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Right stroke: little master stands tall

Rohit Bhardwaj

Sunil Manohar Gavaskar has enthralled one and all with his classical copy book style batting, but he is also credited for his inimitable, beyond-the-surface writing.

Gavaskar used to be fearless and even sometimes ruthless when it came to facing the most intimidating West Indian pacers in the early '70s, helping him become one of the most successful Indian Test batsmen of all time.

This approach has percolated into his writings whenever he wielded his pen. His columns still pack the punch without treading into meaningless controversies.

In the 60th year of his birth, Straight Drive, a collection of his best 60 columns, comes as a tribute to a person admired by the severest of critics.

His transition from a cricketer into a columnist was somehow smoother than many who claim to be critics of the game in a country of a billion fanatics.

And in his own words, "I love writing, even more than I loved batting... During a Test match I would be able to finish two novels especially if I got out early", say it all about his love for the written word, though none may doubt his ability to simplify the complexities of the game in a crisp, easy-to- digest manner as a commentator.

Gavaskar made his international debut in 1971 on the tour to the West Indies. It was an era of Test cricket, when the popular one-day version of the game had just started to develop and the Caribbean pacers were the most feared lot.

But Gavaskar, with his virtually unbreachable defence and an array of strokes, amassed an astounding 774 runs in the four Tests he played on debut at an average of 154.8, which was enough to prove his credentials as a great opening batsman.

"Sunny" as he is lovingly called, further went on to break numerous cricketing records. With 34 Test centuries under his belt, he surpassed Sir Donald Bradman's 35-year-old record of 29 hundreds. He also set the record for most runs in one-dayers at 10, 122.

His captaincy, however, was less successful. The team at one stage went 31 Tests without a victory.

But his performances continued to exude excitement among all Indians alike.

Gavaskar's passion for writing came to light when he wrote his autobiography Sunny Days in 1976, which received a warm welcome from the sporting community. But he is remembered more for his hard-hitting columns. The question here pops up: Why buy a book that is an anthology of his published articles, keeping in mind the fact that he is amongst the most widely read columnists?

The answer lies in the question - these articles are as timeless as the man himself.

The "Little Master" has picked up those articles which capture a new era in either cricket or other Olympic sports like Badminton and Lawn Tennis.

The first column - "All Class at All England" - is about Gavaskar's first time experience of the All England Badminton championships in 1988 which led to his friendship with Prakash Padukone, the lone Indian to win the prestigious tournament before Pullela Gopichand clinched the title in 2001. In another column, Gavaskar backs Vijay Amritraj, the leading tennis player of the country and the then Davis Cup team captain, for his "no-holds barred" approach towards team selection for which he was accused by the All India Tennis Association.

Apart from dealing with various controversies of the game, the book has columns dedicated to former Indian cricketers Ramakant Desai, M.L. Jaisimha, Karsan Ghavri, Dilip Vengsarkar, Brian Lara, Sanjay Manjrekar, Mohammad Azharuddin, his commentating idol Richie Benaud and an article each on golfer Tiger Woods, shuttler Pullela Gopichand and Billiards player Geet Sethi.

This goes on to show that the book is not only for the cricket enthusiasts but for anyone who loves reading sport. All in all a collectible for any Gavaskar aficionado.