75th anniversary of Vijay Hazare scoring 116 and 145 at Adelaide-ranks amongst India's 5best batsmen ever and an all-time great batsmen ?

[Harsh Thakor]

75th anniversary of Vijay Hazare scoring 116 1nd 145 at Adelaide-First Indian to score a century in both innings of a test -Ranks amongst India's 5best batsmen ever and an all-time great batsmen ?

 

Today we commemorate 75 years since Vijay Hazare scored the 2 hundreds at Adelaide in 1947-48.Amongst two of the most swashbuckling innings ever played by an Indian batsmen against top pace. Batting skill was taken to zones rarely penetrated against top pace. These innings would always be preserved in a cricket museum, for the sheer breathtaking artistry and domination. India lost by an innings, but Hazare salvaged the nation it’s pride.

 

 

Arguably Vijay Hazare ranked as amongst the 5 best Indian batsmen ever or strokemakers, or even the best Indian batsmen till advent of Sunil Gavaskar.In his day few batsmen possessed such a we array of strokes. Don Badman and Fred Trueman rated Hazare amongst the best ever players of pace bowling. On his day few were ever as majestic in executing strokes as Vijay Hazare.Witnessing the manner he garnered his runs, was a sheer spectacle ,with the flow of his strokes  reminiscent of the strokes on a acanvas .

 

 

Hazare mastered all types of pitches, off front foot or back. Clean strokes - primarily the cut, hook and a glorious cover-drive He wore down tired attacks before stepping the gas.. This ability to counter attacks with such calculation was unmatched by most in world cricket at the time. He often indulged in sheer exhibitionism.

 

 

 When fires burned, as they did when Fred Trueman had the new ball in England in 1952, Hazare extinguished them with assured calmness. In 1952 he most astutely and clinically dispelled an English attack, scoring 89 in a 222 run partnership with Vijay Manjrekar.His courage against Fred Trueman resembled the death defying spirit of a soldier. Few batsmen ever weathered a storm better or resurrected a team from wreckage with such assurance.

 

After his series in Australia Hazare averaged over 50 in 4 consecutive test series before struggling on India's first ever tour of West Indies.

 

 

In first class cricket Hazare achieved herculean feats, like an emperor annexing territory after territory. His rivalry with Vijay Merchant was a feature of his day.Hazare became the first am to amass over 1000 runs in an Indian first class season in six innings that too! His unbeaten 316 versus Baroda established a new Ranji Trophy record. In 1947 Hazare and Gul Muhammad registered the highest run partnership in first class cricket.

 

 

With   intervention of World War II bringing cricket to an abrupt standstill, Hazare was a major architect in preserving the life of the game , who with Vijay Merchant took part in run-scoring duels that drew crowds of 20-30,000 to Bombay's Brabourne Stadium. Hazare's most productive domestic season was in 1943-44 when he scored 1,423 runs. He made scores of 248, 59, 309, 101, 223 and 87, reaching 1,000 runs in only four matches.

 

 

 

 

Hazare's batting was in stark contrast to that of Vijay Merchant., not being a technical purist. Unlike Merchant defence was hardly Hazare's virtue .The cover drive was his pet shot as well as the on drive  ,in which he flourished .Hazare had unorthodox technique gripping the bat with his hands well apart and his bat held between his pads. Hazare was hardly much of a stylist, having been coached by Clarrie Grimmett, the great Australian spin bowler. In his autobiography Hazare says that Grimmett was against any alteration in his stance: "Purists would grumble at my stance. My hands are said to be too far apart on the handle of the bat to permit a free swing. And they say that as my bat is held firmly between the pads, almost locked between them, my strokeplay must suffer. Grimmett must have seen both these peculiarities of mine. Yet, beyond making a few corrections, he strongly advised me against changing my grip and stance.”

 

 

 

Don Bradman stated that Hazare was a great player with very sound stroke production but did not display agression to desecrate a bowling attack.

 

 

Hazare in test matches scored 2192 runs at 47.65 with 7 centuries in 30 tests and 52 innings.In first class cricket he amassed 18740 runs at 58.38 with 60 centuries. He also had 595 scalps at 24.61.

 

I am convinced that Hazare would have flourished in any era and turned into a great batsmen of the Gavaskar class,had he played for a stronger batting line up.

 

 

Vijay was ranked at 93rd place amongst Geoff Armstrong's 100 best cricketers. I rank him amongst India's 10 best test batsmen ever, on par with Gundappa Vishwanath. Blending test with first class cricket Hazare would possibly comprise India’s top 6 batsmen of all time.

 

 

Hazare took craft or innovation to zones rarely penetrated by an Indian batsmen, particularly against genuine pace. I feel he would win more games than Vijay Merchant. For sheer domination Hazare traversed zones of a Tendulkar,Sehwag,Kohli ,Azharuddin,Vishwanath or Laxman.

 

 

I would have loved to have witnessed Hazare facing the fiery West Indies pace attack, or even Lillee-Thomson and am confident that he would have been a star on ODI or T-20 cricket.

 

 

In a crisis his batting compared with that of stalwarts like Rahul Dravid Possibly no India batsmen had to rescue a sinking ship as frequently as Hazare unflinchingly dealt with the highest pace or nastiest batting strips.

 

 

Hazare’s best innings in England and Australia rank amongst the best ever produced in test cricket .

 

 

Possibly no batsmen before Vishwanath blended surgical technique with flowering artistry as Hazare.

 

 

Hazare’s duels with Vijay Merchant will remain forever in cricket’s folklore or history. Reminiscent of Gavaskar and Vishwanath batting together, decades later.-a technician with a stylist

 

 

Edited January 27, 2023 by Harsh Thakor

[Chakdephatte]

How old are you (in Gregorian years).

Edited January 28, 2023 by Chakdephatte