Mendis tutorial: Class of ’69 explain how they tackled Gleeson’s flicks

Vishwanath says he remembers every little detail of his debut Test. “I got a duck in the first innings but I hit 25 boundaries in the second innings during my century. I was a newcomer but I never thought anyone was more unorthodox than Chandra (Bhagwat Chandrasheker). Having already played him, it was easier for me to read Gleeson,” he says nonchalantly.

“Actually, Gleeson’s bowling was orthodox — proper off-breaks, leg-spin and googlies — but he had a very unorthodox grip. He hid his index finger and thumb inside in his grip. A lot depends on where you pick the ball. Some people pick it off the wicket but I could pick the ball from where the bowler left it. I used to read bowlers from their wrist — even the quicks — so I was able to pick Gleeson’s straighter one and everything else he offered.

He adds: “It’s also important to pick the length of the ball. Some people have that knack of reading the length quickly — Sachin Tendulkar for example from the current team. These little things are very important. After that there can be no more mystery in a bowler.”

But Vishy says that, apart from technical aspects, one of the big reasons why Gleeson was subdued was because the Indian team never talked about him in the dressing room. “Even after Gleeson ran through us in the first Test (in Mumbai), there was hardly any talk about how to counter him. It’s all in the mind. We just focused on batting well and sticking to our basics,” he says.

One of the Team India players admitted that there has been too much talk about Mendis before the Asia Cup final. “We actually built up the disaster for ourselves. We made him a hero in our minds before even playing him,” he confessed. Kumble has now been trying to play down Mendis in the lead-up to the first Test in Colombo.

Former India captain Ajit Wadekar agrees that the best way to finish your opponent is by not letting him into your mind. “Gleeson had had great success in England and back home in Australia. But we always had confidence that we would play him well, even after he had us on the mat in the first Test. The key was to never allow Gleeson to be the focal point of our discussions. While playing, it’s important to kill the spin by reaching the pitch of the ball. The use of feet is very important and with players like Sachin, Rahul, Laxman, Ganguly, it will be easy to counter Mendis. Stepping out doesn’t always mean hitting an aerial shot,” Wadekar says.

Chetan Chauhan, who also made a comeback in the ’69 series, remembers having a word with Tiger Patuadi about Gleeson. “I played the last Test and Gleeson didn’t figure in that match but I asked Patuadi on how the team tackled him. They used to first read him from the hand and pick the spin on the ball. In Mendis’s case, this Indian team was mesmerized. When you think a bowler is unplayable, he becomes a terror. The key is to play him forward and with a straight bat,” he says.

And so, to sum up the Mendis tutorial from the 1969 team to Anil Kumble’s side:

1) Believe you can tackle him 2) Read him from his hand.

3) Use your feet and get to the pitch of the ball.