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Just saw that scorecard. The hero of the match was Vivek Razdan. he had the best bowling figures, better than Wasim. He was supposed to be quick. Wonder why he didnt play long for India if he was so good. I see a few clean bowled delieveries from him... Which confirms, they guy must have been quick.

Razdan's case was strange..he was the most celebrated student of the first batch of MRF pace foundation, Lille was very upbeat about him.

He had pace and good height. Got swing too.

He just bowled in 2 innings and took a five-fer in the last test he played. Never played a test again. Averages 28 in his brief career. 

Shows the kind of politics and group-ism prevalent then.

Edited by express bowling
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Razdan's case was strange..he was the most celebrated student of the first batch of MRF pace foundation, Lille was very upbeat about him.

He had pace and good height. Got swing too.

He just bowled in 2 innings and took a five-fer in the last test he played. Never played a test again. Averages 28 in his brief career. 

Shows the kind of politics and group-ism prevalent then.

Do you think Kapil had something to do with it? We all know Kapil spoilt Srinath's initial years and he was as selfish as they come

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Do you think Kapil had something to do with it? We all know Kapil spoilt Srinath's initial years and he was as selfish as they come

After one of the tests in Pakistan, Kapil made a derogatory comment about the new fast bowlers in the team ( Razdan and Ankola ). He did not like them.

Whether he had sufficient power to remove them from the team, I don't know.

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Razdan, Wassan, Zaidi were 3 talented bowlers of that generation who had some pace.... but did not play much or at all.

Wassan averaged 25.7  after 9 ODIs  with ER under 4 ...but never played after that.

Ankola had raw pace in 1989, which he lost due to injury  and became a bouncy fast-medium bowler.

Edited by express bowling
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Razdan, Wassan, Zaidi were 3 talented bowlers of that generation who had some pace.... but did not play much or at all.

Wassan averaged 25.7  after 9 ODIs  with ER under 4 ...but never played after that.

Ankola had raw pace in 1989, which he lost due to injury  and became a bouncy fast-medium bowler.

Of all the 3, Atul Wassan definitely had genuine pace ( 140-145 maybe.. not saying he was 150 ). About Kapil, yes he did have a say in internal affairs. How did he manage to play so many tests just to surpass Sir Hadlee's record? He was trundling at no more than 105-110 k's during the fag end of his career. 

He was a liability to the team, but BCCI let him play coz he had to break the record, no matter what the cost would be.

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He was dropped from the test team even before he had an injury. I remember some criticism in the media at that time on this issue.

No idea about that. I was not old enough to know anything about cricket then. My first memories of cricket starts from WI tour to India in 1993, England tour to India 1993, Hero Cup, etc. Those are my most distant cricket memories.

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No idea about that. I was not old enough to know anything about cricket then. My first memories of cricket starts from WI tour to India in 1993, England tour to India 1993, Hero Cup, etc. Those are my most distant cricket memories.

:two_thumbs_up:

My first memories were exactly 10 years before...i remember listening to commentary on radio when India won the world cup in 1983. Then I saw the WI tour of India in late 1983. West Indies played Marshall, Holding, Daniel and Winston Davis, I think.  Wayne Daniel was the most intimidating visually. My first clear memories of a fast bowling attack.    :agree:

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:two_thumbs_up:

My first memories were exactly 10 years before...i remember listening to commentary on radio when India won the world cup in 1983. Then I saw the WI tour of India in late 1983. West Indies played Marshall, Holding, Daniel and Winston Davis, I think.  Wayne Daniel was the most intimidating visually. My first clear memories of a fast bowling attack.    :agree:

Here is Wayne Daniel. Running from a long runup but looks like trundling.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV6OuiWQjkM

Edited by rkt.india
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Here is Wayne Daniel. Running from a long runup but looks like trundling.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV6OuiWQjkM

He was not that quick...but had a very intimidating physical presence and fierce face.

In those days batsmen were physically afraid of West Indian spinners also.   There was a very tall spinner called Roger Harper who used to bowl with a jump      :cantstop:

No-one knew how quick the pacers actually were.... it was their reputation at work.     :agree:

Edited by express bowling
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He was not that quick...but had a very intimidating physical presence and fierce face.

In those days batsmen were physically afraid of West Indian spinners also.   There was a very tall spinner called Roger Harper who used to bowl with a jump      :cantstop:

No-one knew how quick the pacers actually were.... it was their reputation at work.     :agree:

Yes, it was all perception than anything else.

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:two_thumbs_up:

My first memories were exactly 10 years before...i remember listening to commentary on radio when India won the world cup in 1983. Then I saw the WI tour of India in late 1983. West Indies played Marshall, Holding, Daniel and Winston Davis, I think.  Wayne Daniel was the most intimidating visually. My first clear memories of a fast bowling attack.    :agree:

I was a very very young kid then, 3-4 yrs old, but I remember the 83 match coz everyone was celebrating and only we had a TV in the whole area. And I do remember vaguely that WI series in India when they tore the Indians apart I think.

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I was a very very young kid then, 3-4 yrs old, but I remember the 83 match coz everyone was celebrating and only we had a TV in the whole area. And I do remember vaguely that WI series in India when they tore the Indians apart I think.

I was around 9 then.   We had defeated the mighty WI  twice in the '83 WC and their India tour was a series to get back their reputation. I don't remember the exact scoreline but they defeated us badly.

Marshall was at his peak then and it was a thrill seeing him run-in in an angular way. Tried to copy it .      :cantstop:

 

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His Test Debut – The trip to Pakistan - January 1983

Sekar replaced an injured Madan Lal in the same week that Mudassar Nazar and Javed Miandad had given India a belting with a world record 451 run partnership (which at that time equalled the best ever in test – that of Ponsford and Bradman).

He landed in Karachi not knowing how to reach his destination and without having the Pakistani currency. No one welcomed him at the airport!!! Shockingly, the Indian team including the captain Sunil Gavaskar were not aware that Sekar was joining the team.

Managing to speak in broken Hindi, he picked a cab (after convincing people that he was there to play for India!!!) to the hotel room where he met a surprised Gavaskar. The very next day he made his international debut at the fourth one-dayer of that series.

Looking back at that match, he says, “Gavaskar did not want to disclose too much of me and wanted to save me for the forthcoming test. He shielded in that match (bowling only 4overs) where India were once again demolished by Zaheer Abbas.”

Sekar made his test debut in the 5th test of that 6 test series a match. Despite being wicket less, Srikkanth who also played in that test believes Sekar bowled well. “He was quick and was clearly the fastest bowler on view.” And you may not have said that of any Indian bowler till Sekar came on the scene.

In the final test of that series (one that is also known for Ravi Shastri’s century as an opener- he replaced Srikkanth!!) and one that turned out to be the last for Sekar, Dilip Vengsarkar dropped 3catches in the slips of TA Sekar’s bowling as Mudassar, Mohsin and Javed Miandad made merry at Sekar’s cost. If those three catches had been taken at slip, Sekar’s career may have taken a different turn and one for the good, for he was rated by all as the fastest bowler seen from India until then. Unfortunately as fate would have it, Sekar was never to bowl again in tests.

The story goes that clearly there were sections within the bowling department of the Indian team that were overwhelmed at the pace of TA Sekar and hence were not in favour of someone who had the tag of the ‘fastest Indian bowler’.

Following the Pakistan tour, Madan Lal was chosen again (even though he had not recovered from the injury). It was also the period when the mantle of captaincy moved from Gavaskar to Kapil Dev!!! As you would see later in this piece, Sekar’s international come back later that decade was also ruined in the same way it had happened in the early 1980s.

K Srikkanth knows him as well as anyone from those days for the two played together in three important matches during that 4month period - the season opener - Irani Trophy match, the big Duleep Trophy match against West Zone and Sekar’s debut match in Pakistan.

After having faced the world’s best bowlers during in the first half of 1983 - Srikkanth had faced Imran Khan and Sarfraz Nawaz on green tops in Pakistan and Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Joel Garner on moving wickets in England (1983 World Cup), Srikkanth says with confidence that Sekar was the fastest bowler in the world, not just in India, that year.

‘He had a fantastic debut series in terms of the way he bowled. I was the one standing at Forward Short leg and I watched the batsman’s feet as they were ready to face Sekar and you could see that they were worried at the pace he generated. That Pakistani team had great batsmen and they were truly impressed with Sekar’s pace. If only the catches had been taken in the slips in that test when Sekar made the world’s best batsmen like Javed Miandad and Zaheer Abbas jump on to their toes, his career may have taken a completely different turn. I am certain if he had those three top wickets in that match at the top of the order, he would have gone on to play for a much longer time for India.”

Sekar bowled 11overs at a stretch and had everyone hobbling. Zaheer Abbas felt uncomfortable as Sekar would constantly pitch short at a face pace, much to the legendary batsman’s dislike.

The story goes that Imran Khan wondered (as did Lala Amarnath – for Sekar had hit his son Mohinder on the helmet earlier that season beating Jimmy for pace) as to how India did not have Sekar in the original squad for that tour.

The early tests of that series were played on green tops where India was bundled out by a fiery Imran (supported by Sarfraz Nawaz). With his pace and bounce, Sekar would have proved more than handy on those green tops where India only had the slow pace of Sandhu and Madan Lal.

In the series that immediately followed in the West Indies, Madan Lal who had still not recovered was called back (though he did not play in the first three tests of that series- Incidentally Venkat was recalled for that series and L Sivaramakrishnan made his first overseas tour) with Sekar, the man who had replaced him in Pakistan losing out after having impressed most experts with his spells in the two tests.

Had Sekar made it to the West Indies on the back of his performance in Pakistan, he would have had the opportunity to bowl on one of the fastest wickets in the world in those times in the first test of that series at Kingston, Jamaica (a match that ended dramatically on the final evening). Instead India went in with Sandhu (who of course had his moments)!!!

Later that year, having missed the WI tour, he was up against the great West Indian team post their World Cup loss in their return series in India. And once again, the venue was his favourite Hyderabad and once again he was playing alongside Srikkanth. Playing for South Zone, he scalped Viv Richards and Gordon Greenidge in that match.

Compliment from WI fast bowling greats

He still cherishes another big compliment that came his way at the end of that match: Malcom Marshall and Michael Holding asked why Sekar, who according to them was as quick as the WI bowlers of that series, was not playing for India.

Memorable Moment- 24000 boo Sekar and leave the ground

Two months later, came one of his most memorable moments in his cricketing career. In the first Ranji match of that season (83-84) at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore, 25000people came to watch day 1 of the Ranji match between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Almost all of them were there to watch the great GR Vishwanath bat. They were disappointed on day 1 as TN batted through the entire day. With TN batting out a large portion of day 2, the crowd began to become restless.

For the 3rd day in a row, the 25000people returned this time hoping to enjoy GRV from ball 1. Before the end of the 1st over, he had come and gone for Sekar had bowled GR Vishwanath in the 1st over of the day. After booing Sekar for spoiling their morning as he came back to fine leg, 24000people left the stadium. Despite disappointing the entire crowd, this moment of knocking the stumps back of the great Vishwanath with sheer pace, Sekar rates as one of his prized scalps in cricket.

January 1985 - Getting David Gower twice

The 1984-85 was one of mixed fortunes for Sekar. Twice in three weeks he got the wicket of David Gower. But it also turned out to be the last international season for Sekar.

Srikkanth also remembers the two matches the two of them played on either side of Pongal. “I remember that match in Hyderabad distinctly. It was just before Pongal. I captained South Zone and scored 90 on the first morning. When England came into bat, I gave Sekar the new ball. It was a brilliant spell from him. He even had the normally fleet footed David Gower hopping around and finally got the England captain out.”

Later in the same month, in a rain restricted 15over one day match, bowling fast on a wet pitch in Chandigarh, he got Gatting and Gower (again) for his best ever one day spell taking 3 for 23.

“You had to see him bowl that day to see how quick he was” says Srikkanth looking back at that short spell.

After Imran Khan and Zaheer Abbas in Pakistan a couple of years earlier, now Gatting and Gower were all praise for the pace of Sekar and they too wondered as to why he was not in the test squad.

After the performances against England in January 1985, Sekar had high hopes of making it to the WCC to be held the coming month in Australia immediately after this 5th one dayer against England. And once again in overseas conditions that may have suited his bowling. Unfortunately, his hopes were shattered when he was not picked for the WCC.

And alas, the Chandigarh match turned out to be his last.

Later in the decade, Sekar met with Lillee (through S Srinivasan of SVPB) and immediately impressed him with his pace. He moved on to play for MP that year where he used all the learning he had from Lillee.

International Comeback in 1989?

Motivated by Lillee’s comment that Sekar was still quick enough and good enough to be in the Indian team at least for a couple of years (at the end of that decade), he was knocking on the doors again having performed well for Madhya Pradesh and Central Zone. He had an impressive season and was once again in the considered set (provisional squad) for the Indian team that was to tour the West Indies in 1989. He was unofficially told that he would be on the trip to the Carribean.

However, once again and for one last time, he was kept out. The same reasons (mentioned above) that kept him out of the 1983 WI tour and the 1985 Australia tour kept him out this time as well. And now there was no more energy left. That decision to leave out him out finally punctured his enthusiasm and a year or so later he decided to hang his boots from first class cricket to focus on coaching.

It meant that the fastest Indian bowler of the decade had played only 2test matches despite impressing international greats like David Gower and Mike Gatting of England, Marshall and Holding of the West Indies and Imran Khan of Pakistan. The early 80s was a phase where he impressed Sunil Gavaskar too with his genuine pace.

Kalli bemoans ‘You gave Chetan Sharma an ideal opportunity in England in swinging conditions in 1986. Sekar never got that.”

Twice there were opportunities to tap his talent and the country could have benefitted. After a terrific spell in Pakistan in Jan-Feb 1983, there was the fast and bouncy pitches in WI ( March-April) where he would have been useful. And he could have followed that up with the World Cup tour to England ( June 1983). And after impressing against the Englishmen in India in 1985, there was an immediate tour to Australia for the WCC one day tourney, where again conditions would have suited him.

Kalli believes that even if Sekar had been given 1/10 the chance that other India ‘medium pacers’ of his generation got, Sekar would have achieved big. “On his day, no one could play him. He was intimidating for most batsmen and with his height the ball would come from a height of 10feet+ at a pace that was too hot to handle.”

While Srikkanth is normally not the one to mince words, he chose to be more cautious on this one terming the ‘shortened’ international career of Sekar as ‘Unfortunate’. He said, “Let’s not get too much into those reasons. Let me just say it was ‘Unfortunate’ and leave it at that.” Srikkanth also added that irrespective of how many tests he played, Sekar is a great human being and has been a very nice person all along.

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