— FILE PHOTO

GENTLEMAN CRICKETER: Teammates and fans remember Polly Umrigar as a perfect role model.

Pahlan Ratanji Umrigar, popularly known as Polly Umrigar and Polly kaka, to the near and dear ones, is no more.

By a strange coincidence the entire Indian nation is blasting the unbecoming Aussie behaviour at the prize distribution ceremony after the Champions Trophy. In sheer excitement, the winning Aussies elbowed Mr. Sharad Pawar from the stage. If only the Aussies were a little more civilised and polite to the senior Indian politician and also the BCCI president.

I was instantly reminded of Polly Kaka's conversation with a hotel receptionist in Melbourne. He called the receptionist "Sir" within my hearing distance. Immediately, I pulled him aside and told him that in Australia even the Prime Minister is addressed by the first name basis. So let us not try to be too soft off the field. Polly Kaka got the message smilingly and yet didn't betray his naivety after all these years of cricket tours.

Cricketing wisdom

Humble to a fault, Umrigar was easily the gentlest giant of Indian cricket. He was a wonderful manager on tours to New Zealand, West Indies and Australia. Over the years, I got to enjoy a good rapport with the man and respected him hugely for his cricketing wisdom.

Never overbearing in his officious capacity, Polly Kaka's concern for Indian cricket was infectious.

In one team meeting he wanted to express his annoyance with the team's application and said rather harshly, "Boys, enough is enough. I must now put my foot down," and immediately banged the floor with both his feet, leaving the entire team in splits.

There were many other instances of Polly Kaka's child-like enthusiasm for the game. On one occasion, he played in an upcountry game in Australia when he would have been touching sixty. Interestingly, he was more keen on bowling than batting. There was no fine-leg once and Polly Kaka, after his follow through, went himself to chase the ball and stopped it within the boundary line, much to the joy of youngsters half his age.

Legendary hitting

Umrigar was as much part of Indian cricket as the bat, and ball, and stumps for as long as all of us could remember. His overall batting average was 52, which is quite remarkable, considering the great bowlers that he faced. People like Alec Bedser, Fred Trueman, Brian Statham, Wes Hall, Charlie Griffith and Lance Gibbs to name a few. He also batted successfully against some of the good ones from New Zealand and Pakistan, and all on uncovered pitches. He was a destroyer of spin bowling and his big hitting was legendary.

As a true servant of Indian cricket, Umrigar served the game in every conceivable capacity — as a player, captain, chairman of selectors, paid secretary of the BCCI, and finally as a curator of both Wankhede Stadium and the Cricket Club of India.

I cannot think of another Indian who has given so much to Indian cricket and got so little in return. He was one of the earliest recipients of the C.K. Nayudu Life Time Achievement Award, which is something yours truly is very glad to share now with the soft-spoken cricketer.

Chandrashekar, Prasanna and myself were very keen to meet him during his last couple of days but his loving wife, Dinoo, dissuaded us saying "Polly is very poorly." He must have been.

RIP Polly Kaka. Indian cricket is poorer by your departure.

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