When Gavaskar got back his "Gandiva"

Arjuna hid his famous bow, the “Gandiva”, atop a tree in the forest. He did not need it anymore. After all, he had to spend the rest of the exile incognito as a dance teacher in the kingdom of Viraata. The Gandiva was forgotten and gathered rust. When the kingdom of Viraata was suddenly attacked, someone had to stand up. Arjuna climbed the tree and got back his Gandiva. The twang of the bow was unmistakable and struck terror in the hearts of the enemy. Armed with the Gandiva, Arjuna was invincible and skittled the enemy in no time. Arjuna’s mojo was back...and how! 

Sunil Gavaskar had given up the “hook shot”. It was a flamboyant shot that he played well, but the shot involved a lot of risk. He no longer had the luxury to play the shot. As the opening batsman of India, it was his responsibility to give India a solid start. Gavaskar provided that start through a dour, defensive technique that saw him grind the bowlers to submission. The hook shot was forgotten and gathered dust for over a decade. 

In the winter of 1983, Clive Lloyd’s West Indies side toured India. Smarting from the recent World Cup loss to minnows India, West Indies had more than a point to prove. Malcolm Marshall was the most fearsome bowler in the world. With his brisk, angular run-up, Marshall resembled a steam-engine firing on all cylinders. Batsmen around the world were flattened by Marshall with a combination of pace, bounce and movement. In addition to Marshall, there was Holding, Davis and Daniel, all lightning quick bowlers in their own right. The batsmen had no freebies at all. 

In the First Test at Kanpur, Marshall was at his meanest best. He bowled a vicious bouncer to Gavaskar. The ball was so lethal, that it knocked Gavaskar’s bat from his hands and he ended up being tamely caught. It was an embarrassing dismissal, like an ace archer ending up with a broken bow. The great Gavaskar was humbled. India lost the Test Match badly. We wondered how Gavaskar would now respond. The stage was set. 

Like Arjuna, Gavaskar rummaged through his attic filled with all kinds of Cricket shots. He blew the dust off the hook shot that lay in a corner. He resolved to play the shot once more. At the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi, the venue of the Second Test, Gavaskar unleashed the hook shot against Marshall’s bouncers. It was a different Gavaskar we saw that day. A veritable David versus Goliath saga unfolded as Gavaskar met fire with fire. He played without a helmet, but not once did he flinch even at the risk of being hit. He had the conquered fear demons. It rained fours and sixes and Gavaskar raced to one of his fastest hundreds. It was a momentous century that leveled his tally with the legendary Don Bradman. Marshall’s meteors had been tamed and how! This innings remains part of Cricketing folklore.  

Many decades have passed since that winter of 1983. I still have the red “flicker-book” that was released as part of the Test Series. Each page has almost the same picture, but with a little change, providing a lesson in persistence of vision. Twirl the pages of the flicker-book, and Gavaskar comes alive- his white floppy hat, his characteristic stance and playing the hook shot one more time, right in front of our eyes! Along with the shot, comes back a slice of our childhood that is entwined with Cricket. 

Sport is much like Art. It gives as much joy to the spectators, as it does to the sportsman. When we see the genius of a Maradona or a Gavaskar, it pumps enthusiasm into our veins. There is a spring in our steps, a song on our lips and the world is that much lighter to deal with. Cricket folklore is filled with such tales- of triumph and despair and the indomitable spirit of a sportsman. These songs may date to a dim and distant past. But in our hearts, they remain enshrined forever.