The Winner: Gundappa Viswanath
Gundappa Viswanath will be remembered as much for his exquisite batsmanship as the spirit with which he playedthe game. He was one of the few ‘walkers’ and never disputed the umpire’s decision. His decision torecall Bob Taylor after he had been declared out by the umpire in the Bombay Test in 1980 was typical of theman. India lost the match, but Viswanath gained plenty of admirers. In an era which saw sledging andgamesmanship on the rise, Viswanath remained unaffected. He was the perfect ambassador for Indian cricket –and for the game.
Vijay Hazare
India’s first captain to win a Test match, Vijay Hazare was a role model for a generation. Soft-spoken andunassuming, he hid under his docile exterior an iron will that never gave in. Whether it was making twohundreds in a Test against Bradman’s Invincibles, or standing tall when Fred Trueman and Alec Bedser wereterrorising the rest of the batsmen, Hazare led from the front. Even when his cricketing years were long over,he was always willing to spend time with budding cricketers, instilling in them the virtues and the passionwhich made him a fine cricketer, and the finest of men.
Advertisement
Eknath Solkar
Eknath Solkar would do anything for his side: he opened both the bowling and the batting for India, andwas not fazed at the prospect of standing at a hand-shaking distance away from the batsmen, from where hepulled off many spectacular catches. His spinners loved him – but then, so did all his other team-mates. Itis good that he wasn’t born 20 years later; in an era of individualism, this quintessential team-man wouldhave been an anachronism.
Gundappa Viswanath
Gundappa Viswanath will be remembered as much for his exquisite batsmanship as the spirit with which he playedthe game. He was one of the few ‘walkers’ and never disputed the umpire’s decision. His decision torecall Bob Taylor after he had been declared out by the umpire in the Bombay Test in 1980 was typical of theman. India lost the match, but Viswanath gained plenty of admirers. In an era which saw sledging andgamesmanship on the rise, Viswanath remained unaffected. He was the perfect ambassador for Indian cricket –and for the game.
