Only the strong will walk tall

Pressure is what you allow it to be. An Indo-Pak contest will always raise expectations. I remember ahead of the 1996 World Cup quarter-finals against Pakistan in Bangalore, everyone — politicians to bellboys — asked us the same question: How will we beat Pakistan? You hear it so often that it is always at the back of your mind. It eats you up. It affects your thought process, your natural instinctive game.

I remember after the 1996 World Cup, people told us it didn’t matter what happened to us next in that competition — they were just happy that India had beaten Pakistan.

This is where the strength of mind comes in. There is nothing wrong in being a little nervous, just to get the adrenaline flowing, but you need to overcome those bouts of nerves that could affect your skills in the middle.

Look at how Sachin Tendulkar handled that situation in the 2003 World Cup. He has said everyone he met, six months before the game took place, wanted him to do well against the Pakistan. He then played one of his finest innings and smashed Shoaib Akhtar to all parts of the ground. He says he went into the middle with a blank mind – he just decided to treat the ball on its merit and let his natural instincts take over. That’s the key.

My good series in 88-89

I had a good series in 1988-89. I had 80 in one of the Tests and 97 in another. I remember the dismissal clearly. It was a short ball from Zakir Khan and I cut it straight into the hands of Imran Khan at gully. It was a horrible shot. I have been dismissed five or six times in the 90s. it was one such instance. Somehow, whenever I was in 90s, I wanted to get it over with quickly.

Emerging stars I

Sachin Tendulkar is always the first one to come to mind. But there was another cricketer on that 1989 tour, Vivek Razdan, who picked up a five-wicket haul in his very first Test. He was very impressive. It’s difficult to believe he was never picked for India again, never heard of again.

As for Tendulkar, my abiding memory of him from that tour was that Test where we were four down for only 22 on the board. I was at the non-striker’s end when I saw a Waqar Younis delivery hit Tendulkar on his helmet and deflect on to his mouth. In no time blood started to stream down his face. A stretcher was rushed from the pavilion, our physio Dr. Ali Irani rushed to the middle. But Tendulkar waved them away. ‘‘Mein theek hoon (I am alright)’’, he said. It was so gutsy and chilling. Another wicket and we could have lost the Test. We live in a world where a bechara has little future. Only the strong walk tall here.

Emerging stars II

Waqar hadn’t discovered swing in his first series for Pakistan. He was just plain raw and quick. The wickets were greentops but he couldn’t make the best use of it. He was a changed bowler six months down the line when we faced him in Sharjah. It was understandable since Waqar had little experience when he was picked to play in his first series. It is known how they pick up talent from the streets and mohallas of Pakistan. Imran used to do it all the time. Waqar was such a choice. But he took little time to prove his mettle.

Azharuddin’s turnaround

It was a tour where Mohammad Azharuddin looked a finished cricketer. Raman Lamba was due to play and I remember visiting Azhar in his room with Ajay Sharma. He was shattered, looked out of his depth, so poor was his confidence. Then in the morning we heard Lamba had opted out of the eleven because of an injured toe.

From then on, Azhar was a child of destiny. He picked five catches in that Test — I remember he would stand in the second slip and grab catches in front of the wicketkeeper or those going to third slip. He caught everything which went in that direction. He was a man possessed.

Then, when he batted, he made 35 in each innings with style. In the next game he scored a hundred. Again destiny played its part. He was dropped on nought by Javed Miandad in gully — it was a “ladoo” catch. Azhar never looked back.

(Cricket News)