bagapath
International Captain
Gower being a lefty had an unfair natural advantage over Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn and VVS, that for no reason supported by science, a southpaw's elegance gets a bit exaggerated in the eyes of a casual viewer. How much of it is illusion and how much of it is for real is a matter worth debating over a few pints. A simple square cut executed by the lefty differs from his right handed counterpart's equivalent in terms of how the batsman's body is positioned at the time of contact and what exactly do the bat wielding arms do after the ball leaves in the new direction. A left handed Tendulkar, for example, may look as elegant as Lara - though we don't know why, for sure.
What we know for certain is that Gower had the magical ability to stretch time from the moment the ball left the bowler's hand and reached his end. While the bowler was still completing his follow through, Gower, if he wanted, could have read through "War and Peace" from start to finish - twice, called his wife and read out the dinner menu, dropped his kids at school, had a shave, changed clothes, fixed his hair, turned his collar upwards and then caressed the ball through covers; and he could do this to fast bowlers who took pride in their wicket keepers collecting the ball above their heads in nanoseconds from the time it left their hand. This supernatural ability added loads of coolness to his batting and created an unhurried, unruffled style that was all his own.
Gower also was, thankfully, a naturally attacking batsman. And he had tons of ego. This made him really exciting to watch, like there was a passage of play in the 1990 Oval test when he let loose on Indian bowlers and started hitting boundaries off perfectly respectable deliveries. Many times in his career, he was risking his wicket to prove a point when no one asked him to; he still went on to prove it anyways. This gambler's instinct and bloated self-confidence got him out at awkward times for his team on a few occasions. But accusing him of risk taking with his batting is like accusing Kim Kardashian of getting her fat backside photographed too often. Stopping them from doing so will be like robbing them off their livelihood.
Words that come to your mind when you imagine his batting are tall, elegant and classy. Being an atheist I don't like to use the word "blessed". You can add that if you want, I won't object. But lets understand that Gower's batting was founded on sound principles. He was good on the front foot and on the back. He played fast bowling really well. And played spinners even better. He could cut, pull, sweep and drive. And he could drive through the covers like only he could drive through the covers.
Gower's cover drive is a typical event that can usually be described like this.
Bowler bowled the ball. Gower swished his bat. The ball cut through the off side field and reached the boundary.
A, B and C.
Between A and B, Gower stretched time and moved to the pitch of the ball. His tall figure and still head moved gracefully in minimal effort from the crease to the pitch, by which time the bat swing started.
Then B happened and his bat connected with the ball.
C happened entirely at ground level as the red cherry whizzed past the greenfield exactly bisecting mid-off and cover before its journey was cut off by the hoarding outside the boundary.
That was exactly it. His body, mind, timing, power, placement and style - everything came together for those few seconds to propel the cricket ball beyond the boundary rope and left an indelible mark on your psyche. Gower made everyone else disappear whenever he hit this shot.
What we know for certain is that Gower had the magical ability to stretch time from the moment the ball left the bowler's hand and reached his end. While the bowler was still completing his follow through, Gower, if he wanted, could have read through "War and Peace" from start to finish - twice, called his wife and read out the dinner menu, dropped his kids at school, had a shave, changed clothes, fixed his hair, turned his collar upwards and then caressed the ball through covers; and he could do this to fast bowlers who took pride in their wicket keepers collecting the ball above their heads in nanoseconds from the time it left their hand. This supernatural ability added loads of coolness to his batting and created an unhurried, unruffled style that was all his own.
Gower also was, thankfully, a naturally attacking batsman. And he had tons of ego. This made him really exciting to watch, like there was a passage of play in the 1990 Oval test when he let loose on Indian bowlers and started hitting boundaries off perfectly respectable deliveries. Many times in his career, he was risking his wicket to prove a point when no one asked him to; he still went on to prove it anyways. This gambler's instinct and bloated self-confidence got him out at awkward times for his team on a few occasions. But accusing him of risk taking with his batting is like accusing Kim Kardashian of getting her fat backside photographed too often. Stopping them from doing so will be like robbing them off their livelihood.
Words that come to your mind when you imagine his batting are tall, elegant and classy. Being an atheist I don't like to use the word "blessed". You can add that if you want, I won't object. But lets understand that Gower's batting was founded on sound principles. He was good on the front foot and on the back. He played fast bowling really well. And played spinners even better. He could cut, pull, sweep and drive. And he could drive through the covers like only he could drive through the covers.
Gower's cover drive is a typical event that can usually be described like this.
Bowler bowled the ball. Gower swished his bat. The ball cut through the off side field and reached the boundary.
A, B and C.
Between A and B, Gower stretched time and moved to the pitch of the ball. His tall figure and still head moved gracefully in minimal effort from the crease to the pitch, by which time the bat swing started.
Then B happened and his bat connected with the ball.
C happened entirely at ground level as the red cherry whizzed past the greenfield exactly bisecting mid-off and cover before its journey was cut off by the hoarding outside the boundary.
That was exactly it. His body, mind, timing, power, placement and style - everything came together for those few seconds to propel the cricket ball beyond the boundary rope and left an indelible mark on your psyche. Gower made everyone else disappear whenever he hit this shot.
