The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Greats from another era

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Tuesday, Jun 26, 2007
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Greats from another era

S. Dinakar

75 years of Indian Test cricket

Vinoo Mankad.

From the promising beginning at Lord’s to the end of the 50s, India had a rough ride in Tests. Success, in terms of winning matches, was limited. There were enough indications, however, that the side could get all the elements of its cricket together more consistently in the days ahead.

Some cricketing giants donned the India cap during the period — none bigger than Vinoo Mankad and Vijay Hazare.

Tough days

Those were the days of uncovered pitches and no helmets, and often inadequate protective gear. Cricket was hard; in fact, very hard. Batsmen had to cope with rain-affected tracks, with the ball darting around.

C.D. Gopinath, a stylish middle-order batsman who toured England with the Indian team in 1952, says “these days the (covered) pitches look like a billiards table. If you don’t make a mistake, you cannot get out.”

It was indeed remarkable how the Indian batsmen of that period perfected their technique. It was an era of no television coverage and coaching academies were a rarity. The gap between series was long, and it was difficult to sustain form.

Someone like Vijay Haraze, recalls Gopinath, “simply played every ball on its merit like Len Hutton did. He also had wonderful footwork and was the finest Indian batsman of the time, extremely good against pace. Adds Gopinath, “If you see now, you don’t see much footwork in terms of correct footwork.”

Hazare, a batsman of great technical purity, earned the legendary Sir Donald Bradman’s appreciation down under in 1947-48 when he constructed innings of 116 and 145 in the Adelaide Test. The Australian attack comprised Lindwall, Johnson and Miller, but Hazare was unfazed.

Before Hazare, Vijay Merchant proved a formidable barrier. Some termed him overly defensive, but Merchant’s game, according to the critics, was wafer tight.

During the tour of the Old Blighty in 1936, Merchant and the flamboyant Mushtaq Ali formed an opening pair of contrasts; the duo’s partnership of 203 at Manchester is part of Indian cricketing folklore.

Remarkable player

On to Mankad. He was an awesome cricketer, someone who could build innings of substance at the top of the order and bowl tantalising left-arm orthodox spin.

Remembers Gopinath, “He would move a fielder on the outfield a foot either side and the ball would travel to the fielder. He controlled where the ball would be hit. He was slightly flatter than Bishen Singh Bedi, but was a tremendous bowler.”

In one of the greatest performances by an Indian in Tests, Mankad conjured up innings of 72 and 184 at Lord’s in 1952, scalped five in an innings, and was on the field all five days.

Mankad sent down 73 overs in England’s first essay and then opened the innings when India batted a second time, taking on a famous attack that included Alec Bedser, Fred Trueman and Jim Laker. The effort Mankad put in, mentally and physically, was remarkable.

His was a career of miles and milestones. Along with Pankaj Roy, Mankad raised 413 runs against New Zealand in Madras (1955-56) in a world record first wicket Test partnership.

When India registered its first Test victory in the 1951-52 season, in its 25th match, again in Madras, Mankad’s eight for 55 and four for 53 — he was splendidly supported by the tall and wily off-spinner Ghulam Ahmed — sunk England.

The temperamental but talented all-rounder Lala Amarnath was another prominent cricketer from that era. An aggressive captain, he was a bold batsmen and a deceptive medium-pacer who released off the wrong foot.

Says Gopinath: “In Lala’s case, the figures don’t tell the story. He was an influential, aggressive batsman who did not receive as many opportunities as some others did.”

Sound technique

The technically-correct Vijay Manjrekar was rock-like in the middle-order, but Gopinath rates Hazare higher. It is said that few batsmen played the late cut better than Manjrekar.

The heavy-hitting Polly Umrigar ran into problems during the 1952 series in England. Gopinath says, “He was a big man and could not get out of the way when Trueman pitched short.” His problems against Trueman apart, Umrigar was a compelling striker of the ball. Chandu Borde, rather under-rated, was a fearless batsman.

It is popular conception that the Indian pacemen contributed little during that period. On the contrary, Dattu Phadkar, a lively paceman and also a gutsy bat, could seriously dent line-ups.

“He (Phadkar) moved the ball and was a very good bowler,” observes Gopinath. And the tiny Ramakant Desai could surprise batsmen with his sharp lift and slippery pace.

India also possessed, arguably, the most versatile leg-spinner of all time in Subash Gupte. A magician with flight, loop, turn and variations, Gupte bamboozled line-ups with his control and craft.

In the 60s, the great Indian spin quartet would follow in Gupte’s footsteps. This would also mark the beginning of an Indian surge.

(To be continued)

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