Makarand Waingankar, one of India’s best loved and read cricket columnists, blends meticulous research with his own experience of a life lived on the cricket fields of India. He has watched greats and created newer greats. He wears a multitude of hats, each of which fit snuggly on his humble head – journalist, columnist, cricket historian, researcher, trainer, talent spotter, administrator and others. But a consistent thread that weaves each of these hats, is his unconditional love for cricket in the manner that this beautiful game is meant to be loved. He is also a keen observer of Goan cricket, not just because of his Goan roots. Readers of The Goan can look forward to a long romance with the game through Mac-Ro View. The column, as Makarand promises, will inform, educate and come down heavily on those who spoil the fair name of this great game. Happy reading.
Last month when I was in Goa, on the adjacent table in arestaurant two die-hard cricket fans were arguing as to who is a better batsmanbetween Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. They were throwing someinteresting facts and figures. I loved every bit of it. It seemed they hadagreed to disagree.
Such debates do take place among former internationalcricketers and connoisseurs of the game in India. It's about the differentstyles of play between Gavaskar and Tendulkar. One an opener, the other is amiddle order batsman. Both are living legends. Together they have scored morethan 30,000 international runs. In fact they have contributed immensly to thestats. One third of India's runs have been scored by the Mumbaikars.
An interesting point in the debate is that Gavaskar not onlyplayed without a helmet and opened the innings but also faced ferocious fastbowlers who were permitted to bowl an entire over of bouncers. Imagine AndyRoberts, Michael Holding, Molcolm Marshall and Joel Garner aiming your head allthe time. The opposition knew that once he was gone, not too many runs could beput on the board, so unreliable was the middle order then. That was thepressure under which he had to perform all the time. In the infamous JamaicaTest match in 1976 Michael Holding hurled short stuff from around the wicket.Half the team was in hospital but Gavaskar stood firm.
Not many of present generation are aware that as a teenagerGavaskar was as aggressive as Tendulkar. On numerous occasions in under 19inter-state matches he scored a century before lunch and a double hundredbefore tea. Once he entered the international arena, he changed his approachbecause Indian batting line up wasn't strong. If Gavaskar was a run machine,Tendulkar used the bat like an AK-47. When former Mumbai Test players sawTendulkar play a Test at 15, they were all convinced that because of hispeculiar bottom hand grip he would be sorted out by professional internationalbowlers. However, Tendulkar was not prepared to be a slave of any technique. Heread and handled the situations competantly.
But is Tendulkar the same? He insists that he can’t be whathe was 15 years ago, yet Kapil Dev disagrees. “It’s a mindset,” saysKapil. Kapil had said: “If Tendulkardecides to play attacking cricket, he will realise that he can play the way hewas doing 15 years ago. Bowlers then will have to think of containing him andnot how to get him out.” He made another observation when talking aboutGavaskar and Tendulkar. “It was a victory for India when Gavaskar ensured adraw. I doubt Gavaskar would have curbed his stroke play if he had the samebacking of a good batting line-up that Tendulkar has. Why should then Tendulkarplay like Gavaskar when the present batting line-up is quite good?” But let'snot forget the wear and tear of playing 23 years of international cricket isslowing down Tendulkar.
The debate touches a very important point whether Tendulkar,if he had been in Gavaskar’s place would have curbed his natural instinct? Going by the history of Tendulkar’s knocksunder pressure, he would have adapted to those situations, but a giftedTendulkar would have had to curb his stroke-making knowing fully well thatthere was no solid batting order.
At the fag end of his career, Gavaskar exhibited hisrepertoire of strokes especially against the West Indies at Delhi in 1983 whilescoring his 29th century at Delhi hooking and pulling Holding, Marshall andothers and later hit a brilliant century at Nagpur against New Zealand in the1987 World Cup match.
Gavaskar was concentration personified but when it matteredhe played some lovely shots in front of the wicket. Tendulkar showed thatexperience is a virtue that helps read situations. The enjoyment that one seeson his face while implementing the plans comes naturally to him. He has hisplan A and Plan B ready. And he very subtley shifts to plan B. It is unfair toconclude that one style is necessarily better than the other, for the craft andtechnique has to be continually perfected to suit the era and the kind ofcricket that is played.
