Imagine a lazy saturday afternoon 25 years from today. Your's truely sitting around in warm November sunshine with wife knitting that new sweator for the latest entry to the "Family" lementing about the ways of the new generation. Wife dear is specially agitated about the "Papa ki Ladli's" latest antics with her newest boyfriend.
Next door neighbour Sharmaji, "are bhai wohi IBM wale" decides to scrap his afternoon siesta and have that friendly chit chat he's been itching to have ever since formar India skipper "Dada" decided to open a new cricket coaching academy in cash-starved Sudan (where as per latest reports Allied troops lead by US are almost within a mile of catching Isama Bin laden).
"What is the need to spend money and time on Sub Saharan Africa, tell me kumar saheb !!! Dada should be focussing on Eastern Zone cricket academies na."
"Come come Sharma ji, Kindly prepare some tea for him na" This sheelu's Mom always gives that look when u ask for a cup of tea, doesnot even understand people like me and sharmaji can now understand the signals after being married for 20 long years. And immediately, my mind races back in time.... time of the "Fab Five" the Golden era of Indian Cricket. I still remember the time when we as a nation were starting to realise the potential that we all had hidden and wrapped inside. And boy o boy cricket........ to say it was national obscession is to call Manhatten Kandivalli.
What were the defining moments that Dada gave us? What are the things that immediately comes to your mind when u think of him even after so many years? Here is my only pick:
1> The "Soccor" style celebrations among a suit clad audiance of lords. Purists screamed "Blasphemy", Indians shouted "well done Dada"
That moment was an epitome of all that Dada has done for indian cricket. The no holds barred attitude, the die hard commitment to young talent, the zeal to reform the ills plaguing Indian Cricket. Dada's contribution to Indian Cricket is not just confined to the number of runs he scored or the number of matches he won for India or the number of series he won as captain. Dada showed the way, like a pathfinder..... he was there to lead, nurture and inspire a whole crop of young cricketers. Dada was not missed... not beacause he was no longer required, but because his lads didnot allow us to say "had Dada been there ......."
"Sharmaji.... the Indian cricket needs captains like Dada in these times. What do you think?" .... and saturday afternoon is gone in a blink !!!
---My small tribute the Tiger we all knew as the Prince of Kolkata.---
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