In the current times , when the Switch hit and the Dilscoop have become conspicous even in the tests, bowlers have a lot to worry in this batsman's game. The one day rules have been tweaked but the outside leg stump rule of lbw remains, but I guess this will change only if DRS can be used for every game. When Sidvee tweeted about one incident from the archives where Gavaskar had batted left handed against Raghuram Bhat in a domestic game, took me back to the times when we read of these incidents in "The Hindu" ,nicely boxed and in bold to get noticed.
Gavaskar was a legend,a person who wore down attacks with his perfect defensive technique , one of the better ones being his last test innings played in Bangalore and it was absolutely out of the conventional textbook. He was nearing the end of his career and had achieved the highest run getter tag already and he practised his own theory that you give the first hour to the bowlers , you can have yours after that and score big runs. Pakistan from the time they were put in were in trouble and both the captains had not expected the wicket to turn so much. India didnt do better either and the lead gained in the first innings was hardly enough to put pressure on Pakistan .
The die hard Indian supporter in me definitely wanted an Indian win. Thankfully I had a friend of mine who had a TV near the school and since our school gates were monitored , me and 2 of my friends scaled walls , gave some crucial classes a miss to catch a glimpse of this wonderful knock. It was defensive alright but still the more he played and didnt get out, Indian hopes rose and the victory was getting closer. The other Indian batsmen were simply not there or not up to the challenge. The wicket was turning square ,portly Iqbal Qasim and the lean mean Tauseef Ahmed were getting regular breakthroughs. Tauseef was flatter through the air as always and looked more like a one day bowler but you needed one of this kind to bottle up one end so that Qasim could get going at the other end. Akram bowled just 2 overs in the first innings and Imran didnt bowl at all in the second was ample proof that pacers were making up the numbers. When he finally got out , 4 short of the century, the 8th wicket, caught off the elbow guard , wrongly of course , we had witnessed one of the greatest batting displays and Imran's dream of winning a series in India had come true. Negotiating spinners on turning tracks was something which came naturally to SMG and he was a master at the soft hands technique and I am sure even this day with all the modern equipment, the ball would have not carried to any of the close in fielders.
The scoreboard as usual doesnt reveal much but what has been preserved in the record books is here
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63456.html , what has been etched in my memory is far greater from the numbers shown.
2 comments:
"scaled walls , gave some crucial classes a miss to catch a glimpse of this wonderful knock"... That was very very hard to believe though I have heard amma say it so many times about you. I am 100% sure that was the only thing you ever did to defy appa and amma. That was evidence enough for your passion for the game. And that is what I call dare to do what you want to! Not to mention the miliionth time I hear about that Gavaskar innings from you!
"scoreboard as usual doesnt reveal much"...True and I "what has been etched in my memory is far greater from the numbers shown". Every moment I am sure is etched and enshrined!
Nice post and I must admit that the language really flows at its best for you when its straight from the heart!
I remember that knock too - I couldn't get out of school, but we were getting updates from a house nearby. I particularly remember a square cut off Iqbal qasim when he was in his 70s - never seen anything better. Much earlier, I think it was 1980, I watched Gavaskar score 172 vs England over 2 days on TV at home - I complained of severe stomach pain and mom offered to help me with some thair sadam to soothe the pain. It was heavenly. Gavaskar let Underwood bowl maiden after maiden - today people would have switched off their tv, but I learnt cricket from the guy.
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