MUMBAI, APRIL 6: It was way back in 1958 that Sir Don Bradman wrote The Art of Cricket - a book that is still considered The Bible among the proliferation of cricket coaching manuals over the years.While the basics of the game remain largely the same, the game itself has undergone revolutionary changes in the four decades since Sir Don wrote his treatise. Rubber-spiked batting gloves, bulky pads, heavy shoes have become relics of the past. The bats of yesteryear have been replaced by modern marvels that help batsmen clear the fence with minimum effort. Innovations like thigh pads, chest guards and helmets with grills and visors have given modern batsmen a very high degree of insurance and confidence that were unavailable to players of Sir Don's era.Technique changed with tactics. With the advent of the abridged version of cricket came innovations in strokeplay like the reverse sweep - a shot that would have been sacrilegious in the pristine past.Modern cricket needs a sequel of sorts to Sir Don's magnum opus. Theguru eminently credible and cerebral to impart such wisdom is Sunil Gavaskar. Cricket's living legend - never mind what Wisden has to say or, rather, not to say about Sunny! - has seen the progress of the game from close quarters the world over in various, much-sought-after avtaars.The plea for such a book came from Raj Singh Dungarpur - a keen student of the game - after releasing Sudhir Amonkar's book Fundamentals of Cricket Technology on Wednesday night. Mr Dungarpur felt Gavaskar owes the book to Indian cricket. It would be more apt to say that the man who took the science of batting to new levels owes it to world cricket and generations to come.While technology may helped players benefit in terms of equipment, heightened media exposure and the all-pervasive focus of television cameras have brought on the players a cocktail of pressures. Then there is round-the-year cricket, involving punishing travel schedules across different time zones which taxes even the most finely-honed bodies. It's areas like these that Gavaskar's insight can make a particularly huge contribution to cricketers in various stages of their careers.Talent alone is never enough for survive at the top. It's particularly true in the present context. Longevity in the modern game calls for unquestionable discipline and high work ethics. Areas where Gavaskar remains an exemplary role model.Sir Don's Art of Cricket will continue to enjoy its place as the Bible of the game, but surely there's place for Gavaskar's `Modern Art of Cricket'. Bhagvadgeeta can co-exist with the Bible!
