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Nothing stumps Kiri
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Former wicketkeeping ace Syed Kirmani thinks Indian cricket needs good allrounders.
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THE CRICKETING fraternity during his playing days called him by different names, the media called him "the crisis man", opposition team members called him "specialist night watchman" and for his team members, he was simply "Kiri," the safest pair of hands behind the stumps. He is Syed Mujtaba Hussein Kirmani, the eagle-eyed Indian wicketkeeper.
In a tete-a-tete with The Metro Plus, he journeyed down those nostalgic moments of 1983 when he held the Prudential Cup aloft with the rest of Kapil's Devils. "We were underdogs before the start of the tournament. But as it progressed, we started to shape into a side that could throw a challenge to the best. In the finals, we were up against Clive Lloyd's world-beaters, comprising the fearsome Andy Roberts, `Big Bird' Joel Garner, `Silent Assassin' Michael Holding, the gritty Larry Gomes and the invincible Viv Richards. The side had an awesome line-up capable of scaring any cricketing side. But the miracle did happen for us, we won the Cup comfortably by 43 runs."
On his personal contribution he said, "I have played quite a few good innings, especially when the team was in crisis. But that 190-run partnership with Kapil Dev against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup was most memorable for me. We were down five chips with the score reading 17 runs when I walked in to join my skipper. Kapil's 175 not out is by far the best innings played by any cricketer so far. Though I scored only 29 in that match the partnership saw us through to the final."
The "crisis man" lived up to the sobriquet till the last match he had played. But on the present crisis in the Indian team he commented: "There is no crisis as such. Individually, the players are extraordinary by their own merit. What is lacking is commitment and positive thinking. And I don't blame them for this. It is the commercialisation of the game that is taking its toll. Today, cricketers are not born but made. Where do we see natural cricketers like Kapil Dev, Sandeep Patil, G. R. Vishwanath and Tiger Pataudi these days? Present-day parents insist that their children take up the game irrespective of whether they have any natural ability or not or whether they like the game or not. They simply say `beta tumhe Sachin uncle jaisa banna hai' (son you got to be like Sachin uncle) keeping in mind the bank account of Sachin, the BMWs he possesses and the media glare he attracts. I come from the era where cricketers were born and not made. These days commercial interests overshadow the honour of playing for the country."
Being the former chairman of the selection committee, he was very critical about the composition of the present team. According to him the main difference between the present team and the winning combination of the 1983 World Cup team was the lack of quality allrounders in the side. "Our side was packed with allrounders. With Kapil leading from the front, we had Jimmy Amarnath, Madanlal, Yashpal Sharma and Roger Binny who could all contribute to the total and as well as bowl a few good overs. The standards of allrounders have dropped so badly that Ajit Agarkar is branded as an allrounder. We need to groom quality allrounders. Maybe, we could try out Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan, both of whom can bat a bit."
Coming to the most controversial decision of allowing vice-captain Rahul Dravid to keep wickets, he bluntly said: "That chap, Rahul, is not a wicketkeeper and he should not be allowed to keep wickets." With the typical Kiri smile he added, "You can make this your headline."
According to him the BCCI was messing up the wicketkeeping issue. "A good wicketkeeper is one who takes up the gloves by instinct and not by choice. A wicketkeeper is the nucleus of any team. He is the navigator. He is best positioned to guide his bowlers and the captain. I sincerely believe that the Indian cricket team should have two specialist wicket keepers on any tour."
SUMIT BHATTACHARJEE
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