The Hindu : Sport : An ace among trump cards

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 18, 2005

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Sport

An ace among trump cards

S. Thyagarajan

— File Photo: V. Ganesan

B.S. Chandrasekhar.

Chennai: Images surge across the mind's eye as one recalls, enveloped in a mood of nostalgia, the exploits of one of the finest exponents of leg spin bowling — Bhagwat Chandrasekhar who turned 60 on Tuesday.

"An ace among trump cards," was the estimate of Ajit Wadekar, under whom Chandrasekhar added a refreshing dimension to spin bowling. Purists wondered how Chandra could have such a devastating effect, making the ball slither like a snake across, or stand up like a cobra confounding even masters of the art such as Gary Sobers.

Chandra might not have conformed to the tenets of orthodoxy that governed the art of leg spin. He had an unusually long run-up, almost matching a medium-pacer and hurled the ball at an awkward speed. The impact was invariably stunning. He turned the ball prodigiously at a surprising velocity and bounce. His main weapon was the `flipper' that lifted disconcertingly from a good length challenging the best of batsmen.

Afflicted by polio, Chandra rose to be among the pantheons of spin bowling. It is a saga of exemplary courage, perseverance and fortitude. Attracted by the charms of the willow game at the age of 12, Chandra's rise to the status of an icon was meteoric. He made his debut in the Ranji Trophy in 1962-63 for Karnataka. That he finished the season with a whopping 31 wickets at 12.80 apiece was enough to proclaim the Chandra effect was on the national scene. His Ranji Trophy figures of 436 wickets at an average of 19.13 testify to the efficacy of his bowling, as do the 99 wickets in 24 matches in the Duleep Trophy.

Aura of eloquence

Chandra's brilliance cannot simply be showcased in figures although they mirror an aura of eloquence. The five for 107 (four for 67 and one for 40) against England on debut in 1963-64 at Bombay was a path-breaking endeavour that reached a pinnacle in 1971. His six for 38 at The Oval in 1971 was epoch making; it signalled India's first ever series victory in England. As if this was not enough, Chandra bowled magnificently at Melbourne in 1978, finishing with match figures of 12 for 104 to record India's first win in Australia. Chandra was part of the golden era of spin that featured such outstanding craftsmen as Bedi, Prasanna and Venkatraghavan.

An ankle injury in Australia forced a break but the comeback in 1971 was historic. Twenty-three of the 58 Tests he played between 1963 and 1979 were against England. He captured 95 wickets against it at an average of 27.27 in a total of 242 wickets at 29.74.

Quite understandably, Chandra didn't like to be referred to as a `freak bowler' who did not know what the ball would do after it left the hand. He rubbished such assumptions. But it is a fact that there was something mysterious about his spin. He had a mystique that made him unique. As a sportsman, he revelled in simplicity, enjoyed those lovely moments with a glass in hand, immersed in the immortal music of Mukesh. So emotionally attached was he to the singer, that he was among the first to fly into Bombay to attend Mukesh's funeral.

"He exploits his box of tricks as though present at a Christmas party, conjuring rabbits out of a hat, as much astonished himself as anybody else when they appear, and not a little anxious whether a rabbit is there at all, if and when once produced, it will be found again. He is made of those incongruities which, born in all of us, are a source of fellow feeling," wrote Neville Cardus of Jim Sims. How well Chandra's personality fits into this description!

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