Mohinder Amarnath - a career against the odds!
Right on! Back to Jimmy and the thread topic.
Warning: This is going to be a lengthy post! But I feel it is required for cricket fans to truly appreciate what the man achieved despite his detractors kicking him down at every half-chance they got.
His test debut was in 1969 against Lawry's Aussies and he did not exactly set the world on fire. For that one performance, the selectors kept him out for
seven long years before he got his 2nd test in the NZ tour in 1976. The perception was that the man was not good enough to handle fast, short-pitched stuff.
Let's not forget that this was at a time (in the early-mid 70s) when most of the Indian batsmen were notoriously inadequate in foreign shores. Jimmy, in the meantime,
established his reputation as one of the best players of medium-pace in the domestic circuit. Men like Sardesai, Wadekar and Tiger were gone, so it wasn't as if India had a luxury of options. Under these circumstances, what took the selectors seven years to give Amarnath a second chance is anyone's guess!
Amarnath's first moment of glory came in the epic Port of Spain chase in 1976 where he played the sheet anchor role. He held up one end for seven-odd hours while Vishy and Sunny could win the match. Perhaps a sign of things to come, Amarnath's efforts were somewhat obscured by the performances of the two established Indian batting stars.
He was a regular in the side until 1979 when a Hogg bouncer felled him in the Mumbai test. The daggers were drawn again and Jimmy's supposed weakness against the short-pitched delivery was was not taken kindly to.The same Amarnath who had scored a 90 and a 100 in the two innings in Perth against Jeff Thomson in the last tour was dropped because of his "weakness" against pace!
His attitude to take on the fast bowlers and hook them (despite the physical risk involved) came across as foolhardy to the selectors. Amarnath did not play a test for the next three years. Surprise, surprise then that this supposedly weak player of fast bowling was selected on the Pakistani tour in 1982 against a rampaging Imran and Sarfraz. Maybe, the selectors wanted to put forth someone as the battering ram and preserve their favourite younger batsmen for friendlier home series in the future!
A 45-yr-old Brian Close brought in to face up to the West Indians in 1976 rings a bell, anyone?
What happened after the 1982 Pak tour is history. These were Amarnath's performances in that year of his redemption (both overseas tours):
109*
5 & 3
22 & 78
61 & 64
120
19 & 103* ......
against Pakistan - Imran & Sarfraz - (India lost 3-0)
29 & 40
58 & 117
13
91 & 80
54 & 116 .......
against West Indies - Roberts, Holding, Marshall & Garner - (India lost 2-0)
Both the captains - Lloyd and Khan - acknowledged that Amarnath was the greatest player of fast bowling in the world that year. Life indeed had come a full circle for the man who was dropped after having played just one test as a 19-year-old. Who was always seen as being suspect against pace by
his parent board - a board that was supposed to nurture and inspire its players. His greatest "weakness" - to hook the short ball - became his biggest strength in the way he dealt with some of the meanest pacemen the game had seen.
Then came the infamous home series against WI in 1983 where Jimmy failed miserably. Credit to Marshall and co., they had done their homework and dealt with their
numero uno threat very well.
Once again he was under the selectorial microscope and the 34-yr-old responded in the only way he knew. By scoring a comeback century in seven hours against Pakistan in Lahore, 1984 when India was following on in the second innings!
WAFG! From then on, he pretty much had a peaceful and a consistent run leading upto his retirement.
There are some intangibles that would never be reflected in figures. The lack of selectorial confidence in his ability and the insecurity of his place in the side would no doubt have had a role in his inconsistencies. To think that a major part of the board's prejudice against him was due to his last name is, in a way, reflective of the political set-up of Indian cricket at that point in time.
Whatever be the case, his achievements stand out like a beacon in Indian cricket's history. Jimmy will be remembered as one of the greatest Indian batsmen, especially against pace. No diplomat or politically-motivated selector is ever going to change that, as much as he would love to!
P.S.: Reading some old posts by SJS and talking with my old man was really helpful in writing this post. Thanks to them!
