If spotted on the Mumbai maidans today, those snap-second reflexes by a rookie would have ensured him a reckoning with national selectors. But Eknath Solkar, blessed with unmatched anticipation at short-leg, came up the long hard way, or what was once called the Mumbai-way. The essential utility player, who made the biggest contribution to India’s fielding revolution, passed away in Mumbai today.Born in the backyard of the PJ Hindu Gymkhana and soaked in its cricket frenzy, Solkar rose through the ranks to make the Test grade. And like every cricketer from this part of the country, he fought every inch and took fierce pride in every small stride he made.Whether it was cracking into Maratha High School’s first-team at its Opera House grounds, or captaining the India schools in 1964, Solkar relished every achievement and treated it as a necessary process towards reaching the final goal — the India cap. And once he got there, he never flinched when he was asked by his captain to stand within handshaking distance of a batsman without- a helmet on.Milind Rege, former Mumbai captain recounts how this confidence helped Solkar sail through all kinds of situations, even off the field. ‘‘As captain of the India Schools team, Solkar was expected to make a speech in English. He wasn’t very fluent at it, but he showed no signs of discomfort. He got up, and read out the speech me and Sunil had written for him in Marathi, so that he could get the phonetics right. He pulled it off well.’’ Ajit Wadekar, who was Solkar’s captain during India’s double-triumph against England and West Indies and was a close witness to his heroics said, ‘‘He was very gutsy and not afraid to get back at rivals, even Gary Sobers, Allan Knott and Geoff Boycott with words. I cannot forget the diving catch he took at full stretch to dismiss Knott first ball in the Oval Test triumph; that was the turning point in the match.’’That stories about the famous Solkar grit have been part of the maidan folklore for long. Old-timers recollect his debut Ranji season when during a game against Saurashtra, a frustrated Mumbai captain threw the ball to Solkar after opening bowler Ramakant Desai had gone wicketless. Solkar went ahead and grabbed six wickets to help his team win.Dilip Sardesai summed Solkar in one sentence. ‘‘He was one man who, on his sheer grit, played well above his ability.’’Not just that, after retirement Solkar inspired a generation of maidan cricketers to play beyond what they thought they were capable of.
