Dilip to be honoured at Lords

The tag stuck, and Vengsarkar didn8217;t do anything in his career that could help it come unstuck. He scored prolifically for India, totalling 6,868 runs in 116 Tests at an average of 42.13 and was acknowledged as one of India8217;s best batsmen ever.

To have to bat at number three time when Sunil Gavaskar opened the innings and Vishwanath came in at number four brought its own pressures, of course, but it was also a motivating factor. 8220;I loved batting with Sunny and Vishy and had many memorable partnerships with them,8221; Vengsarkar says.

Gavaskar helped the naturally attacking batsman in Vengsarkar refashion his methods to suit the demands of top-level cricket, with the result that Vengsarkar combined aggression with solid defence to give bowlers a deadly alliance to fight with. Unlike Gavaskar and other conquerers of the speedy stuff, he did not move back-and-across initially to fast bowlers. But despite being somewhat troubled by predatory pacers, he still drove his way 8212; through the on and off 8212; gloriously to the top.

He was labelled by detractors as arrogant; he didn8217;t care. He let his bat do the talking. He was the perennial introvert who took his game very seriously. In the Ranji semi-final against Haryana in 8217;91, he belted Kapil Dev 8220;I loved making runs against him and he loved getting me out8221; all over the Wankhede stadium, put up a great fight and cried inconsolably when Mumbai narrowly lost the game. Similarly, once, in a Mumbai A8217; division game, he ticked off autograph-seeking children furiously because he was padded up and tense over his side8217;s loss of a quick wicket.

Popularity charts were never meant for Dilip Vengsarkar. But a big honour at Lord8217;s for batting feats is only his.