Technology has changed the landscape of our sport. “We will bowl at Smith on middle or leg stump with packed leg side fielding”, Bharath Arun had instructed his bowlers during recent triumphant series down under. Smith has knack of ticking runs on the offside and the ploy that was employed made him score a stand-alone century on a batting friendly track. Video analysis has become quotidian these days. Ashwin, one of the most studious cricketer of this generation analyses his bowling and the opposition for 7-8 hours prior to any test. ABD watches for his timing, even after he's retired, to make his batting and timing better.
Steve Smith
Courtesy: The Indian Express
If we roll back 100 years, forget technology; earning daily bread was the luxury. India, prior to independence hardly had any facilities to perform daily tasks, let alone sports. And during that era, couple of gritty Indians, without any significant support, pursued a sport that was then considered a royalty. With bats half the size of what we have today, they faced bowlers double their size and pace as quick as the speed of the trains during that time. No video analysis, no massages, no social media, no television. Yet they went viral. So much so that people would flock the stadiums when they came to bat. They didn't need any technology to assist them, all they needed was the game time.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Courtesy: ARY Sports
Ranji fell in love with game during his school days and continued playing cricket for a long time, even when he was enrolled for a course at Cambridge University. There was something remarkable in his batting. In a gentleman’s game where batsman is supposed to drive on the off side, Ranji made tons of runs on the leg side.
Indians usually have wrists made up of iron and no wonder the leg side game was originally pioneered by Ranji. Not only was he master of leg glance; a delicate push down the leg behind stumps, but he looted as many runs with that shot as the British looted money from India.
One more shot he had in his arsenal was the one he’d often play to a ball outside off. His specialty was that he’d play when ball had already passed him. He’d play it so late that the gloves and mind of Wicketkeeper, anticipating the ball would be filled only with emptiness. The late cut is still a staple shot, even after 126 years.
He had the ability to hit to any corners of the field, as Simon Wilde writes. He had a fast pair of arms that would dictate the direction of the ball. This would make some of the finest English bowlers exasperate. His unorthodox shots were the main attraction and pulled in the sea of people. The audience was awestruck as they were witnessing something which they never thought they’d witness. He was not only flamboyant, but also consistent. He scored 1000+ runs in consecutive 10 seasons, along with 1157 runs in Australia. That his record was staggering, the then MCC President Lord Harris couldn’t withstand his long lasting hatred for Indians. Ranji had to be selected for England national side. And he justified the selection with 1000 runs with 2 centuries 6 half centuries in 15 tests.
Years later, another modest Indian travelled to England and in his first test against Australia at Lord’s, he walked in at 53-2. His batting was like a poem. There was rhythm in every shot he played- the cut, pull, drive and glance. His late cuts made even Australian slip cordon appreciate in helplessness. The chap batted for almost 5 hours and he made an elegant 173. He was caught by an outfielder who’d then set everything on fire with his blazing 254 the next day. The fielder was none other than great Don Bradman. And that Indian was Duleepsinhji. Sir Don’s heroic 254 eclipsed the well built, graceful 173 made by Duleep.
Ranjit Sinhji
Courtesy: WIkipedia
Duleep was coached under the watchful eyes of his uncle Ranjitsinhji. And while he followed Ranji’s footsteps, he went the other way with batting. He was an orthodox batsman unlike his uncle. There was that classy touch in his batting.
Duleep, the calm, modest person that he was, made a bet with Lord Harris, the Kent Patriarch, that he’d score a double hundred in return match against a county team after having failed to score one earlier. He made 115 in first innings and followed it up with a 246 in second. Lord Harris, who had intense hatred feelings towards Indians, paid the dues with a smile on his face. Duleep was a giant in county cricket and scored 2500+ runs every season. While playing at home for Sussex in 1930, he made the newly installed scoreboard more visible and spot of attraction that it was with his sensational 333 in mere 330 minutes. A record for highest individual score that was broken in 2003! He played 12 tests for England, scored 995 runs with 3 hundreds.
It was looking like he was on a path to become the greatest English batsman with the staggering start he’d got. But it wasn’t to be. He was well equipped with skills and his bat could tackle fastest of bowlers effectively, but his health couldn’t support his bat. He went to play Somerset against doctor’s advice, took stunners in slip, batted brilliantly for his 90 and then collapsed after reaching dressing room. He never got back up to play cricket again. Pulmonary disease took away the rising sun, that couldn’t rise eventually. The cricket world could only witness the golden rays and not the entire lustrous sun. It’s a shame that a career of grace, excellence and perseverance was marred by health issues. It was unfortunate that cricket world couldn’t experience his best, which was yet to come. He was just 27 when played last match.
DuleepSinhji
Courtesy: Wikipedia
1933 was a dark year. That year Ranjit left the world and took Duleep’s cricket along with him. But Duleep went on to become a diplomat and made great efforts to promote and streamline the sport in India.
Despite the suppression that India had to go under during dark days, these two not only shone like a star, but they proved to British rulers that, Indians were as good if not better than them. They brought joy, with their skills, craft and wizardry. They graced the world of cricket like nobody else did and there weren’t many after them.
Hopefully, Virat Kohli and his team will keep up with the wizardry and win England over the way their great predecessors did.
