When the King held court

Not surprisingly,he did leave everyone present awe-struck from the moment he stepped out to the time he hurriedly skipped out and jumped into his car for a quick getaway. The event had been organised by the DY Patil Sports Academy to felicitate the contributions of a number of local coaches from around the city,including some high-profile ones,who have played an integral role in the development of cricket in the city. But more than being enamoured by the gratitude being showered upon them by their hosts,the coaches,mentors to many players who have gone on to represent India proudly,ended up being star-struck by the presence of the most popular Antiguan in the world.

“It was a great moment. Getting to speak to him,shaking hands with him,and then receiving a pat on the back from him. It was one of those once in a lifetime kind of moments,” said Nagesh Thakur.

Of course,Thakur like many others of his generation grew up listening to the tales of Richards and his incredible exploits with a cricket bat. And his awe for his hero still remains as incessant as ever.

“He was a King,and remains a King on the ground. No one can ever be as majestic as him. Maybe one or two innings some players may have played like him but no one has had a career like him. I remember him coming to Wankhede and scoring 120 runs. It was marvellous. He had an armory of shots. There’s no one like him. And there never will be another Viv Richards,” added Thakur.

Another renowned coach and present sports secretary of the D Y Patil Sports Academy,Avinash Salvi,meanwhile believes there were few cricketers who could make every facet of cricket look so stylish.

“You ask him to bat,he’ll bat like a champion. In the field,he was the ultimate athlete,” he said. Richards too spoke about the important role that coaches play in the development of young cricketers around the world.

“One can never forget the coaches,and I say as humbly as I can,if it wasn’t for you we wouldn’t be where we are,” he said while felicitating the coaches.

While a number of his former teammates have not been in favour of the shortest format of the sport,Richards who played Test cricket like it was T20,believed that the fast-paced latest form of the sport had given cricket itself a new lease of life.

“At one point,I felt that Test cricket was dying a death all around the world and especially in India. India was one of the front-runners where attendance at Test matches was the most you could find in the world. And that started to go down at a real pace,” said Richards. “Ever since T20 cricket,it may be a shorter version of the game,but the name doesn’t spell differently,it is still cricket. It has given cricket such a new lease of life. There are folks who like Test matches and there are folks,the new clientele,who obviously like T20 cricket,which I think is a great advantage for the game with the kind of followers.”

Test cricket ‘my universe’

Despite praising the newer format,Richards insisted that Test cricket will always remain the ‘universe’ to him and to understand the game there cannot be a better way than the longer format.

“The youngsters should understand the game at its fullest in terms of Test matches. When they are successful at that,then there is an avenue also where everyone can represent at IPL,the Big Bashes around the world and I guess you would have a magnificent combination,” said the 61-year-old,who is presently the Delhi Daredevils advisor-cum-ambassador.

Richards,who never wore a helmet throughout his long playing career said he didn’t have anything against the protective gear but he felt that he should honour the ‘cap’ that is being given to him to represent his country. “It wasn’t anything against the helmet. I have always felt that when you are given a cap with the emblem to represent your country,you wear it on top of your head. At that time I thought it was the highest honour that would be bestowed upon any individual. I don’t think I would have done that cap any justice,if I had anything else on the head. I felt that proud wearing that cap,I felt God will protect me from whatever I was facing out in the middle,” he said.

When asked about the secret of his chewing gum he jokingly replied “I gave it such a workout,whichever brand it was,I was disappointed that no one offered me an ad. It was like a little brother to me.”