On a strong wicket

And at the age of 64, the fascination with the game remains. He continues as a full-time life-member at Lord8217;s, a prominent member of the Maharashtra Cricket Association and the honorary secretary of the Poona Club cricket ground. Now he plans to go back full-time to the Board of Cricket Control in India and take up the reins of the selection committee once again.

The beginnings were modest. 8220;As a young boy in Baroda, I would look after the cricketers8217; belongings. Once a player did not turn up and the captain asked me to replace him. Then he felt sorry for me because I was only fielding. So he allowed me to bowl some overs and I took a few wickets. The next day, the newspapers carried my name in a small report,8221; recounts Borde.

The newspaper reports became more frequent as this young protege of cricketer Vijay Hazare stroked his way to a place as an all-rounder 8211; a middle-order batsman and a slow leg-break bowler 8211; in the Indian side against West Indies in 1958-59. And in the final Test in Delhi, he immediately achieved near immortality with the figures of 109 and 96.

Time and again, the player, who was born in a not-too-well-off family of 10 children, proved that the faith reposed in him by the Maharaja of Baroda and veteran cricketer Professor D.B. Deodhar was not misplaced.

In the 55 Tests he played in 11 years, he amassed 3,061 runs. This included five centuries, the highest being 177 not out against Pakistan when he topped the batting averages at 82.50. In a very short span, before a shoulder injury forced him to give up bowling, he had taken 52 wickets.

Back in the 1960s, cricket meant only Tests and Borde misses not having played the shorter version of the game. Misses the experience, but does not regret it. 8220;Both forms have their own charm. Test cricket has all the beauty and elegance of classical music. You could say that the one-day internationals ODIs have spoilt batting. There is a lot of aggression and no technique. But at the same time, it has brought about a lot of improvement in the fielding, running between wickets and bowling. A quickness has come into the game. That is why people who live such fast-paced lifestyles prefer to watch these ODIs8221;.

Certainly one veteran who knows how to move with the times. Which made him ideal as selector and administrator. It was under his keen eye that players like Ravi Shastri, Krishnamachari Shrikanth, Kiran More, Saba Karim, Maninder Singh and Navjot Sidhu made their entries into the national arena.

And it was under his managership that Tendulkar made his historic debut in Pakistan in 1989, the last time that India was to visit the neighbouring soils for almost a decade.

8220;Playing against Pakistan is like the Battle of the Roses. It was very challenging playing them on their home turf, especially since we were playing against the mighty Imran Khan-led side. They had wonderful players 8211; Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, Waqar Younis and Khan himself. Everyone thought we would be massacred.8221; But under Borde8217;s inspiration, the team drew the series.

Coming back to the present, he feels that the Indian team loses out because of its fielding, 8220;Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka are winning matches because of their fielding. Our tailenders also need to contribute more. A good off-spinner and a couple of all-rounders could make all the difference.8221; The main problem? quot;We do not have any role models to emulate in these areas. Everyone just wants to be Tendulkar. So we are limiting our scopequot;.

But there is hope yet. 8220;We may be going through a bad patch, but this is the building period. We have to fill in the gaps rapidly and start preparing for the World Cup. That is why we have now chosen a young team. We were also world-beaters. The problem is that while other teams have improved their standards considerably, we have remained static8221;.

The display of awards on the mantelpiece seems never-ending. The pride of place is reserved for the Arjuna award 1968 and the Padmashree 1969. But memories are what Borde really treasures as he takes them out to relive every moment after three decades.

8220;I remember the time I scored 109 and 96 in Delhi. Also the match against Australia at Brammond Stadium, where the whole country was praying for me because I was the last recognised batsman left and I managed to score those crucial runs.

8220;Captaining the team, having lunch with Sir Don Bradman 8230; all this is truly unforgettable. When Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was in Delhi and I was to receive an award, he came out on the field to give it to me personally 8211; that was the proudest moment of my life.8221;

And that is what ultimately remains 8211; moments! Trophies gather dust and statistics become history. But Chandu Borde is definitely not history. The fact that even after 30 years he holds the reins of the game in his hands is evidence enough of the immortality of his cricketing spirit.