The Hindu : Sport : Viswanath for use of modern technology

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 11, 2005

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Viswanath for use of modern technology

Special Correspondent

Gundappa Viswanath. — Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

Chennai: The man who `walked' down the Hall of Fame in international cricket was a compulsive walker. Not surprising really for much of Gundappa Viswanath's cricket was ruled by conscience.

"Each time I walked, I would sit in the dressing room and tell myself that I should wait for the umpire's decision next time. The next day I would walk again," he says with a smile.

Viswanath, who spent time with the boys of the National Cricket Academy's South Zone camp at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, favours the use of modern technology in umpiring.

When he led India in the Golden Jubilee Test of 1980, Viswanath was quick to recall England's Bob Taylor when he was convinced that the wicket-batsman had not edged the ball and that the umpire had made an error in judgment.

A touch artist in the Indian middle-order, Viswanath conjured 6080 runs in 91 Tests at 41.93, but the quality of his batsmanship was much higher than what his average would suggest.

The little man would dismiss the big fast men with wonderful square cuts and flicks with his magical wrists coming into play.

The Chepauk was his favourite hunting arena and he remembered his two match-winning efforts here against the Caribbeans — the unbeaten 97 in 1975 with Andy Roberts bowling at his best and the counter-attacking 124 in 1979 on a viciously bouncing surface.

Asked to compare the two 10000-run plus men for India in Tests, he said "Sunil Gavaskar was himself, but in Sachin Tendulkar there is a bit of Gavaskar and Vivian Richards."

On coach's selection

The 56-year-old former Karnataka cricketer found nothing wrong with an Indian coaching the National side, but added the players seemed to be favouring a foreign coach. Viswanath said Sourav Ganguly's task of rediscovering form might be difficult without match practice in the off-season.

He felt Match Referee Chris Broad's decision to hand out a six-match ODI ban to the Indian skipper for slow over-rate was `slightly harsh.' It should have been four matches, he said.

Talking about Indian spinners, Viswanath said ace leg-spinner Anil Kumble had a couple of more years in international cricket. Among the younger crop, he rated left-armer Murali Kartik as promising.

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