Dravid's future

[Guest HariSampath]

MM..More than Sunny's records which were phenomenal....for a batsman who was mostly known as a slow batter, he has played some of the most brilliant inngs in tests and ODIs that often left even his more attacking opening partner Srikkanth gaping . Sunny got a 70 ball 100 in a WC that was for long the fastest ODI 100 for India till Azhar broke it. Anyone who had seen ( or heard about) his 29th hundred at the Kotla against Clive Lloyd's Windies with Marshall, Holding and Roberts in the lineup in 1983 will think twice before calling Gavaskar slow or merely a run accumulator. The circumstances of that Bradman equalling 100 are by themselves a story. In the first test at Kanpur Marshall had scythed through the Indian batting , and with Holding and Davis had bowled Windies to an inngs win. They were on their "revenge" tour aftre their 1983 WC debacle. The short pitched deliveries and bouncers were flying and with 2 shortlegs Marshall was bowling from round the wickts from the first over, with Holding and Davis letting it fly too. Indian batting collapsed against this awesome display of fast and hostile bowling. Gavaskar was out caught at backward shortleg for a duck with the bat knocked out of his hands fending Marshall. The Indian media cut loose against Gavaskar and looking for a reason to bring down the great opener, there were speculations all over the media whether it was the end of the road. "knocked out" was the national theme with front page pictures of Gavaskar's dismissal with bat knocked out. It was made more ironical as cries of "29th 100" had been echoing for a while, and Sunny was mocked at by every two penny cricket writer. It was such a situation that Gavaskar walked into the 2nd test at Kotla, with Indian media speculating a 2nd Inngs defeat. What followed was magical stuff, which makes folklore. Later in his own words Gavaskar had said " I decided that I had an old weapon somewhere in the back of my cupboard, and decided to use it". It was called the hook shot, Sunny dusted it and brought it out. Going bersek against Marshall and Co, hooking , cutting, pulling and driving, Gavaskar raced to a 90 ball 100 and his 121 off 124 balls still remains one of the most brilliant counter attacking 100s against the most hostile express fast bowling in the world. In his book 'Runs N Ruins", Gavaskar writes on how he equalled Bradmans record of 29 hundreds in a chapter aptly titled " I pass the Kotla Test". He later scored a 90 at Ahmedabad and THAT 236 notout which I was fortunate to see at Chepauk. I doubt if ANY Indian batter could have played like he did in those circumstances( just maybe GRV). To me Gavaskar is right up there along with Tendulkar as the top Indian batsman.