Another perspective
DOWN MEMORY LANE: MOHD AZHARUDDIN
‘A career in the balance, till I came to grips with it’
ASHISH SHUKLA
Mohammad Azharuddin, whose brilliance made the bat a living instrument rather than a piece of wood, visited Pakistan twice, in 1989-90 and 1997. Both times he went as batsman, on either side of his spell as captain. He was witness to two defining moments, both of which impacted on Indian cricket, and reminisces on them, and other memories of Pakistan...
Zaheer’s role in my career relaunch
It wasn’t the easiest of tours to approach. I was struggling with my batting. It had come to a stage when I couldn’t send the ball outside the square. Hard as I tried there was no timing, little rhythm or power. Over the years, some errors had crept into my batting. I was trying everything, using long bats and heavy bats, speaking to fellow cricketers and coaches. But nothing helped.
On the eve of the first Test in Karachi, I remember sharing my problem with Zaheer Abbas. He suggested me to go for a ‘‘round-grip’’ on the bat, rather than an orthodox grip. He gave me radical advice — to grip both hands tight on the bat. It wasn’t the orthodox way, where the top hand — the guiding hand — is closed tight, while the bottom hand is expected to follow the direction.
I thought about it and told myself since I had tried everything, I might as well try this out too. Initially, I felt very uncomfortable with the grip. But I persisted and my batting was almost immediately revived. I made 35 each in the two innings of the Tests and my subsequent innings produced 109, 77 and 52 in succession. I finished with 312 from four Tests with a century and two half centuries against an attack which included Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, among others.
What was more, I began to score a lot of my runs in boundaries. It continued on subsequent tours to New Zealand and England — that 192 in Auckland and a hundred at Lord’s. I was getting my centuries off 95, 100 balls.
I really feel that relaunched my career. The essence of that advice was simple: batsmen who use their wrists need a similar type of co-ordination between hands to be successful. VVS Laxman follows a similar style.
Fast bowling and a sprained neck
The Imran of 1989 was still very quick. The bounce and pace of the wickets also helped them. I remember walking out to partner Sanjay Manjrekar in a one-day game at Sialkot with two wickets down and not a run on the board. Wasim Akram bowled me four vicious bouncers in succession. I avoided them successfully — but at the cost of a sprained neck that hurt for six-seven months. A couple of one-dayers were rain-affected and the last one in Karachi was abandoned because of that Srikkanth-scuffle episode. I don’t think sledging was an issue. Nor umpiring, because it was the first series when neutral umpires were witnessed from both ends. There was no question of ball-tampering either.
A lot of warmth, a lot of pressure
It was very hospitable. The food especially was very, very rich. I remember trying out four or five new dishes which I enjoyed a lot. Security wasn’t very intrusive either. In Pakistan it could become a factor after the game when you are trying to relax and there are not many options you have. There is also this pressure of an India-Pakistan game. Mostly, it is because we don’t play often. Then the way people react, you do get conscious about performance in the middle.
The trick is to focus on the cricket
My advice to the Indian team is simple. They should keep thinking about their game and plans and not allow themselves to be distracted by issues other than cricket. If they could select the right team and keep their entire focus on the game, there is no reason why can’t they do well.
(Cricket News)