THANK YOU, MASTERS

THANK YOU, MASTERS

    Sachin Tendulkar has announced his retirement from one-day internationals. It is a matter of time before he will retire from Test cricket as well. This year has seen the fade away of three batting superstars in cricket - Dravid, Ponting and Tendulkar. Cricket will be poorer in their absence. The teams will find replacements but the unique characteristics of these three batsmen will be missing. Such is cricket.

    To me, Sachin was always second among my list of idols. My early teens were fired by the innings of Sunil Gavaskar. As the blog http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/2011_04_03_archive.html indicates, my interest in cricket developed AFTER the 1983 World Cup win. After the World Cup win, Clive Lloyd and the West Indies toured India.

    The Windies were led by Lloyd and he had the fearsome Malcolm Marshall and the Rolls Royce of West Indian fast bowling, Michael Holding as his spearheads. Looking for revenge, India was outclassed in both the tests and one-dayers. The only redeeming feature was the technique and courage of Sunil Gavaskar. He was woefully out of form in the World Cup and which led to him being asked to come down the order. The story is that in the 6th test Viv Richards said : "Man, it don't matter where you come in to bat, the score is still zero !" Sunny had come to the crease in the  6th test at 0/ 2, not in the Australian style of scoring, but zero for two down. Marshall had bowled out Gaekwad and Vengsarkar and the scoreboard was still showing 0 when Gavaskar came in. Under such circumstances, it took a Sunil Gavaskar to farm the strike and turn on his run making ability. He beat Bradman's record of 29 centuries in this innings and ended up with a masterly 236 not out, that earned India a draw.

    If I have to resort to analogies of houses, Gavaskar's batsmanship (in my mind!) is akin to a solid construction. Think of a sturdy house with a strong foundation and equally strong walls and you have a building equivalent of Sunil Gavaskar. The building does have a good coat of paint and a few nice touches (Gavaskar's cuts are something that I recall and also his his flicks on the leg side), but the overall impression is one of solidity. The key point here is that the factor of safety is high : Gavaskar hit few sixes in his career and preferred to play all his shots on the ground. The house that represents his batting would be one of the older (and strong!) mansions that personify endurance and solidity.

    The same solidity is seen in Dravid's batsmanship. There is the identical characteristic of building an innings on a strong foundation, the emphasis on technique and application. To extend the house analogy, if a storm is coming, I would opt for the "Dravid house". The simile "safe as houses" was made for Rahul Dravid ! Like Gavaskar, the house that represents Dravid's batsmanship would be solid, functional and - one key difference here - modern. I emphasize on "modern", because after '83, to the generation of cricketers that were born, ODIs represented the star attraction. Indian players had to learn to excel in ODIs, even though their upbringing may have been in first class and test cricket. Rahul Dravid learnt to adapt to one day cricket and in fact played his first and last T20 international in his last year. This was his strength : to suit the team needs, he was ready to take on any role. Dravid's characteristic was his ability to concentrate and apply himself to the team's needs.

    So, he took on wicket keeping and also opened whenever required. At the same time, it was his grit that made him stand apart. The Australian opener Matthew Hayden made a statement that reveals an insight into the nature of Dravid. He said : "All this going around is not aggression; if you want to see aggression on cricket field, look into Rahul Dravid’s eyes." It is not a trait that one associates with Dravid, but considering that it comes from Hayden, who was considered an aggressive opener himself, it shows the sheer determination that exemplifies Dravid.

    Thus, the house that would represent Dravid would be a house on deep foundations, much like Gavaskar's and it would have equally solid walls. Gavaskar and Dravid had techniques that are comparable with the best in the world. At the same time, the house would also have modern enhancements : perhaps a security system to ensure safety and a modern modular kitchen and wardrobes that embellish the house would be similar to Dravid's trademark forward defense shot and his classy extra cover drive also.

    Now I come to Sachin Tendulkar. India was fortunate to have two players who could walk into most contemporary international "Best of" teams : Dravid and, of course, Tendulkar. Personally, I don't like flashy players. So, in the '80s when it was Kapil's bravado and four sixes off Eddie Hemmings that earned the admiration of school friends, to me it was Sunil Gavaskar's caution and technique that was salutory. When Tendulkar came on to the scene, he seemed to be another flashy player. The sixes came too easily for him ! At the same time, even Sanjay Manjrekar came on to the scene and in my view, he was a better player, technically.

    However, over time, I have become a convert and joined the legion of Tendulkar fans. My cousin is a die-hard Sachin fan and has even met the legend in Mumbai ! I saw Sachin's career through his eyes and recognized that Tendulkar's batting skill bordered on the extra-ordinary.

    A few of Tendulkar's innings stand out : it is a sign of our times that his ODI innings will be recalled as much as his test innings. A generation from now, perhaps people will discuss the best T20 innings just as we discuss ODI innings now.

    Still, to me, the best Tendulkar knock was in a losing cause in tests : his 136 in the Chennai test against Pakistan in '99 is a heroic innings. Tendulkar suffered back spasms, but still played like a champion. There was heartbreak for India since we lost the match, but the knock demonstrated his commitment to India's cause.

    Similarly, the six over third man facing Shoaib Akthar in 2003 was a moment of magic that again showed how passionate he was to get the Indian chase of 274 under way. It was apt that Dravid was there along with the young Yuvraj to guide India home.

    Another innings that earns my admiration is Tendulkar's 241in Sydney against Australia. His performance in the series was ordinary, with middling scores in the tests. Clearly, he felt he had a lot to prove. He analyzed that it was his driving that was at fault : so in Sydney, he simply eliminated it. What a phenomenal achievement this was ! To concentrate for 10 hours on the cricket field while batting and to ensure that the bat does not go outwards and away from the body required a special kind of character - and this innings exemplified Tendulkar's genius. My admiration for him increased after this innings.

    Times of India described each of Tendulkar's ODI centuries. I am sure everybody has his favourites. So, if we consider his career in all, what kind of a house would represent him ? In my view, it would be a grand palace. The foundations would necessarily be deep and strong, the walls tall and strong and the whole structure represents class, splendour, resilience and majesty ! Tendulkar had technique, concentration and an attractiveness in his batting that few others demonstrate currently. I feel that it is a palace alone that comes close to describing Tendulkar !

    How do I describe Ricky Ponting now ?! I rather dislike Ponting, particularly after the Sydney Test in 2007. He claimed that a catch was taken, though he was not the right judge at that point of time. He led the team at the top of the test rankings, but it was not a plain rein. Rather, it was characterized by Australian bluntness and "spit in the palm and get to business" type of attitude, typical of most Australians. I feel that it would have made a difference, if Adam Gilchrist had got a long run as captain after Steve Waugh's retirement !

    Steve Waugh is another gritty customer, in the Dravid mould, but I rather like him for his ice cool temparement. I did not like that he used to sledge the opponents, but he was fair. In my view, Ponting was unfair and to him (Ponting), a win was the most important factor in a match, not the way it was played.

    Having said that, Ponting also brought his own stamp to the game and to the Australian team. His abrasive, never-say-die attitude ensured that Australia continued its run at the top even after Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh. Like his attitude, his batting was also dominating. The shots would be played to all parts of the ground and particularly on big occasions, Ponting excelled. The World Cup final in 2003 is a fine example of his batting. 140 runs came in 121 balls, with four boundaries and eight sixers. India were batted out by the Australians in the final.

    Ponting's timing was superb - and in the end, even his retirement was well timed. He left just as questions were beginning to be asked. I admire him for his plain talking when he said his performance did not satisfy him. Though Dravid did not say as much, that was probably what he felt also. In a way, the end was similar for all the three batsmen. Dravid found himself being bowled in Australia too many times for his liking. He practiced in the nets to improve, but when he found he was unable to transfer the improvement in the tests, it probably led him to call it a day. Similarly, even Tendulkar has been bowled more frequently against New Zealand and England.

    The house to represent Ponting would be one that almost violates the land laws  - perhaps it would be 2400 square feet when the space allocated for it would also be exactly 2400 sq. ft - barely within legal limits ! The house would look classy and earn the admiration of passers-by.

     Please note that all three houses have strong foundations and strong walls. All three players have technique and temperament demonstrated at the highest levels.

    To sum up, three titans of the game have left cricket in 2012, partially or fully. Cricket will find its replacements, but their exploits will be remembered for a long, long time. Thank you for the entertainment and education, masters !