Tag Archives: Chandra

Viv Richards- Masterclass

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As in other major sports, in cricket too success and failure is all too measurable. It is not only the fans and the experts but also the players who take an obsessive interest in statistics. Very rarely comes a cricketer who transcends numbers, who is beyond records. Say ‘Viv Richards’ and the stats, impressive as they are, fade into the background. The talk is all about his sheer brilliance and his swag. The profound influence he has had on redefining batsmanship and the game itself.

His impact on the teams he has represented has been phenomenal. For the Windies, Clive Lloyd was the father figure, the mentor, the captain. But it was Viv who became the talisman, the catalyst who turned a bunch of easy-going Calypso cricketers into the great West Indian teams from the late 70’s to the early 90’s. His aura on the field, his charisma at the crease and his dominating will to win embodied the Caribbean cricket revolution. Kallicharan, Greenidge, Haynes, Roberts, Holding all rode the waves of their talents and skills and realised themselves as champions.

Take the 1976 tour of England which transformed their cricket. Still hurting from the 5-1 thrashing Down-Under in 1975-76. Tony Greig, the England captain, said that he would make them ‘grovel’. Cricket lore has it that Richards checked out the meaning in the dictionary, “In other words he was going to have us down on our knees-begging for mercy. This was the greatest motivating speech the England captain could have given the West Indian team.” In 4 Tests he smashed 829 runs and the English team into submission. Helped by other impactful performances, it was a historic 3-0 win for Lloyd’s men.

Somerset, till the mid-70’s, were the laggards in county cricket. Enter Richards (+ Ian Botham). The county became the ODI team of the era with 5 trophies in 5 seasons. The Richards effect- instilling self- belief in small town players who had never possessed it before. At the fag-end of his career he signed up with Glamorgan, another struggling team and inspired them to a fairy tale win in the 1993 ODI Axa League title. The aroma of the daffodil win still lingers with the Welsh. Small wonder, that both the English counties have voted him as the best overseas player in a recent BBC sports poll.

Viv Richards- the man for the big occasions. In the inaugural edition of the World Cup finals in 1975, this live-wire fielder ran out Alan Turner and the Chappell brothers as the Windies became world champions. His 138 not out vs hosts England in ‘79 sealed a one-sided final with Collis King firing from the other end. It is widely acknowledged that the turning point in India’s great upset win in WC’ 83 was Kapil Dev’s superb catch to dismiss Richards (33 in 28 balls) just as he was moving into top gear.

In the 2 seasons of Kerry Packer’s World Series cricket against the world’s best bowlers on Aussie wickets he was the pick of the batsmen with 1200 plus runs at an average of 60. On the testing pitches of England and Australia he stamped his class as the best touring batsman of his time. His compatriot and fast bowling great Michael Holding sums it best, “Viv is the best batsman I have seen against anything and everything. He never got intimidated. Hadlee in New Zealand, Lillee in Australia, Qadir in Pakistan, Bedi in India, Botham in England. He got runs against anybody and everybody.”

There are runs and runs. Some runs count more than others for the team. Like the 189 not out at Old Trafford ’84, adding 106 runs for the last wicket and scoring 94 of those runs. Like the 61 not out in 36 balls against India at Sabina Park ‘83 to take his side to a dramatic win. The blistering 60 of 40 balls at the Benson & Hedges Cup final in Australia’ 88-89. Time and again he showed up to change the fortunes of a match, a series or a tournament.

His ability to play attacking cricket, improvise and control the game changed cricket itself. In the mid 70’s batting in Test matches was all about technique and temperament. Bill Lawry, Geoff Boycott and even Sunil Gavaskar were cast in this classic traditional mould. Runs came at a slowish pace with only the bad deliveries put away for four. Hitting the ball in the air was a cardinal sin, against the tenets of the game. There were stroke players like Kanhai and Sobers, Pataudi and Vishwanath, Gower and Ian Chappell who batted with flair and elegance and kept the score board ticking at a faster clip. However, Richards revolutionised the art of batting itself. His very presence at the crease unnerved bowlers. He captured the public imagination with his aggression and raw intent to tear apart the bowling attack. Let’s also not forget that he did this at a time where pitches were more challenging, boundaries were longer, fielding restrictions as of today were not there. He faced upto the fastest bowlers without wearing a helmet. Listen to Jeff Dujon, the Windies keeper-batsman, “He never wore a helmet but had the courage to hook the fastest of deliveries of his face. He never liked to be dominated.” His lightning hand-eye coordination, his flair in the middle and his remarkable performances all put together to make him a truly extraordinary batsman.

Dickie Bird, the famous English umpire, called him “A great character. There are very few left in sports.” Richards took swagger to another level. Scyld Berry, the well-known cricket writer, captures the persona,’ before anyone thought of the phrase, Viv Richards walked the walk. Head held high, jaw working his gum; the maroon cap- never, never the helmet and brandishing his choice of weapon- a Slazenger in his right hand. No choreographer equipped with spotlights and sound effects could have improved upon his entrance. Nobody batted like Richards either. His mental power and the awesomely muscular yet athletic 5’10’’ frame. By the second ball of a Viv Richards innings there were very few, if any, teams who did not recognise the Master in their midst.’

Who better to comment on the MAN than the great rival bowlers of the era. Bob Willis- “The best batsman by a mile. He had this fear factor about him. Even if you bowled a good ball, he could destroy you. He could win matches on his own.” Imran Khan talks about “This complete genius” with “amazing reflexes” who could destroy any attack. Jeff Thomson doffs his cap with his, “Nobody better than Viv” comment. His mate Dennis Lillee, “I just loved bowling to the man. It was such a challenge. I regarded him as one of the supreme players, if not the supreme player.” The great off-spinner Prasanna has called him, “One of the greatest of all time” and Bedi, Underwood and Qadir have all paid fulsome tributes.

The great batsmen peers have all saluted the Caribbean maestro. Gavaskar called his batting ‘Sensational’. Martin Crowe, “He walked out to own the stage.” Inzamam has it that Richards changed the very concept and idea of batting. He remains the ‘hero’ for Tendulkar and Kohli, Sehwag, Gilchrist and Jayasuriya.

The West Indian champion batter was a generation ahead, way ahead of his time. His 100 in 56 balls against England at Antigua ‘86 was only eclipsed by Brendon Mccullum’s century in 54 balls in 2016. Richards would have taken to the T20 format like a fish to water. Imagine the plight of bowlers the world over. Franchisees like the billionaire Mukesh Ambani would have rolled out the red carpet to get this most destructive of batsmen on board. With a blank cheque to write his price.

Hardly surprising that he makes every honour list in cricket. The Wisden’s top 5 cricketers of the last century. Amongst the best 5 Test batsmen ever. The finest ODI batsman in history. 31 man of the match awards in 187 matches at a strike rate of 90 tells its story. Strike rate on par with Kohli today. In 1994 he was knighted for his services to cricket by the Queen of England .(OBE). In 1999 his native Antigua and Barbuda conferred on him the title of Knight Commander of the Order of the Nation. (KCN).

Some may remember that he refused to be a part of the rebel West Indies team to apartheid South Africa in 1983-84. Despite being repeatedly offered a blank cheque. Despite repeated calls from the SA President’s office. Despite the offer of being made an ‘honorary white man’, whatever that means. In the same vein he publicly thanked Ian Botham for always being in his corner and never turning his back on him when the Englishman received hate-mails during their shared apartment years at Taunton, Somerset.

The mettle of the man. In the WC’ 83 semi-final against Pakistan, Qadir deceived him with a googly but the catch was dropped at leg-slip. Richard’s 80 not out propelled his team into their third successive final. Whilst walking back, he approached  Qadir with a hand-shake and a, “Well bowled, Sir.’

After India’s disastrous 2007 WC, Tendulkar was planning to retire from cricket. The turmoil in Indian cricket (read Greg Chappell) plus his own inability to bat like the younger Sachin weighed on his mind. A 45 mins call with his ‘hero Viv’ changed all that. The West Indian urged him to continue as he still had a lot to give to Indian cricket. Become the Shaolin master- a mentor and inspiration for the younger guys.  The message resonated from one master to the other.

Watch any of his interviews or panel discussions on TV or You-tube. You see a grounded person, generous in his praise for his team-mates and rivals. Bob Willis called him a lovely person who left all his aggression on the field. His emotional eulogies for Abdul Qadir and Bob Willis after their passing in 2019 are touching. For him Gavaskar is the ‘Godfather’ of Indian cricket. He has high praise for Tendulkar and Lara, Dravid and Ponting, Kohli and AB and encouragement for youngsters like Bumrah and KL Rahul. Respect for Akram and Lillee, Bedi and ‘mystery man’ Chandra. He has humorously confessed to being a nervous wreck against our spin quartet on his debut tour of India in 1974. He could not read Chandrashekar at all. That the spinners took the new ball in the fourth over itself psyched him out.

Along with Andy Roberts he has changed the fortunes of Antigua and Barbuda. These had been relegated to forgotten backwaters after the exploitative sugarcane plantations were stopped in the mid ’50’s. Their fame brought international cricket to Antigua in 1981 and opened the doors for tourism. Today these islands attract around 3 lakh tourists annually, thrice the size of the population.

Viv Richards has founded the SVRF to promote education, sports and recreation and health. Thousands of locals have benefitted. He has used his stature and influence to persuade the Indian Manipal group to open its educational and medical facilities in Antigua. The colleges attract more than 100 Indian students every year.

Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards is one of the very few sportsmen who have enriched their sport beyond measure. Federer in tennis, Jordan in basketball, Bolt in athletics, Messi in football.  Richards belongs to this exalted company- through his seminal influence and lasting impact on the evolution of cricket and enhancing its appeal-beyond measure.

Has Cricket Become a Batsmen’s Game?

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The scales in cricket have been tilted in favour of the batsmen. It has not really been a level playing field. But not too long ago, there still prevailed the ideal of a battle between bat and ball and a battle of wits between the bowler and the batter. Quality time was spent on discussing the pace-threat and the guiles and skills of spin. I remember Richie Benaud commenting on an Ashes Test. The elegant English stroke player was struggling with a packed slip cordon and Jeff Thomson was on fire. As the captain waved a couple of fielders to long-leg and deep square, the astute veteran sensed a trap. Along came the shoulder-high bouncer and went straight down the throat at long-leg. This was the charm of the game. Even with radio commentary one could visualise the game plan.

The champion bowlers were celebrated and appreciated. Pundits in the sports magazines and newspapers would wax lyrical about Chandra’s flipper or Bedi’s tantalising flight and control. They were on the covers of even the popular periodicals. The flipper we learnt was a back-spin ball which kept deceptively low after pitching- to deadly effect. The legendary Gary Sobers in his ‘spin avatar’ bowled the chinaman– decoded to us by the experts as the left arm bowler’s leg spin. The sharp turn came into the right hand batsmen or moved away from the south-paw. Kuldeep Yadav is the current exponent but our run-happy hyperbolic commentators have little to say on this fine craft of bowling. Tony Cozier, the West Indian expert, educated us about Colin Croft’s toe-crusher yorker and the deceptive slower, swinging one. Cricket aficionados learnt about the 3 variants of bouncer in Andy Robert’s arsenal. The reverse swing of Wasim Akram evoked admiration as did Murali’s doosra (the other one in Hindustani). A regular off break delivery with a wrist twist which made the ball spin in the opposite direction. Cricket was more than a physical sport. At times it was almost a chess-match between bat and ball. It blew your mind.

In the seething cauldron of the MCG, fans used to chant ‘Lillee, Lillee’ as their gladiator ran into bowl at express pace. Roberts, Holding, Croft and Joel Garner of the Fab Four have inspired Caribbean Calypsos. There was deathly silence at Ahmedabad as Holding and Marshall dismantled our second innings in the 1983 Motera Test. Even in the pall of disappointment, I sensed Respect. We had witnessed a sensational bowling display. The crowd stood up to applaud the great West Indian team. Shane Warne’s ‘ ball of the century’  to dismiss Gatting in the 1993 Test match still remains a hot You-Tube favorite.  Harbhajan ‘Turbanator’ Singh’s hat-trick at the 2001 Test vs the Aussies electrified the packed 1,00,000 crowd at the Eden Gardens and virtually brought the country to a stand-still.

Within the prime cricketers fraternity there is mutual and genuine respect between the bowlers and batsmen. Here is Ian Chappell’s (the reputed Aussie captain) take on our great off-spinner Prasanna. He had taken 25 wickets in 4 tests against a formidable batting line-up Down-Under in 1967-68, “the best spinner he had ever faced. He was trying to get you out every ball. A test to your brain. He put his engineering background to good effect by employing things he had learnt as an engineer. He pulled it back on a bloody string.” The awe is obvious, ‘aerodynamics, biomechanics, pitching the ball at length. Psychology. Baiting a batsman over after over to induce a mistake.’ Phew. Cricket is deemed to be a religion in India. Are we missing out on good chunks of its scriptures.?!!

Brian Lara on Wasim Akram’ He made me feel stupid at times. Feared to face the Sultan of Swing ‘and more.’ He was fast and furious. He bowled over and around the wicket, swung the ball both ways, a master of reverse swing. ‘At times he cut the ball prodigiously.’ Such a tribute from an all-time great batsman. The reverse swing is the art of swinging the ball in towards the batsman rather than away from him. One side of the old ball gets scruffy and the other retains its shine to get this movement. A lethal delivery later in the innings. A blessing as else even a good pace bowler would be regularly hit out of the park on a true track. Akram was the original master of this Art of Fast bowling. Then, why does the game seem so one-dimensional now? Runs, fours and sixes. That’s all it takes to hit the cricket pop charts!

So what has eroded the bowler’s stature in cricket. First, the shrinking of the playing fields. From 75-85 mtrs boundaries to 65-70 mtrs to the ropes from the centre of the pitch. In New Zealand, down to 55-60 mtrs of turf expanse. Yes, the hoardings and the ad billboards, the media spots and the dug-outs have also encroached into the playing space. This is the unspoken reality behind the sudden glut of sixes.

The bats have gotten larger and heavier. Chris Gayle wields a 1.36 kgs willow. With the thicker edges, a top edge flies for a six.  We have the swooning commentators going ga-ga. The batsman has been beaten by the pace, bounce or swing but the cheers and bugles are for the ultimate shot. Inadvertently, perhaps, but the bowler is being reduced to a side-role in the cricket show-time.

Let’s look at the pitch report. Mostly, flat and true even if offering some pace and bounce. WACA (Perth in West Australia) used to be a dreaded track, very fast and bouncy. A graveyard for touring willow-wielders. Not anymore. The extra bounce, pace and rip have gone. Touring batsmen from all over the world have heaved a collective sigh of relief. Let’s also listen in to Gary Barwell, head groundsman at Edgbaston, Birmingham. ‘One day pitches in England are the best in the world. Well, if you are a batsman, that is. The tracks are flat and true. It enables batsmen to hit through the ball.’

An interesting bowling nugget from the 1970’s on the wicket conditions. The English team it was said carried left arm quickish spinner Derek Underwood like an umbrella, in case it rained.  On sticky or drying surfaces he was unplayable and would simply run through the opposition batting.

The protective gear now worn by the batters has diminished the aura that the best fast bowlers had. Fear and Intimidation is a thing of the past. Pace like Fire as unleashed by the great West Indies fast men of the 70’s and 80’s is now part of cricket folk-lore. Catch it on the riveting documentary, ‘Fire in Babylon’. Helmets, metal visors, pads, gloves, chest and elbow padding, abdominal guards or the box are effective PPE’s. So should they be. The 5.75 ounces of leather bowled at over 90 miles per hour is a deadly projectile. Who can forget the tragic death of Phil Hughes despite the helmet gear?

The rules of the game also help the batsmen. One bouncer an over in T-20’s and two in ODI’s and Tests. Next the fielding restrictions. During the T20 power play (first 6 overs) only 2 fielders outside the 30 yard circle. For the rest of the innings, a max of 5 fielders outside the defined space. Ditto for ODI’s in the first 10 power-play overs. Then relaxed to 4 fielders in the deep for 10-40 overs and a max of 5 fielders in these positions for the last 10 overs. The bowlers and their captains have little strategic space to test the weaknesses of the batsman. Moreover, a bowler can bowl a max of 10 overs in the 50 over game and 4 overs in the T20 format. The skipper has to use 5 or more bowlers to get through the innings. If anyone is below par on the day or a part-timer is getting taken to the cleaners, the captain can only hope and pray for an end to the mayhem. Why not tweak the rules to allow one main or in-form bowler to have an extra 2 or 5 overs in the two limited over formats? Some latitude to balance out the game. Some push-back on the batsmens’ privileges.

Look at the concept of a ‘Free Hit’. A free hit is given to the batsman for the next delivery if the bowler over-steps with his front foot or his back-foot does not land within the return crease. Both versions of the No Ball. Do the batters require any more largesse in a T20 or ODI game where conditions are skewed in their favour. Catch the poor leg-spinner. The LBW rule says that for a ball pitched outside the leg-stump, the batsman cannot be given out even if the ball had turned and gone on to hit the stumps. For Leggie’s Sake! the pads are protective gear and not a second line of defence. The bowler is being defanged of his venom.

Another nugget to expose the bias. Stuart Broad, the English fast bowler, recently crossed the 600 wicket mark in Test cricket. A remarkable landmark.  But social media in India was flooded with comments about whether he was the same bloke whom Yuvraj Singh had clobbered for 6 sixes in an over. Why do batting exploits have to dominate cricket conversations? Why not salute his indomitable spirit and hail this amazing achievement?

Let’s hark back to the World Cup 2019 thriller finals. England and New Zealand both ended up at the same score even after the Super over. The trophy was handed over to England by a strange rule that they had scored more sixes and fours than their rivals. The run-rate was the same. Again bat over ball. The Kiwis had taken 10 English wickets and lost 8 whilst batting. This did not count in the ICC scheme of things.

Is it any surprise that batting records are being smashed all over the cricketing world? 10 teams have breached the 400 runs mark in the ODI tournaments. Getting 250 runs in a T20 match is entirely possible. Rohit Sharma leads the pack with 4 centuries in the shortest international format.

The advantage is firmly in the batsmen’s crease but cricket administrators and marquee cricketers are waking up to the fact. The DRS review appeals has come as a boon for the bowlers too. This has put pressure on the umpires to be neutral, alert and zoned-in especially on LBW issues. The notoriety of some in the not too distant past still lingers on. The host side at times played with 13 active players. Some officials also came under the match-fixing cloud. The Snick-o-meter with the third umpire or match referee also bats for the bowlers and helps their cause. It analyses the video and sound as to whether a fine snick or noise occurs as ball passes bat.

 The other booster for the pace bowlers should be the 2 new white ball rule- 25 overs from each end in the ODI’s. Sachin Tendulkar has a different perspective, “this is not the perfect recipe as each ball is not given time to get rough and old and reverse. We haven’t seen reverse swing, an integral part of the death overs.” Further, in 2017, the ICC did come up with a half measure on bats-  ‘edges can’t be more than 40 mm in thickness and the overall depth of the bat measured from the highest part of the spine should not be more than 67mm.’

One major ally for the bowlers is the support on the fielding front. The extraordinary enhancement in fitness and fielding skills have not only saved runs but kept the pressure lid on. The conversion ratio of run-outs and direct hits has spiked. Extraordinary catches, especially in the outfield, have become the norm.

So is this just a lament for the plight of the bowlers. Are batsmen the villains?  Absolutely not! The rules and the playing eco-system have to be changed to ensure a fair and engaging contest between bat and ball. Else, why are low scoring matches so thrilling? !! Tendulkar and Dravid, Kohli, Smith and AB DeVilliers, Ponting and Lara, Dhoni and Sangakara have enriched the game beyond measure. They are Maestros. Their exploits with the bat have packed stadiums and commanded a huge and loyal viewership. As the formats have changed, they have been at the forefront of amazing innovations in batting technique and flair. AB is known as the 360 degree genius. The upper-cut, switch-hit, reverse sweep, paddle shot, Inside-Out stroke and the Periscope shot are now all part of the cricket lexicon. The last named because the motion ends up with the batter holding the bat like a protruding periscope. Who can forget Ganguly’s break-out century at Lords in 1996? The Sachin master-class knock of 98 against Pakistan at the Centurion in WC 2003. The Very Very Special Laxman-Dravid partnership which snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the rampaging Aussies- Eden Gardens 2001. Or Kapil Dev’s iconic 175 not out at Turnbridge Wells in the 1983 World Cup. But let us not forget the critical contributions to the 1983 WC triumph from our under-rated bowling squad.

Baseball is a distant cousin of cricket. The Pitchers have their own variations- the curve ball, the slider, the fast ball. In the All Time great lists they rub shoulders with the batters with almost equal representation. They hog their fair share of the limelight in the MBL Hall of Fame. This is also a statistically obsessed game. But their analysts and fans cover all the bases. However, in Indian cricket, the media and the fans cannot stop talking about the number of centuries, the big hits,the strike rate and in the IPL context- the Orange Cap.

Stats do not tell the whole story and they can be misleading at times. Instead, look at the Impact Players. Whose performances have changed the fortunes of a match or a series. A  Bumrah for India or a Rabada for South Africa with key wickets at the right junctures. Even for a batsman-evaluate the innings in the context of the match, the pitch conditions and the quality of the opposition attack. A fifty on a difficult wicket in a low scoring match is worth much more than a century on a docile pitch.

In the 80’s and 90’s a widely held belief was that a 5 wicket haul in a Test or ODI was equal to a century. Anil Kumble has had 35 five wicket hauls in Tests and 2 in ODI’s. Equals to at least 35 centuries. Places him deservedly amongst the batting greats. His extraordinary 10 wicket haul in an innings against Pakistan at the Ferozshah Kotla in 1999 should catapult him into the exalted cricketer realm. Not quite. If you do an informal survey in your own circle about the 6-7top Indian cricketers for the last 25 years, batting masters with celebrity names will quickly fill up most lists. Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh may at best sneak into a few.

On that note, let’s call it stumps.