Apr 25, 2009 11:57 AM
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*In1968 in Hyderabad a young slim boy namedGundappa Vishwanath marched to the nets, facing every delivery.As a result of rainfall the wicket was damp and the condition of the nets deteriorated.
The dimunitive youngster handled the rising ball with great precision playing the ball rising up to his chin down to the ground firmly.Test stars like M.K.Pataudi and M.L.Jaisimha watched him and were deeply impressed with the youngster.It was that very prowess which he displayed in the nets that marked the trend of this illustrious cricketer.
In the 1974-75 series at home against the West Indies led by Clive Lloyd Vishy showed the Cricket world why he should now be considered atruly great player and not just A very good one.He compiled 568 runs at 56.8 against a hostile attack and gave a supreme exhibition of his artistry at Calcutta and Madras after India were 2-0 down .
His 139 at Calcutta was a classic when he retrieved India who looked heading for an imminent defeat when he aded a crucial partnership with Karsan Ghavri which won the match.In the following test at Madras Vishy scored what was amongst the half - dozen best knocks in test cricket.From 91-7 he steered India to 191 , scoring 97 not out.Watching him bat was more like seeing a musical composer or a poet such was the level of his artistry. Vishy was literally like an emperor dictating his knights that day and the rest of the field looked like mere pawns.The ball would speed like a bullet to the boundary but with the grace of a violinist strutting his wand.
In the 1979-80 jubilee tset although England won and Ian Botham gave the great set all round performance ever it is Vishwanath's act that I will remember forever.England were in a precarious position at 85-5 when Taylor was given out. Vishy saw that the ball was caught after touching the ground and called Taylor back.Batting with Botham Taylor added a match-winning partnership of 171 runs.Vishys ' act lost the game for India but was a triumph for the spirit of the game .
Viswanath scored 6080 run sin 91 tests in 151 innings at an average of 41.93.However figures don't do him true justice and his batting was comparable to the greats like Viv and Bary Richards.Sunil Gavaskar or the Chappell brothers.It was sad that he turned down the offer to play in Packer Cricket and be tested against the greatest cricketers.Although Sunil Gavaskar was statistically much ahead it was Vishy who was a greater match-winner and a greater entertainer.India never lost a test match when Vishy scored a century and he averaged 49 runs in tests India won as against Gavaskar's 43.Many a notable victory was won by India when he scored a century.If he had played for atop class team in his era like West Indies, Australia or Pakistan he may well have been an all-time great match-winner.
He was a better player of the bouncing ball or on bouncy tracks than Gavaskar.He was prolific against West Indies and Australia averaging 56 runs against them.In full flow he simply turned the complexion of a game.It is sad that we hardly saw his prowess in the oneday version of the game where his improvisation would have been a boonfor India.There could few greater sights seeing Gavaskar and Vishwanath batting together-one a master and an architect the other a genius and an artist.A combination of both the batsman would have made the perfect batsman.*
He reminded me a lot of the WEst Indian maestro Rohan Kanhai with more natural talent than even Sachin Tendulkar.No Indian batsman ever exhibited such elegance and grace.He also had great technique.It was a sight to watch him drop his wrists and he judged the length of a ball with the precsion of a surgeon.Above all his batting was reminiscent of a musician composing a theme as he had indescribable imagination.He held the bat like a musical wand with his wrists displaying phenomenal flexibilty. No batsman ever executed the square -cut and late-cut with greater skill. Vishy also relished the cover-drive.He also had shots from his own book like his half cut half drive and is shot on the leg side that was a combination of a flick, pull and a hook!.In full flow he would take the best of attacks apart like a tiger tearing fresh but with the grace of a pianist tapping his notes.The most impregnable gaps would be dissected like a weaver cutting cloth.In the later part of his career he made technical adjustments like switching his guard fro middle to leg stump .
Vishwanath was possibly India’s bst ever batsman against sheer pace.For sheer batting artistrty I rate Vishwanath the best batsman of his era , even ahead of Sir Viv Richards!Sadly his temperament acted against him and he often showed lack of consistency.Often he threw his wicket away by flashing outside the offstump..His brother in -law Sunil Gavaskar, arguably the greatest opening batsman ever rates Vishwanath the best batsman of his era, stating"To one delivery I had one stroke , Vishy had 4 strokes'.*
Above all he was a very affable character as well as a true gentleman and a great sportsman-something missing so much today in the once Gentleman's game. . *
