Our splendid match-winners

[PKBasu]

A beautiful ceremony was held yesterday in Bangalore for Karnataka to felicitate five of its greatest cricketing sons -- Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Gundappa Vishwanath, Syed Kirmani and Roger Binny:

http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/11/stories ... 951600.htm

All five were heroes of mine, and all richly deserved the honour conferred on them. Since then, of course, Karnataka has produced at least 3 more world-beating cricketers (Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath), but those five were the pioneers. Prasanna's match-winning exploits are covered earlier in this thread (he was the first bowler I saw in a test match and remains my favourite spinner), Chandra's 6/38 in the Oval was followed by match-winning efforts at Calcutta in 1972-73 (against England) and 1974-75 (against West Indies), among others (although I was privileged to witness both of those!). Vishy made 139 winning runs in that Calcutta test against West Indies in 1974-75 (after getting 52 in the first innings) and followed it with 97* on a difficult pitch in Madras in the next test. No tribute can be better than the one Sunny Gavaskar delivered yesterday:

http://content-eap.cricinfo.com/india/c ... 84776.html

Kiri and Binny were stars of India's World Cup triumph in 1983. Kirmani was the unsung hero behind the stumps, but his solidity there was crucial to our victory (apart from the comfort of knowing that a test centurion would be coming in at no. 10 in the batting order!). Roger Binny of course was the undoubted bowling hero of that World Cup, taking the maximum number of wickets (18), and following it up with a dominant bowling performance in the World Championship of Cricket that India won in Australia in 1985 as well. Binny used to open both the batting and bowling for Karnataka (and held the record for the highest first-wicket partnership in Indian first-class cricket, with Sanjay Desai), and he was perhaps the most under-appreciated bowler in Indian cricket history. His dominant performance in 1983, of course, led the Brits to look at his ancestry -- and it was discovered that he had some Scottish blood, much to the Brits' delight!

[sameerph]

I think Roger Binny was more of a batsman then bowler early on his career as much the oppsite of Ravi Shastri who was primarily bowler who batted at no. 10 & then steadily moved up to open.

[PKBasu]

No, Sameer, Binny was always an all-rounder -- unlike Shastri, who got into the Indian team purely as a bowler and then began to develop into more of a batsman who would be the team's fifth bowler. Binny used to open both the batting and bowling for Karnataka, and came into prominence in the 1976 season -- when Karnataka had seven members in the Indian touring party to New Zealand (Pras, Chandra, Vishy, Brijesh Patel, Kirmani, Sudhakar Rao), opening up opportunities for a lot of other players like Binny and his opening batting partner Sanjay Desai. He used to open the Karnataka bowling with Vijaykumar.
Whether Binny was more of a bowler or more of a batsman was an issue that caused me (at the age of 14) to get into a virulent argument with my best friend in school! I don't remember which side of the argument I took up, but that friend and I didn't speak to each other for the next two years!! Binny was both a batsman and a bowler in first-class cricket, although in tests he was chosen more for his bowling and his batting was seen as a bonus. In ODIs, too, he was the perfect utility man -- although his bowling is what made him famous and useful (especially in 1983-86). 

[suresh]

Ok, we don't want PKB and Sameer fighting each other. I remember being jealous of Binny as kid -- it was always my dream to open both the bowling and batting (of course, I wasn't good enough to do either and always was the last player to be chosen). Binny's supposed Scottish ancestry(discovered after India's world cup triumph) was also a major source of amusement for us kids. Thanks PKB and Sameer for bringing back those memories.

[PKBasu]

Suresh! I too had another secret reason to admire Binny. Around the same time that he was opening the batting and bowling for Karnataka, I finally made it to my junior school first XI (which was called the school's "E" XI). I had always fancied myself as an opening batsman (because I was then rather weak physically, so defense was my best batting weapon!), but got into the team as an opening bowler -- when I surprised the junior-school headmaster (who was also cricket coach) by bowling him out in a practice match. He had always thought of me as more of an elocutionist, actor, etc. rather than as a sportsman of any sort.
I always thought of myself as a bit of a carpet-bagger for getting into the team as an opening bowler when I knew there were at least 3-4 others in my class who could bowl faster than me. (In retrospect, I suppose I was picked because I was more accurate and could perhaps swing the ball  , but at that age speed is all that counts!). I always wanted to show the coach that I was actually a batsman, but had scores of 0, 0 and 1 in the three matches that season. The one run I did score was as opening batsman (fully emulating Binny). In the school "C" XI the next two years, I opened both the batting and bowling, but my reticence over my bowling continued all the way to the end -- and I was usually selected as 11th man in the school first XI in my final years in school mainly as a batsman (at no. 5 or 6). Having always neglected my bowling (albeit at a much lower level than even state cricket  ), I find it sad when the likes of WV Raman, Md Kaif, Manoj Tiwary, etc. concentrate just on their batting as they move up the ranks, especially as all have demonstrable bowling ability too...
(Apologies for the long personal anecdote; we are all secret failed cricketers at heart, aren't we??!).

[PKBasu]

As India embarks on a campaign which will hopefully culminate in a World Cup triumph, the mind inevitably goes back to 1983. India were then the ultimate underdogs of ODI cricket, having finished dead last in their group after losing to non-test-playing Sri Lanka in the 1979 World Cup (under Venkat, who captained India in 1975 as well!). The West Indies were the undisputed world champions of test and ODI cricket, having reaffirmed the latter status with a comprehensive victory in 1979 to follow their narrow triumph in the first World Cup final in 1975. The team's greatness was built around their fearsome foursome of Holding, Roberts, Marshall and Garner (each of whom would comfortably be the pace spearhead of any of today's main international sides; they were so good that they kept out the likes of Colin Croft, Wayne Daniel, and Winston Davis -- all of whom were pace-bowling stalwarts who thoroughly dominated county cricket in England during those years). But the batting was terrifyingly brilliant too: Greenidge and Haynes were the dominant opening pair of the era, followed by Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd and supported by Larry Gomes, Faoud Bacchus and 'keeper-batsman Jeff Dujon.
The West Indies' first match of the 1983 World Cup was a 2-day (!) fixture against India at Manchester. I vividly remember reading the result in the Delhi newspapers on the morning of June 11th, 1983 (I had just been admitted to St Stephen's College that day, and was staying with an uncle who was a bureaucrat-"intellectual" who took pride in not knowing anything about sport; he couldn't fathom my excitement, but a couple of years later was scrambling to ask me to explain the sport when NKP Salve took charge of the ministry in which he was Secretary!). Shastri (3/26 in 5.1 overs) was given bowling credit (with a photo in the ToI), but while he had taken the wickets of Marshall, Holding and Garner (two of them stumped by Kirmani), it was Binny who had really done the damage -- with the key wickets of Viv Richards, Lloyd and Dujon to reduce the Windies to 5/107. Andy Roberts (37*) and last-man Garner (37) were the top-scorers for the Windies that day, as they were dismissed for 228 in response to India's 262, in which Yashpal Sharma (89), Sandeep Patil (36), Binny (27) and Madanlal (21*) played key parts. India's utility men were going to be key throughout the World Cup of 1983.

But the foundations for the sensational happenings of the 1983 World Cup were laid in far-away Berbice (Guyana) on India's tour of the West Indies earlier that year. Gavaskar, relieved of the captaincy after the team's disastrous defeat in Pakistan (which occurred despite Sunny's rock-solid performances with the bat), had a pretty wretched tour of the West Indies -- scoring just one test century, but generally succumbing to the pace of the West Indians (very unusually for him). But in Berbice on March 29th 2003, he made 90 off 117 balls, to set up an excellent total of 282 (when Sunny fell, it was 152/2, but Kapil Dev then made 72 off 38 balls..). With Kapil (2/33), Sandhu (2/38) and Shastri (3/48) in fine form with the ball, the then-virtually-invincible West Indies were bowled out for 255. Such a defeat on home soil was almost unheard-of for Clive Lloyd's team. Most people probably shrugged it off as an aberration rather than an earth-shaking changing of the guard. But it gave the Indian team a huge booster dose of confidence that they took all the way to the World Cup final at Lord's on June 25th.

[sameerph]

PKB, I value your sentiment fo Roger Binny & don't not want to fight with you . Therefore, I give up my claim that Binny was more of a batsman then bowler . 

Thanks, PKB for rekindling the memories of 1983 world cup. I was in schools then but do remember that eariler matches were not televised nor was there any commentary available on AIR. One had to tune in to BBC on shortwave frequency to listen to the commentary. Only when India reached the SF , the interest was generated in India & then India's semi - final & final were televised on DD.

[PKBasu]

Sameer, I'd be happy to concede that Binny started out as marginally more of a batsman than a bowler in first-class cricket, although his role was reversed by the time he was first selected for India  .

Just before India beat the Windies, the 1983 World Cup had got off to an even more sensational start with the "minnows" Zimbabwe doing to Australia what Sri Lanka had done to India in 1979 -- beat them! Zim won by 13 runs, as their captain Duncan Fletcher (now the England coach!) starred with a top-score of 69* and 4/42 in 11 overs. India then beat Zimbabwe by 5 wickets (Madanlal 3/27, Binny 2/25, Patil 50) to go to the top of the table. Of course, Australia then brought us down a peg by thrashing us by 162 runs in our third match, after Trevor Chappell got his first and only ODI century (110). The most famous aspect of that match was that one legend from either side was dropped for it -- Sunny Gavaskar (dropped for form for the only time in his career) and Dennis Lillee for Australia.

Then, of course, after the Windies had extracted revenge (by 66 runs) in the next game against India at the Oval, came the famous match at Tunbridge Wells against Zimbabwe -- when India's campaign appeared to have come to an end with India on 17/5. To my eternal shame, I switched off the radio that evening at Jadubabur Bazar, went grocery shopping for my mom, and turned up at my maternal grandfather's place in New Alipore a couple of hours later feeling blue -- only to find him buoyant. The commentary was crackling away in the background, Kapil was still batting with #10 Kirmani and India were back in the game. We can never forget Kapil's magnificent 175*, but he couldn't have done it without Binny (22), Madanlal (17) and Kirmani (24*). India made 266, and it was Madanlal (3/42) and Binny (2/45) who again did the trick with the ball for India, enabling a tense 31-run victory.
But India still needed to win the final league fixture against Australia at Chelmsford to make it to the semi-final -- and India did it in style, with an emphatic 118-run victory fashioned by that indomitable duo of Binny (4/29) and Madanlal (4/20), who also scored 21 and 12* in a low-scoring fixture to which almost everyone contributed (with only Sandhu's 8 and Gavaskar's 9 falling short of double figures).

Somehow, after all the excitement of the league phase, England (despite Gooch, Gatting, Gower and Botham) seemed relatively easy pickings for the semi-final... 

[BSharma]

I highly appreciate PKB's history lessons on cricket.  The period of 1975 to mid-nineties is sort of a blur to me because the only Indian sports news I could get was through the Indian weekly newspaper "India Abroad" and it devoted about a page on Indian sports.  I have enjoyed reading PKB's posts and they have filled up the gaps in my knowledge about Indian sports.  Thanks PKB. 

[PKBasu]

England indeed proved to be easy pickings, as India returned to Old Trafford, Manchester, for the semifinal on June 22nd. After the England openers, Tavare and Fowler, had both fallen to Binny's magic, India hunkered down to countering the dangers of England's formidable middle-order (Gower, Lamb, Gatting, Botham). On came Mohinder Amarnath and Kirti Azad to share the fifth bowler's burden by bowling 6 overs each. But they weaved a magical choke-hold over England's vaunted middle-order, with Amarnath's dibbly-dobblies prising out Gower (17) and Gatting (18), Lamb getting run out after making a painstaking 29 off 58 balls, and Kirti Azad clean-bowling Botham for 6. The old Delhi mates -- supposedly bowling as part-timers -- completed 24 overs between them, conceding just 57 runs and picking up 3 wickets. England's goose was cooked as they slumped to 213 all out, with Kapil (3/35) cleaning up the tail. With Gavaskar finally getting some runs (25), Yashpal hammering 61 and Patil 51*, India cantered home with 5 overs and 6 wickets to spare. Mohinder (with 46 runs to go with his 2/28 in 12 overs) was Man of the Match.

The Final, of course, has entered cricketing lore. Virtually no one, with the possible exception of some diehard fans and commentator Farokh Engineer (the former India 'keeper whose Lancastrian optimism kept us in sunny spirits throughout the tournament), gave India even a ghost of a chance. The fearsome foursome dug into our batting: Gavaskar went for 2, Amarnath for a laborious 26 off 80 balls and Yashpal for 11 off 32. Srikkanth (38 off 57 balls), Patil (27 off 29) and Kapil (14 off 8) were their normal irrepressible selves. But it was universally agreed that India's 183 (stitched together by tailend contributions of 17, 14 and a surprising 11* from Madanlal, Kirmani and Sandhu respectively) was going to be hopelessly inadequate.
There was no huddle in those days, but Kapil's Devils were not about to give up. Sandhu curled a beautiful in-swinger to take out Greenidge's off-stump as he embarrassingly shouldered arms. Soon afterwards, Calcutta had a long dose of "load-shedding" which deprived us of the pleasure of watching the next two wickets fall. Radio reception too was tough, but we heard the roar across the city as Haynes fell (c Binny b Madanlal 13). But the loudiest roar, heard all across the city and into Howrah and beyond, was reserved for the moment when Kapil Dev ran backwards to catch Viv Richards off Madanlal for 33, to leave Windies on 57/3. Madanlal had Gomes caught brilliantly by Gavaskar, and Binny had Lloyd caught by Kapil to make it 66/5 -- and it was as good as over. But it still needed Amarnath's golden arm to end a potentially threatening 8th-wicket partnership of 43 between Dujon and Marshall. Mohinder (with 3/12 off 7 overs) was again adjudged Man of the Match, but the whole team deserved a collective accolade for a genuine team effort throughout the tournament.  

[puneets]

Wow! It's great to read this stuff. I'm a big fan of this thread (and PKB)
thanks.

[jaydeep]

It was pleasurable to read our memorable moments in PKB's words ... Thanks for bringing back unforgettable memories ...

Jaydeep.

[jayakris]

The most forgotten man in the 1983 world cup may be Sandeep Patil though.  He was some piece of work, really.   Scored some 30 runs average there I think, and was a big part of India's wins, including in the semi and the final ..

.. and he again hit Willis for a bunch of runs in that half century in the semi .. Willis was, of course, still reeling from being hit by Patil for 6 boundaries in an over in a test inning the previous year during the Indian tour of England (when Sandeep also had 4 and 3 in the previous two balls from somebody else, and scored 31 in 9 balls to cross a century mark; well there was a no-ball by Willis which he did not score on) ..

Jay

[PKBasu]

Yes indeed, Jay, Sandeep Patil and Yashpal Sharma were perhaps the most forgotten heroes of the 1983 triumph. Patil invariably scored at about a run a ball, got two half-centuries (the other one against Zim in the first game against them -- ie not the one at Tunbridge Wells!) and averaged just over 30 runs an innings. Yashpal averaged 34.28, and invariably had key contributions in several matches that counted. But really, the 1983 triumph was quintessentially a team effort. Binny (18) and Madanlal (17 wickets) were the bowling heroes, Kapil (12 wickets at 20.41 apiece and 303 runs in 8 innings, 3 times not out) and Mohinder (all-round Man of the Match in the semifinal and final) were the key all-rounders. But the triumph wouldn't have been possible without key contributions from Yashpal Sharma, Sandeep Patil, Syed Kirmani and Balwinder Sandhu (as well as the bowling cameos from Kirti Azad in the SF, and Ravi Shastri in the first match against the Windies). The fact that Shastri and Vengsarkar (so successful on three test tours to England) were not in the XI for the semifinal and final is emblematic of just how strong the team was. Those two (and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan) were the heroes of India's victory in the World Championship of Cricket in Australia in 1985, with Gavaskar's captaincy proving decisive as well. 

[jayakris]

Yeah, if I remember correctly, before the 1983 world cup, our selection committee basically got a lot of criticism for selecting a team with a lot of not-big-name guys like Sandhu, Binny, Azad etc.   The great spinners were all gone, Vishwanath was gone, and we had no real bowlers that we resepcted (except Kapil) ..

I don't think the selectors were trying to put a bunch of "team contributors" together or anything (yeah, right -- Indian selectors showing such deep thinking!) .. They basically did their lazy job with the usual politics, and were shocked later that the team turned out to be a bunch of winners who just decided to play as a team under Kapil .. It was crazy.  In every match, it seemed like all of us were going "where did that come from?" when the Binnys and Sandhus and Patils and Azads kept on coming up with stuff that won us matches.

I see the reverse situation this year, and I am concerned.  All the experts are unanimously talking about how all our big shots (with experience and all that blah blah) are there in form, and how we have a geat chance.   Leaves me with a very uncomfortable feeling.  Hope my hunch is wrong.  The biggest concern for me is how everybody, including the team and captain, are talking about having to score more runs to counterbalance the poor fielding.  It is during fielding that the team is out there together, and the comfort level about fielding is what takes the pressure of bowling (and now everyone is putting pressure on the batsmen too, on this count).   If everybody is looking at each other as a liability in fielding, the team spirit and results may get affected.   Just my angle of thinking, but I am no expert to comment .. Hope I am wrong on my hunch.

Jay