Srinivas Venkataraghavan — Cricketing marvel who made Mylapore proud

But then, the bowlers whom batsmen feared most were the men with the magic wrists who would beguile them. Though slower, a bowler would with a wring of his wrist in the last minute give the ball a twist and the man at the other end of the 22 yards could not predict which side it would move after the first bounce. Many a time he would nick it unwantedly into a fielder’s hands or sometimes the ball would turn like an angry viper and get at his stumps.

Over two decades, the Indian spin quartet (Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrasekhar and Venkataraghavan) of the Indian side performed their magic all over the cricketing world and gave India its finest test victories. Undoubtedly, these triumphs were the brick and mortar that laid the foundation for the charm cricket has over India’s billions that no other sport has.

In a sport where careers were not long-lived, Venkataraghavan would play for his country for 18 long years (he’s the only cricketer to have played and umpired in more than 50 Tests) beginning in his late teens. Some of his teammates in his career curtain’s test were not even born when Venkat had made his national debut. His love for cricket was like super glue and Venkat would have a 40-year-old association with cricket as a bowler, selector, team manager, umpire, sportswriter and TV commentator.

Venkat grew up in Mylapore, in a quaint bungalow called Baroda House which his grandfather — who had served as an able diwan of Baroda state — had built. From early years, he was destined for greatness in the game. He led the formidable PS High School and Guindy Engineering College to glory as an off-spinner. His off-breaks fooled many star batsmen and sometimes even caught fielders and wicket keepers by surprise.

In February 1965, he made his highly fruitful debut against New Zealand. In a home series, Venkat took 21 wickets in four Tests, including a match score of 12 wickets once. But there was a lot of competition for a slot in the national team.

The quartet played only in one match together and unfortunately, when the team could not afford four spinners, it was Venkat who often sat on the sidelines.

Though precise and penetrant, Venkataraghavan had to develop his other skills as well to stay in the battle. He was a valuable tail-end batsman, an admirable fieldsman especially in areas close to the stumps, taking some impossible catches.

When Zaheer Abbas of Pakistan (he once scored more than the Indian team put together) demolished the quartet by hitting them all over the boundary line with impunity, Venkat in his mid-thirties was in demand again, even rising to become captain. Venkat’s captaincy career was a stark example of the confusion that prevailed in the Indian selection board. Once, on the morning of a test, he was called to spearhead the side. On the very next test, he was dropped to be the 12th man. He would lead India twice in the world cup and quite a few tests as well.

Tamil Nadu and the south zone would gain the most from his leadership. But Captaincy also did not suit Venkat and it took a heavy levy (from 5 Tests as captain, Venkat felled only 7 batsmen) An exacting disciplinarian, Venkataraghavan was a tough captain. Playing under a plain-speaking Venkat was an unforgettable and painful experience felt by lots of players. Kapil Dev, who played under Venkat’s captaincy, often confessed he used to find a hiding place in the dining room where Venkat couldn’t see him. Kapil was a hearty eater and Venkat would constantly deride him as ‘you are always eating’.

But most agreed he led by example. Throughout his career, Venkat never walked to the pavilion though injured. The solemnity with which he approached net practice and fielding practice, he expected others to follow as well.

Venkat also played county cricket in England for Derbyshire. He was quite popular with the crowds and when his name was unpronounceable that the English crowds used to chant ‘rent a caravan’.

Post-retirement, Venkat’s love for the game made him go for another round in the middle of the pitch. But this time as an umpire. He was the only umpire in the ICC’s elite panel who had performed at every level of the game from school to one-day internationals. Remarkably, as an umpire, he would often explain to the bowler why he hadn’t allowed an appeal.

A very private man, Venkat was known for his wide range of tastes from music to books. During a Pakistan tour, he managed to get a guide to visit Mohenjo-Daro and Indus valley sites when others hadn’t even heard about them then.

— The writer is a historian and an author