never compromised on his wicket-keeping skills, in spite of misguided advice to do the contrary. This faith in himself is his real strength.

Recently this year Wriddhiman Saha has been rated to be the best in the business by his peers and critics around the world. Some cynics, of whom there is no dearth in India, would claim that these rankings are entirely subjective and have no firm basis. Most certainly, ratings such as these have no statistical standard of evaluation. These are basically based on one’s personal impression and well-considered opinion.

However, what is to be noted is that the opinion is based not on hearsay or media publicity. The judgement is made by hardened professional cricketers and journalists who do not need to favour or fear anyone. They evaluate on the basis of actually what they see on the cricket field. They rely entirely on their experience and knowledge; impressions and integrity. Outstanding former cricketers, including the no-nonsense Aussie Ricky Ponting, have no reason to go overboard in their praise of a low-profile and composed personality as Saha is.

To be rated as the best in the world is a unique achievement by any yardstick of evaluation. Saha’s elevation to the summit is indeed a feather in the cap of Bengal cricket. In the last 85 years of Test cricket Bengal has presented the nation with no less than 18 players, twelve of whom were locally nurtured and the other six infiltrated from other states for greener pastures. But Bengal’s very own Saha happens to be the only one –a product of Siliguri, nestling in the foothills of Darjeeling – to have received the unofficial title of numer uno of world cricket.

The first cricketer to have played Test cricket from Bengal was not Sarobindu Nath ‘Shute’ Banerjee, as CAB’s ‘roll of honour’ would make one believe. The former Bengal cricketer Shute Banerjee was representing Bihar when he made his official Test debut at the age of 37 against West Indies at Brabourne in 1948-49. Despite capturing 5 wickets he was never selected to play for India again!

Earlier in 1947-48, Prabir ‘Khokon’ Sen went with Lala Amarnath’s  India team to Australia. He went as the reserve keeper with Jamshed Khudadad Irani playing in the first two Tests. In the 3^rd Test at Melbourne, Sen made his debut becoming the first from Bengal to play in official Test cricket. Sen went on to play 14 Tests and was instrumental in India’s first-ever Test victory in 1951-52 against England (then MCC) at Chennai (then Madras). He stumped 5 batters, all off the mercurial all-rounder Vinoo Mankad.

After Sen, the next player to play Test from Bengal was Sudhangshu ‘Montu’ Banerjee, a superlative exponent of swing bowling. His first appearance for India was at Eden Gardens against John Goddard’s West Indies in 1948-49. Banerjee castled Denis Atkinson in his first over and went on to capture 5 wickets in the match. But, believe it or not, he was never selected to represent his country again. His debut and his swansong coincided.

In the following Test at Madras, Nirode ‘Putu’ Chowdhury, the medium pacer with a deceptive bounce, became the third from Bengal in the Test arena. Chowdury’s Shoaib-Akhtar like bent-arm action horrified the purists and his career did not prolong beyond two Tests.

Prominent performers from other regions like Vinoo Mankad, Dattu Phadkar and CS Nayudu played in Tests for India while giving service to Bengal in Ranji Trophy. Mankad in 1948-49 played in five Tests, while Nayudu one in 1951-52 and Phadkar in eight between 1954 and 1956.

Between 1951 and 1961 Pankaj Roy dominated the scenario both for Bengal and India. In his 43 Tests the gutsy opener faced the lightning fury and wrath of Fred Trueman, Alec Bedser, Brian Statham, Allan Davidson, Fazal Mahmood, Wesley Hall, Roy Gilchrist among others with his head held high. He was the epitome of courage and concentration. He did Bengal and India proud with his exceptional application for the cause of the team.

Unfortunately when Roy was still in his prime he was omitted from the national team. The West Indies pace bowlers –Roy Gilchrist, Chester Watson, Charlie Stayers and Lester King – who had come to play in India’s domestic tournaments in the early 1960s were unanimous in saying that Pankaj Roy was still the best Indian batsman against genuine pace.

After Roy, it was the turn of Subroto Guha and Ambar Roy to hold the banner of Bengal in international cricket. Both were outstanding performers in the domestic level, but did not do justice to their talents at the international stage. Both figured in 4 Tests each in the late 1960s.

 Guha had just 3 wickets at a bowling average of 103 and never looked the part. Neither was Ambar Roy, Pankaj’s nephew. Ambar scored a mere 92 runs at 13 and never appeared to be comfortable. But in his debut match at Nagpur against New Zealand he played a whirlwind innings or 48 with 11 boundaries.

Then followed a decade when the Bengal cricketers did extremely well but went unrepresented at the official Test level. In 1979 at the age of 32, Dilip Doshi came into limelight with the India captain Sunil Gavaskar specifically opting for his inclusion. Doshi did not disappoint. His maturity and pragmatism helped him to stay on course for 33 Tests till 1983. His 113 wickets, mainly on the docile pitches of the 1980s, reveal the man’s exceptional spinning ability and determination against odds.

In the early 1980s Pankaj Roy’s son Pronob represented India in 2 Tests scoring 71 runs. Around the same time, another import from out-station was Delhi’s Arunlal. The determined opener finished his career of 16 Tests with an average of 26. Former Test batsman Ashok Malhotra from Haryana (7 Tests at 25) also arrived in Bengal in the 1980s. But he never played in Tests while representing Bengal, although CAB credits him of having done so.

The summer of 1996 heralded a new dawn in Bengal cricket. Sourav Ganguly went to England with Azharuddin’s team. Circumstances conspired to put the 24 year old at number 3 for India in the Lord’s Test. Ganguly took up the challenge in a magnificent manner scoring centuries on his debut and followed it up with another at Trent Bridge. Without any semblance of doubt he happens to be the most successful of all the Bengal cricketers at the international level. Reams have been written on him to require any further elaboration.

While Ganguly was doing wonders, Devang Gandhi (4 Tests at 34) and wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta (8 Tests at 29; 13 victims) enjoyed short careers at the international level. Another import was Saba Karim. During the course of his debut against Bangladesh he had problems with his vision and did not get the opportunity to last the whole match. In his only innings he managed 13 and took one catch.

Saha made his debut under strange circumstances. He played his first match as a batsman and created an excellent impression with his batting and fielding skills. Since then he has been a regular reserve bench player. A perpetual under-study to his captain. Most pragmatically, he kept his mouth shut and his ears and eyes open. Today with every opportunity he is proving him his worth in no uncertain terms.

In 2013 Saha got Shami Ahmed for company in the India team. Although Shami made his debut in Test from Bengal, his early years were spent in Uttar Pradesh. He happens to be yet another migrant in the Bengal line-up.

Today Bengal can take pride in having two players in the India XI. Both are doing well in their respective jobs. But Wriddhiman’s exceptional glove-work has placed him on a very high pedestal. He has achieved a position no other Bengal player has yet done at the Test level.

Wriddhiman Saha’s character is best exemplified by the fact that he has not forgotten his early coach at Siliguri, Jayanta Bhowmik. Although he is exposed to various well-meaning coaches today, Saha is truthful enough to accept that the person who knows him the best is the portly opener who first showed him the basics and helped him to reach the pinnacle. Kudos to his coach Jayanta for not following the herd instinct of placing batsmanship above the specialist skills of a wicket-keeper.

 Saha’s manner and speech on and off the field have been exemplary. He has proved to all Indians that even an obscure town in North Bengal can produce world champions. He is an ideal role model for our young talents.

Eden's Bell

          

















  India & 500 Tests: a Perspective                                 

In the euphoria of recent successes, Indian cricket seems to have forgotten those who laid the solid edifice of its massive modern structure. India began its tryst with official Test matches way back in 1932 on a cold, windy morning at Lord’s in the Marylebone district of London. The captain of the Indian team, Maharaja of Porbandar 

Natwarsinhji, in a magnanimous gesture handed over the captaincy for the inaugural Test match to the more deserving ‘commoner’ and an outstanding leader of men, C K Nayudu.

The fallacy of the much-heralded issue that the Hindus do not get along with the Muslims was exposed in next to no time as Mohammed Nissar, India’s fastest-ever fast bowler, bombarded the formidable England batting arsenal in his opening spell. The pride of the colonial masters lay in tatters at 19 for 3. Nayudu’s faith in Nissar did not go unrewarded as Nissar responded with 5 prized scalps.

That early morning spell of Nissar and Amar Singh sent a significant signal to the cricketing world that a great cricketing nation was on the horizon. Those magnificent Indian cricketers of the first two decades, 1930s and 1940s, could not form a match-winning combination as only three official Test series, all against England in England, were played before India’s independence.

With the advent of partition of the Indian sub-continent, we lost some of our stalwarts who stayed back in their homes which fell across the border. This was a mighty blow to the emergence of India as a power in the international cricketing firmament. If the land mass was not partitioned in 1947, one can well imagine the strength of the ‘undivided’ team. This political decision set back sports in the sub-continent by several decades.

Men of the calibre of Vijay Merchant, Mushtaq Ali, Lala Amarnath, Vijay Hazare and Vinoo Mankad, among others, were relegated to the footnotes of Indian cricket history. Ironically, here in India our cricketing grandfathers have never received their due recognition and reward. Men who had laid India’s strong cricketing foundation since the days of Mehallasha Pavri, Baloo Palvankar and Dinkar Balwant Deodhar came from all communities, all backgrounds and all provinces. No particular group or region can ever take the credit for the stupendous superstructure of contemporary Indian cricket.

India’s first-ever Test victory came at Chepauk in 1952. Nigel Howard’s England (then MCC) tasted an innings defeat as the world-class all-rounder Vinoo Mankad’s left-arm orthodox spin flummoxed the English professionals. Mankad’s haul of 12 wickets in the historic effort was helped by centuries from Polly Umrigar and Pankaj Roy. Jovial wicket-keeper Prabir Sen, born in Comilla (now in Bangladesh) conspired with Mankad to bring about five ‘stumpings’.

Kanpur in 1959 proved to be the Waterloo of Richie Benaud’s star-studded Australians. Under the leadership of Gulabrai Ramchand, India enacted a historic victory at Green Park as off-spinner Jasu Patel wreaked havoc, with 9 and 5 wickets in the match, after India had conceded the first innings lead.

In 1961-62 India defeated England for the first time in a series. Nariman Contractor’s men had Ted Dexter’s outfit in total disarray at Calcutta and Madras. Motganhalli Laxminarsu Jaisimha, Vijay Manjrekar, Chandu Borde and Salim Durrani were the outstanding performers in the series.

Since 1932, India went on to win 131 Tests out of the 502 played till today. Of these 131 victories, India’s performance at home, as with all other nations, is far superior to its performance abroad. So far India has won just 41 Tests abroad while winning no less than 90 Tests under familiar conditions at home.

Sadly India’s statistics of series victories abroad have not done justice to the potential of our cricketers. Series victories on foreign soil have been far and few. Just eleven series victories abroad in about 84 years of international cricket is a poor index of the worth of India’s cricketing talents. This scenario needs to be rectified soon.

Unfortunately India had to wait till 1967-68 for her first Test and series victory on foreign soil. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi led from the front winning 3-1 against New Zealand. The Kiwis had little answer to the wiles of Bishan Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna and Bapu Nadkarni, while the batting honours went to Ajit Wadekar, gutsy Rusi Surti and the ever-reliable Chandu Borde.

The wait for 35 years to win a Test abroad is a sad echo on the undoubted abilities of our cricketers. The excellent Indian players excelled individually but failed miserably to combine as a unit. Too many groups, too many diversions, too much of bias had set in. Into that claustrophobic environment, the appearance of Tiger Pataudi, bred in England, brought about a refreshing change. Communalism and provincialism took a back seat. Young, deserving players began to feel comfortable. The cricketing ambience in the country looked bright and relaxed.

The year 1971 will always be earmarked as the turning point of Indian cricket. Indian cricket finally came into full maturity with magnificent victories over Garfield Sobers’ West Indies in the Caribbean and over England in her own backyard. Never before or after has India defeated two major powers of cricket abroad in the same year. At the time there was no system of ranking of Test teams. But India was certainly numero uno because England had just defeated both Australia and West Indies.

The great victory at Port of Spain in Trinidad against West Indies was possible because of the dexterity of an Afghanistan-born Indian cricketer, Salim Aziz Durani. The Kabuliwala was a cricketing genius who cared neither for fame or fortune. In two successive deliveries he had Clive Lloyd and Sobers on bended knees. The much-vaunted West Indians reeled under the gaze of the soft smile of the handsome artist. He did not jump to celebrate. There was no awkward gesture. Not a single curse escaped his lips. It appeared he was in empathy with the vanquished batters. This was cricket at its best: modesty in victory. He exemplified the spirit of cricket: the sport of gentlemen.

In this series we saw the rise and rise of a short-statured, broad shouldered persona named Sunil Gavaskar. Along with Dilip Sardesai, his senior Mumbai mate, he went on and on to rewrite cricketing records galore. With Gavaskar’s personality and performance on and off the field Indian cricket could no longer be taken casually.

Skipper Ajit Wadekar repeated his Caribbean victory by bearding the British lion in its own den at the Oval with Bhagawat Chandrasekhar striking venom with his vicious variety. India was actually on top of the cricketing world.

Despite the usual wins, drawn matches and defeats in the following seasons, another milestone in Indian cricket was the wins at Calcutta and Chennai against Lloyd’s team in 1974-75. Two Tests down, Pataudi’s inspiring leadership, Gundappa Viswanath’s magnificent batsmanship and Chandrasekhar’s magical spin helped India to level the series before going down in the final encounter. Both teams matched each other eyeball to eyeball. No quarters asked for; none expected in return.

In 1976 at Port of Spain India created a milestone in cricketing history. Under Bishan Singh Bedi, India chased a total over 400 runs and won a magnificent victory. Gavaskar, Viswanath and Mohinder Amarnath shone with the willow as Bedi, Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Chandrasekhar took the bowling honours.

Then again in 1981 came another superb victory at Melbourne under Gavaskar. The match was heading for a certain defeat when Kapil Dev, Karsan Ghavri and Dilip Doshi turned the apple-cart on the final day and helped India to draw the series.

In 1986 skipper Kapil Dev led India to a glorious series victory in England with convincing victories at Lord’s and Leeds. Dilip Vengsarkar was outstanding with unbeaten centuries in either Test, while Roger Binny, Chetan Sharma and Maninder Sigh among the wickets. Kapil Dev proved to one and all that his leadership qualities were no less inspiring than anybody else’s.

India next series win over Sri Lanka in 1993-94 did not cut much ice as Sri Lanka was still regarded to be among the minnows as were the ‘away’ wins over Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

But a unique occasion was the magnificent victory over Steve Waugh’s Australians at Eden Gardens in 2000-01. Despite following-on, Rahul Dravid (180) and VVS Laxman (281) took up the challenge and posted a lead to aid Harbhajan Singh to run through the Aussie innings with a hat-trick. Skipper Saurav Ganguly led from the front as the next Test was also won and consequently the series. In the annals of Test cricket, the Eden Gardens win was just the third occasion of a team winning after following on. This was surely among the greatest victories recorded in Indian cricket.

The next series win ‘away from home’ was against Pakistan in 2003-04. Deputy captain Rahul Dravid drew the first blood at Multan as the tour captain Ganguly completed the operation at Rawalpindi giving India her first taste of a series victory on Pakistani soil.

Rahul Dravid, genteel and gracious, never got the credit for doing a yeoman job as India’s captain. He was the captain when India won a series victory against Brian Lara’s West Indies in 2005-06 and then later overwhelmed Michael Vaughan’s England in 2007. He himself was outstanding with the bat as well as in handling his peers. Unfortunately, the gentleman that he is, he has forever remained in the background because of his impeccable conduct and low profile. He is the only Indian captain to have helped the nation to win three Test series abroad. Other Indian skippers have done extremely well at home, no doubt, but Dravid was exemplary in leadership under difficult and non-familiar conditions ‘away from home’.

Virat Kohli and his mates deserve our kudos for India’s recent ‘away’ series victory in the Caribbean as well as the current series at ‘home’ against the weak Kiwis. Now it is up to these talented modern-day stars to rectify India’s poor record of series victories abroad. They have given us a taste of it and every indication that Indian cricket is about to set sail in full steam in the years ahead.

With Anil Kumble as the guiding spirit, hopefully the emphasis on team ahead of self will come to the forefront. The two Ks of Indian cricket – Kumble and Kohli – will surely help India to be the King of world cricket.

 

  ON TEST  SELECTORS

Only a test cricketer is qualified to select another test cricketer.  So goes the candid logic. Extremely convincing, indeed. By the same token of analogy  should an alleged criminal be judged only by a judge with criminal antecedents? By the way, should a cardiac specialist be a former heart patient himself? Who should do the post-mortem on dead bodies?

BCCI has taken another step ahead. The national selector should not be more than 60 years of age. Why 60 and not 55 or 65 has not been specified yet. This pronouncement means that men like Sunil Gavaskar and Bishen Bedi are not qualified to be Indian national selectors at present. Probably some powerful lobbies feel that Sunil having crossed 60 has become senile. More likely, that ‘brash’ Bishan cannot be pressurized.

Now the question that crops up is very simple. If a selector is considered to be too old at 60, what about the administrators themselves?

In the 85 years of India’s participation in test cricket, this season for the first time ever the national selectors are being selected on the basis of applications received in response to an advertisement. Very fair, no doubt. In this system, every eligible candidate was given a fair chance to submit his credentials.

But then again a simple query arises. Are the officials, who are picking the test selectors, former test players themselves? Since the BCCI wants former players to select the current international cricketers, it stands to reason that the test selectors themselves should also be appointed by men who have played for India.

 Earlier for decades the national selectors were appointed by the powers-that-be without any definite guidelines. Every nomination or appointment depended upon the whims and fancies of the respective zones. Invariably enough, most national selectors would be malleable men who could be easily influenced.

To escape from that ridiculous system, the current BCCI administrators thought of a system to rectify that scenario. Very praiseworthy indeed. But then the present system hardly reveals any advancement on the previous one. BCCI should realize that a selector should be a man of integrity, of knowledge, of sincerity. He must have the courage of conviction and be willing to devote time and attention to his job tirelessly. Very important, he must be totally unbiased and think of the national interest first, last and always.

How many tests or international matches the selector has played cannot be the primary concern. His age is of no consequence. The man’s character and personality are of paramount importance for this very responsible job.

Hundreds of ridiculous instances concerning our national selectors over the years can be cited. Here are a few that would give the reader a chance to know the kind of men we have had as our national selectors.

 Raj Singh Dungarpur had never represented India but was almost single-handedly responsible for a 16 year old son of a low-profile Marathi poet to make his test debut in 1989. In a span of about 25 years, SRT went on to erase all possible batting records. Without Rajbhai’s selectorial wisdom, Sachin’s advent at the international level would have been delayed. Former first-class cricketer Raj Singh Dungarpur did more for cricket than any Indian test cricketer or BCCI administrator ever did. Non test cricketer Raj Singh had every conceivable quality a selector should possess.

Manindra Nath Bechu Dutta Ray had no credentials as a player. But he was a first-class umpire with the critical eye of a gem expert. He was the person who pitchforked the young Sardar from Amritsar into the test team in 1967 at Eden Gardens. Since that day the left-arm spinner went on to become one of the finest left-arm spinners in world cricket. Dutta Ray showed little prejudice at the national level, but was highly biased when it came to local club cricket. If any young, deserving player from Bengal aspired to play for India then he had to play for Bechu Babu’s Sporting Union Club in Calcutta.

On the other extreme, we have had former test cricketer-turned national selector Ramesh Saxena who did not even know the names of the players he helped to select. Former test stars Dattu Phadkar and Pankaj Roy, by turns represented east zone in the selection panel in the 1970s. Neither ever bothered to watch east zone at play.

On the 1936 tour of England, Baqa Jilani was chosen for the final XI on the morning of the Oval test because he willingly insulted and abused CK Nayudu publicly on the specific instruction of his captain Vizzy! Shute Banerjee, who was way ahead in performance and potential, was sidelined from the playing XI because he refused to carry out such a vile order.

CK Nayudu on his part as a national selector acted in a very high-handed manner to omit Vinoo Mankad from the 1952 touring team to England. Mankad was at the time the leading all-rounder in the world and had just helped India to win her first-ever test victory with 12 wickets at Chepauk. Mankad had gone to UK to play in the Lancashire Leagues when the Indian test team was to be selected for the forthcoming tour of UK. Chief selector CK Nayudu insisted that Mankad should come back to India to take part in a trial match! Mankad could not come to India as he was engaged with his club and would have lost his contract. Promptly CK Nayudu dropped him from the squad!

After India lost the first test match at Leed’s, the manager of the team Pankaj Gupta cabled Mankad in Lancashire at the time to join the team for the 2^nd test at Lord’s. Gupta did not even bother to ask the selectors for permission. As it transpired, in that test Mankad dominated the proceedings in such a manner that the test match came to be known as ‘Mankad’s Test’. Mankad with 72 and 184 runs as well as 5 wickets was simply superlative. Just goes to show that a non-test player’s vision (Pankaj Gupta’s) was far superior to that of CK Nayudu.

Highly principled captain Polly Umrigar resigned from the test captaincy on serious differences with the selectors just before the start of the Chennai test in 1958-59. For the 1959 tour the selectors opted for DK Gaekwad as captain who was not even a regular India player at the time. India had just Surendranath and Ramakant Desai as genuine pacers for the 4-month tour of England! The series was lost 0-5. The national selection committee included former test cricketers like Lala Amarnath, C Ramaswami and LP Jai with Dutta Ray, a first-class umpire and non-cricketer.

For India’s first-ever official tour of England in 1932 the Indian selectors opted for the Maharaja of Porbandar Natwarsinhji, who supposed to ‘have more Rolls-Royce cars than runs’ as a cricketer. His deputy was the Maharaja of Limbdi Ghyanashyamsinhji, another man of very modest cricketing acumen.

 But Natwarsinhji was magnanimous enough to drop himself and ask the far more deserving ‘commoner’ CK Nayudu to lead the team in the inaugural test at Lord’s. This generous gesture of Natwarsinhji has been lost in the footnotes of India’s cricketing annals. What the prominent former players and national selectors (Kanga, Hosie and Ashan ul Haq) were unable to do, was done in a relaxed manner by the designated captain himself. This is indeed unique in world cricket.

During his tenure between 1969 and 1972, chief selector Vijay Merchant, well beyond the age of 60, showed the gumption to select young talents and the future of Indian cricket blossomed. Players of the calibre of Sunil Gavaskar, Gundappa Viswanath and Eknath Solkar, among others, came into limelight with the ‘old and senile’ Merchant holding forth in the selection committee meetings. It is not a man’s age but his worth that makes the difference.

Ghulam Ahmed (61), Chandu Borde (49) and Bishan Bedi (37) belonged to  different age-brackets and eras when they were entrusted with the selection of the 1983 world cup squad. Such was India’s disinterest in one-dayers at the time that selectors from east and central zones (Pankaj Roy and Chandu Sarwate) did not even bother to attend the selection committee meeting! This was actually a blessing in disguise for Bedi, Borde and Ghulam Ahmed. The three very sincere, unprejudiced minds chose ‘horses for courses’ and the rest is history, as the cliché goes. Just goes to show that when India first won a world championship actually 3 national selectors did the splendid job, although they were 5 in number. The emphasis cannot be on the number of selectors. Nor on one’s date of birth.

Today Indian cricket is at a crossroads. The caravan has travelled for 85 years since 1932 participating in 500 tests around the globe. Unfortunately India’s performance abroad has not done justice to its actual potential. We have won a mere 11 series away from home including one in Bangladesh and another in Zimbabwe. 41 victories have been achieved on foreign soil whereas 87 on the familiar pitches at home. This poor statistic needs to be altered for India to earn respect abroad as a test team.

 Ironically Indian test captains who have done very well abroad have always been deprived of their due recognition. Ajit Laxman Wadekar led India to two magnificent series victories against West Indies in the Caribbean and against England in their own den in 1971. Yet he is always regarded as a ‘lucky’ captain whatever that means! He is more remembered for the disastrous 1974 England tour.

Another under-rated India captain is the mercurial Kapil Dev Nikhanj. After the 1983 world cup triumph, he led India to a most convincing 2-0 test series victory in England in 1986. His inspirational leadership never earned any kudos. Why are we so miserly in praising his leadership skills?

Similar is the case with Rahul Dravid. He happens to be the sole India captain who has led India to three series victories abroad against strong opponents. Deputising for Sourav Ganguly at Multan in 2004, Rahul made the initial foray into Pakistan territory till the captain-designate Ganguly came round to seal the series triumph at Rawalpindi.

After taking over, Rahul’s leadership paid immediate dividends in terms of series victories against strong oppositions on their own backyard. He defeated Brain Lara’s Calypso men in 2005-06 and the following year upset the apple-cart of Michael Vaughan’s England. Yet the name of Rahul Dravid hardly figures when leadership skills are discussed. Is it because of his low profile and his diffident nature?

Today with Anil Kumble as the navigator and Virat Kohli in the driver’s seat, the trend of India’s performance overseas requires urgent rectification. Hopefully the encouraging results of the innumerable ‘home’ tests this season would not make us complacent. Let the duo get the appropriate support from our national selectors and help India to reverse our statistical record away from home. 

Between 1932 and 1952 India would have just 3 selectors to do the job of selecting the national team. Then from 1953 began the trend of having 4 selectors. This pattern continued till 1970. From 1971 the national selection committee comprised 5 men, one each from the respective zones.

Hence the exact number of selectors is not of primary concern. Nor their age or the number of test matches they have played for India. The principal issue is to have men of integrity, sincerity and knowledge. Men who are unprejudiced and would do their duty with the national interest in mind. Without fear or favour.

Norman Pritchard

 Norman Pritchard

Will the real Norman Pritchard please stand up? No way. For years he has been dead and buried. Ignored and forgotten for ages.

Pritchard’s name and fame rests on a tiny piece of statistic. He is credited to have won the silver medal in 200 metres sprint and in 200 metres hurdles more than a century ago in the Olympic Games at Paris in 1900.

Then, what is his relevance today? Plenty. He happens to be the first Indian to win an Olympic medal.

 Most unfortunately Norman Pritchard’s qualification of being from India is being questioned. Initially, the Olympic records acknowledged that Norman Pritchard represented India at the Paris Olympic in 1900. By that reasoning he becomes India’s first medal winner at the Olympics.

But recently Olympic authorities are unwilling to pass on the credit to India as they feel that Pritchard should be considered a British athlete as his parents were from England.

Since Pritchard’s life has never been properly documented there is good reason to feel that the son of English parents should be considered to have represented England. But at the same time let there be no doubt that whatever little information is available about Norman Pritchard points to the fact that he was a Calcutta-based man since birth.

Born in Alipore, then an exclusively British part of Calcutta, Pritchard studied at St.Xavier’s Collegiate School in Calcutta. Sports researcher Gulu Ezekiel has discovered that he stayed at Lansdowne Road (now Sarat Bose Road) and worked for Bird & Co, both at Calcutta.

There is no doubt that while at the Paris Olympic, Norman Pritchard was very much a Calcutta lad. Pritchard excelled both at football and rugby. A popular man, he was also the secretary of Calcutta Football Club (CFC, now CC&FC). He also became the secretary of Indian Football Association (IFA). Hence to regard a man, who was born at Calcutta and spent all his active years in India, an England representative at the Olympic Games is grossly unfair.

With such strong recommendations to back his candidature as an Indian representative, it is indeed rather surprising that he is recently being dragged away from India under extremely unpalatable circumstances. The trail of Norman Pritchard was lost during the 1^st world war. It became impossible to trace the latter part of the life of the outstanding athlete and prominent sports administrator.

About ten years ago while researching at the Goethall’s Library of St Xavier’s College, Calcutta, I came across a newspaper cutting mentioning that Norman Pritchard had gone across to United States and settled down. This piece of information helped in getting to know the actual fate of the great athlete from Calcutta. In the US, the athlete Norman Pritchard became a movie actor! He was an extremely popular star and acted in numerous films under the name of Norman Trevor. Unfortunately he led a reckless life and died in penury. He has been forgotten ever since.

The late lamented Reverend Cecil Leeming, a priest of English parentage at Calcutta St.Xavier’s, who was good enough an athlete himself to be called for the 1936 Berlin Olympic trials, always maintained that although Pritchard had British parents, he was an inspiration to a generation of Calcutta athletes and would never have considered himself to be anything but a ‘pucca’ Bengali.

In 1900 the Olympics at Paris coincided with the international exhibition at Paris at the time and had stretched over many a month. Those days at the Olympics the question of nationality did not arise because there were no official Olympic committees of individual countries and that the participants participated on their own.

Pritchard went to the Paris Olympic in 1900 on his own. He was sent neither by India nor by Britain. Hence Pritchard’s two silver medals remain his very own. Since he was born and   bred   in Calcutta, there is no earthly reason to think that he went to Paris as an England representative.

If Pritchard is now considered to be an England athlete, then what would be the status of cricketer Ranjitsinghji? Ranji was not born in England nor did he have English parentage. Yet, based in England, he represented England. India accepted that he was an England cricketer by residential qualification.

If Ranji is considered an England cricketer by residential qualification, then Pritchard most certainly would qualify to be an athlete representing India for the very same reason. Let sanity be restored. Norman Pritchard, the Calcutta lad, is India’s first medallist at the Olympic Games.

In this year of Olympic Games, let all genuine sports lovers not forget the name of the man who first brought laurels to India at the Olympic Games.

Sir  Learie  Constantine

At Eden the other day when Carlos Brathwaite was plundering the England attack with those towering sixes, one could see the ghost of Learie Constantine hovering around him.The power and precision-timing of Brathwaite’s bat merely exemplified the spirit of the man who was among the first to entertain the cricket world with incredible and uninhibited stroke-play.

At the turn of the 19^th century, WG Grace had laid the foundation of classical cricket technique. Ranji had revealed the artistry of the Orient with his wrist-work. Trumper had shown the fearlessness of youth. Jack Hobbs his technical perfection under all conditions, even on the ‘stickiest’ of pitches. But with the arrival of Constantine from the Caribbean a novel dimension was added to the repertoire of cricket: entertaining cricket without a bother for the morrow.

The West Indies squad for the world T20 championship seemed to reflect the varied charms of the master entertainer, Learie Constantine. Gayle’s big-hitting with gay abandon, Russel’s boundless energy, Bravo’s variety in bowling, Samuel’s cool planning, skipper Sammy’s perpetual smile were all reminiscent of the man. Constantine represented not a region, but a race. He represented not an era but an aeon that went beyond a century. Constantine’s charisma has rubbed off on his cricketing grand-children and great-grand-children.

His ebony complexion and curly hair reflected the soul of his land. Life was short and was to be enjoyed. Live life to the full: sports and spirits; dance and drums. Enjoyment and entertainment are to complement each other. The spontaneous effort was all that mattered. The outcome, even if successful, was totally secondary to the creative urge. The result was less important than the means. Constantine took his front-foot wide outside the off-stump and swatted the ball over the mid-wicket fence! Sacrilegious in the 1920s. The coach shouted, “Look where your feet are.” A broad grin emerged, “Sir, look at the ball, forget the feet.”

He was indeed a revolutionary in the ethos of the time. The contemporary Englishmen depended on well-tested conventional techniques and strategies. The South Africans were in the Brit mould. The Aussies were a little different. They relied on orthodox ideas but were distinctly more aggressive. But with the arrival of the coloured West Indian, the whole perspective of cricket underwent a radical change. The transformation was the signature tune of Learie Constantine.

When not swatting the ball, he would hurl thunderbolts at the batters and laugh at the latter’s discomfiture. If the batter was a dear friend, then he would get more bouncers and guffaws from his friend ‘Conny’. Once, Wally Hammond had a taste of the chilling fury of his close pal. A well-directed, menacing bouncer split open Hammond’s chin, the mark of which was to last a lifetime.

Constantine had the uncanny habit of sweeping the ball behind the wicket-keeper. If it took his fancy he would bowl spin off a long run-up or bowl pace from a few strides. For providing unalloyed excitement, Learie Constantine had very few parallels. Sir Don rated him to be the most enterprising of cricketers.

Learie Constantine is dead and buried. Long gone into the sands of time. But the spirit of the radical lives on. Every Caribbean cricketer is born with a big enough drop of Constantine’s blood. The crimson with an electric hue.

Physical power he possessed in abundance. The lithe elastic body carried a bundle of energy. Seemed to be in a state of perpetual motion. Even after the end of the run-up, Constantine would scamper to field the ball wherever it was. With every movement, he appeared to be accumulating energy. Once Constantine actually caught Andy Sandham off his own bowling when the defensive prod had popped the ball just about three yards down the pitch!

 Muscular yet supremely supple, he released the ball at fearsome pace yet never lost his cool. Highly respected not only for his brilliant mind, but more so for his magnanimous nature. No opponent has ever been so revered, except perhaps his own protégés like Frank Worrell and Gary Sobers.

Although the Trinidadian was ever ready to laugh at his own follies and failures, he was till the last day a rebel in approach. This was the difference between him and the other great pioneers of the game. Constantine would never seek self-glory or self-publicity. Would never disrespect others. Would be the first to stick his neck out, especially on race-relations and other social issues. Learie Constantine completed his bar-at law and later became the high commissioner of Trinidad in Britain. An exemplary role model from all angles. Unfortunately today in the world of cheap publicity, his happens to be a long-forgotten name.

Cricket-wise he came under the guidance of English coaches as a youngster in Trinidad. But he went far beyond conventional thinking and classical techniques. He adapted the game to his genes. A very high back-lift and a complete follow-through of the bat between the shoulder blades. Jumped out, even to pace bowlers, to lift the ball high, wide and handsome.

Between the wickets no leopard could out-run the born athlete. He was without a trace of doubt the best fielder of his generation and beyond. From 75 yards his unerring throw would be on top of the bails. Incredible catches he took through sheer athleticism.

The typical West Indies mould developed with the arrival of Constantine. He was a child of nature. Gave full vent to his feelings. No inhibitions, no anxiety, no theory ever bothered him. Today’s West Indies cricketers follow the pattern set by him in 1920s. It is in their genes. The spirit of adventure is what sets the West Indies cricketers apart from all others. They are spontaneous, highly spirited, fun loving, born entertainers.

Constantine is still rated to be the best-ever performer in the Lancashire Leagues, the precursor to the over-limit format. Not only because he was very successful but because his presence would guarantee entertainment for the spectators. His sole intent was for the benefit of the audience.

Following his tenets, West Indians in the following generations have proved themselves to be among the most prominent entertainers. Time and again they dominated the world cricket scenario, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, but their real appeal lay in their entertainment value in all formats of the game.

West Indies cricket has suffered for over the last two decades for various reasons. Now with the new-found successes – men’s team, women’s team and u19 team – it may appear that a turnaround is just round the corner. Whether West Indies as a team is successful or not, there is no semblance of doubt that individually the Caribbean cricketers are still the most entertaining and exciting of all.

The West Indies team may not be able to replicate its earlier successes but the entertainment value of the Caribbean cricketer will never falter. The spirit of Constantine is still in full flow in their veins. The charisma of Sir Learie Constantine (knighted in 1962) has gone beyond boundaries, has traversed a century. He stands supreme among the great entertainers of the cricketing pantheon. Sir Learie is the fount from which spring the enterprise, the excitement and the entertainment value of the Caribbean cricketers.


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 On Dhirubhai Ambani’s patriotism in the cause of cricket

Dhirubhai Ambani has just been posthumously honoured by the Government of India with the coveted award of Padma Vibhushan for his unparalleled contribution to the Indian industrial environment. The sheer magnitude of Dhirubhai’s achievement in the industrial sector has dwarfed many of his other stupendous work in the interest of Indian society. One of his magnificent achievements is in the arena of cricket. Sadly the issue has never been highlighted in our country. His yeoman contribution to cricket has never been acknowledged and recognized.

Dhirubhai Ambani happens to be among the eminent pioneers who gave cricket in India a new and novel dimension. He exemplified the spirit of patriotism in no uncertain manner on a monsoon morn in Mumbai way back in1983. He picked up the phone receiver and gave his assent as the voice from the prime minister’s office informed him to meet the prime minister within a couple of days.

The visionary industrialist did not have a single query. Nor did he want to know the reason for the urgency. Dhirubhai wasted no time. Next day he was at Mrs Indira Gandhi’s chamber at 10 Janpath in New Delhi to keep his appointment as desired by the prime minister herself.

NKP Salve, the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, was also asked by the PMO to be present in the room at the appointed hour. Salve happened to be a cabinet minister at the time and was very highly rated for his integrity as a lawyer as well as a politician.

Prime minister Mrs Gandhi kept the usual pleasantries short, as was her style, and went straight into the principal issue. She asked Dhirubhai whether the latter would be keen to sponsor a world cricket championship on Indian soil. Dhirubhai Ambani, God bless him, did not hesitate for a moment. Instantly he realized that the image and prestige of his nation was at stake. He nodded and uttered, “Madam, yes, I would be too happy to give a blank cheque to cover the entire cost of the tournament since it is for a national cause.”

He did not betray any emotion. He asked no questions. He sought no clarifications. The grand ol’ man immediately grasped that the money was to be spent to uphold India’s honour. For him that was enough reason. He offered a blank cheque. Yes, that was Dhirubhai Ambani. This is a glorious example of how politicians and industrialists can come forward for the cause of the country through the popular medium of sports.

But we are going ahead of the actual story. The story begins at Lord’s. June 25, 1983 to be precise. India had reached the Prudential World Cup final against all odds. “Kapil’s Devils” were to play the defending champions, the rampaging West Indies at the Lord’s.

A few days prior to the final, just after India had defeated the hosts England in the semi-final, the BCCI president NKP Salve requested the authorities at the Lord’s for 2 tickets for the final. The tickets were requested for Siddhartha Shankar Ray and his wife Maya. SS Ray, a former Calcutta University Cricket Blue, was at the time the Indian High Commissioner to USA.

Surprisingly the authorities at the Lord’s turned down the request of the BCCI president. Even priced tickets were not made available. For Salve, the epitome of gentlemanliness, this was an embarrassing scenario. The president of one of the finalist teams could not offer just two tickets to an Indian ambassador. NKP Salve, man of high integrity and self-respect, decided there and then that he would not take this insult to his country lying down.

When India won the coveted trophy, the president of BCCI NKP Salve lost no time and brought the winning team over to New Delhi from Heathrow to meet the prime minister. After the reception was over, Salve made a beeline for Mrs Gandhi and told her of the humiliation that he had to face in London over those two tickets.

Mrs Gandhi asked Salve what he had contemplated to avenge the insult. Salve, the outstanding lawyer and clever politician, had a mind of his own. He devised that he would try to get the world cup out of the clutches of England who had monopolized hosting quadrennial tournament since 1975.

Within the course of the next few months the BCCI was keeping themselves prepared to take on the challenges of the major cricketing powers of the time, England and Australia. It was decided that at the next meeting of the ICC, where the dates of the following world cup in England would be decided, the BCCI would offer double the guarantee money to all the participating teams. On the day of the meeting at Lord’s, true to form, the plan was executed to perfection.

At the ICC meeting held at the Lord’s to confirm England as host, the eloquence of NKP Salve had the influential lobbies scurrying for cover. In a magnanimous gesture, the BCCI president doubled the guarantee money if the tournament was held in India and then, for good measure, made some more concessions for the benefit of the players and their families. All reservations about playing the world cup on Indian soil evaporated into thin air in next to no time.

 The ultimate decision of the meeting heralded that the 1987 edition of the world cup would be held in India. In another master-stroke of diplomacy, the statesman in NKP Salve asked Pakistan to be a co-host. The 1987 world cup was the first world cup in cricket to vanquish the monopoly of England as the permanent venue. Since then the world cup championship keeps moving around the globe by rotation as it should be in a democratic scenario.

The spirit displayed by Dhirubhai Ambani, NKP Salve and Mrs Gandhi has been forgotten in this land of ours. They showed the way how politicians, professionals and industrialists can help to shape the world through the medium of sports.

But the juggernaut, massive and strong, was too good to last. Mrs Gandhi was assassinated in October 1984. The country was in turmoil. The world cup was only of secondary importance. Obviously enough, there were far more important jobs awaiting attention.

But Salve had other ideas. He approached Dhirubhai to find out if he was still willing to sponsor the world cup. Salve’s apprehension can well be imagined. Indira Gandhi was no more. The nation was staring at a crisis after a crisis. But the industrialist from Mumbai said, “Nothing doing, the show must go on. I will not go back on my word.” As promised, the blank cheque from Dhirubhai Ambani remained with BCCI’s Salve.

Rajiv Gandhi took over from his late mother. Salve kept his unwavering focus. On his part, the patriot Dhirubhai, who had no interest in sports, sent his younger son Anil to get involved with the staging of the world cup. In one grand gesture of magnanimity, Anil Ambani had all the cricket boards salivating.

Anil offered complimentary hospitality to all the office bearers of the respective cricket boards. This was purposely done just to add salt to England’s wound. People who had denied India just two tickets were granted full hospitality throughout the course of the championship! It was an exemplary Gandhian master-stroke by the Reliance owner.

 The trio –Salve, Ambani and Gandhi – was magnificent in handling the global event. The Reliance Cup was an outstanding success in terms of media coverage, sponsorship and crowd participation. Just goes to show that with the right people in right places, India can move the world. Dhirubhai Ambani deserves our salute for his superlative, patriotic gesture.