The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Mushtaq Ali is no more

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Sunday, Jun 19, 2005

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Sport - Cricket

Mushtaq Ali is no more

S. Thyagarajan

Chennai: Syed Mushtaq Ali is dead. A giant has gone. When life ebbed out of the 91-year-old former captain and Padma Shri awardee (1964) at Indore on Saturday morning, the moment marked the end of an epoch in Indian cricket.

Mushtaq symbolised the romance of batsmanship, the essence of aggression laced with indescribable charm and elegance. Essentially a non-conformist, the canons of technique never overawed him, or crippled his amazing fluency and improvisation. Tall, lithe and broad-shouldered, Mushtaq had no inhibitions to stepping out of the crease to the fastest of bowlers in the business. As A.G. Gardiner said of Ranji, Mushtaq too, "never played cricket as though it was a proposition of Euclid."

Memorable knock

What better tribute can there be to describe the class and competence of Mushtaq than from the master critic, Neville Cardus. This came after Mushtaq's memorable century against England in 1936 at Old Trafford. Cardus wrote "Mushtaq Ali made 112, and his cricket touched the imagination; there was suppleness and lithe grace which concealed power, as silkiness of skin conceals the voracity of strength in a beautiful animal of the jungle."

Mushtaq belonged to an era when the game mirrored the vibrancy of superbly accomplished batsmen like C.K. Nayudu and Lala Amarnath. Though he played a lot with the sober and technically flawless Vijay Merchant — they put on 203 for the first wicket for All India against England at Manchester in 1936 — his approach was radically different. Edward Knight wrote in the Indian Cricket Annual, "Mushtaq Ali was a brilliant batsman, his late cutting and his leg glancing superior to any of his contemporaries. He has been unorthodox at times, however, frequently attempting the impossible. But he has a wonderful eye, and when he has restrained his impetuosity he played some glorious innings."

Born on December 17, 1914, Mushtaq began as a left-arm bowler. He was invited to play for All India against Ceylon (led by Dr. C.H. Gunasekara) in Delhi in 1932. His 10 for 129 in the match did not hinder his gradual transformation as a top class batsman within a few years. At 19 years and 19 days, Mushtaq became the youngest ever then to represent India against the MCC team led by Douglas Jardine in 1933-34 at Calcutta.

Mushtaq's genius however flowered during the 1936 tour of England. The 112 at Manchester, the first century by an Indian abroad, that contributed to an opening wicket record stand of 203 with Vijay Merchant, was one of the four three-figure innings he played during the tour. The 140 (three 6s and ten 4s) he struck against H.D.G. Leveson-Gower's XI at Scarborough is still remembered for its sheer brilliance.

Iconic status

Fittingly, Mushtaq enjoyed an iconic status on the national scene. This was reflected when spectators staged a protest in Calcutta in 1946 on finding he was not in the Indian team to play the Australian Services. The "No Mushtaq, no Test' posters forced selectors, headed by Duleepsinhji, to recall the star opener. Another moment that Mushtaq's fans remember even today is the one hand stroke to steer India to a three-wicket win against the first Commonwealth team at Chepauk in 1951. Mushtaq played in 11 Tests, totalling 612 runs at an average of 32.21.

Figures should not be the yardstick to measure Mushtaq's stature. Yet, his batting in domestic cricket was outstanding, be it as captain of the Muslims in the Pentangular Tournament, or in the Ranji Trophy. Figuring in the National championship since inception, Mushtaq played for Central India, Gujarat, Holkar and United Provinces, spanning two decades and more. His best season was 1950-51 for Holkar during which he scored 948 runs, with a hat-trick of centuries, 125 v UP, 100 v Hyderabad and 100 not out v West Bengal, apart from 187 v Gujarat. In 1944-45, he scored a century in each innings; 109 and 130 for Holkar against Bombay. He aggregated 5013 runs in the Ranji Trophy at an average of 49.15.

A recipient of Wisden special award, Mushtaq is surived by wife, two sons and two daughters. One of his sons, Gulrez Ali, has played for MP in Ranji and Duleep matches.

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