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| Sunday, 29 May 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Dropped player brought back on demand! by A. C. de Silva Talk of cricket, especially in the Asian region and India in particular, two names that are embedded in the minds of followers are Sachin Tendulkar and another former captain, Sunil Gavaskar. The deeds of these two cricketers are only too well-known, to followers of the game. But before these two cricketers came on the scene, India also had quite a number of cricketers who had made their mark. Take for example, the name of former Indian captain, Mushtaq Ali who had the knack of making the best use of the material at his disposal. Mushtaq's popularity with the crowd was unsurpassed. Here's a classic example. There was one occasion when he was dropped in a representative match, he was brought back into the side on public demand. Mushtaq was not selected to play, against the Australian Services XI in the Second Test at Calcutta in 1945. On hearing this, a huge crowd stormed the pavilion shouting: "No Mushtaq, No Test." It was obvious that the crowd meant business, and the selectors were compelled to bring in Mushtaq! In spite of Mushtaq's apparent carefree attitude, he was extremely sensitive at heart. He was perturbed, when Lindsay Hassett surprisingly described him as 'an ugly first-class batsman." Perhaps Hassett wanted to say that Mushtaq lacked the technique of a Worrell or a Miller. All the same it was obvious that Hassett, like the other members of the Australian Services team, held Mushtaq in the highest esteem. For he openly declared in a speech which he made after the Second Test in Calcutta, that if he was asked to select an Australian Test XI, and if Mushtaq happened to be an Australian, he would be an automatic choice! The kind of cricket that Mushtaq played appealed most to those who prefer to watch without reference to the scoreboard. Whereas Merchant's game was stolid and unromantic, Mushtaq's batting throbbed with emotion and pleasing to the eye. In fact, Mushtaq played the kind of cricket which banished all monotony from the game, and gave one an irresistible urge to wield the willow even if one's cricketing days were over! It is not often, that at the end of a Test match both rival captains are on the field of play, one to offer his congratulations and the other to receive them saying, "Thank you, we had a bit of luck". This happened at the end of the Fifth Test between India and New Zealand, played at the Madras Corporation Stadium, in 1955. Perhaps Harry Cave, the New Zealander, was repeating, when later in the pavilion, he called his men to give three cheers to Polly Umrigar, India's captain, on India's success and observed: "Well done, Polly, you did a magnificent job. Your team would score millions of runs against us", Cave gave each of the Indian players an autographed photograph of the New Zealand team, a memento which was greatly appreciated by the Indians. The phrase "millions of runs" was a not idly used. In that series, India amassed a total of 2,557 runs for the loss of 39 wickets, averaging 65.58 per wicket., while nine three-figure innings were played by Indian batsmen against the Kiwis. At Madras, Mankad and Roy led off with an opening stand worth 413 runs which was a world record. And to rub in the Indian superiority, the Indians won at Bombay and Madras while the others at Hyderabad, New Delhi and Calcutta were left drawn.
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