Down Memory Lane Iwth YINOO

6 THE SPORTSTAR, Saturday, July 29, 1978. Down Memory Lane iwth YINOO ife Mankad, in contrast, did not Mankad's cricket progress re- ok, have the star appeal of the Aus- ceived a severe set-back because me tralian. While Miller with his of the second World War. The his height, his gold mane and his period from 1939-1945 was spent das Grecian physique, was a sight cooling his heels like many w. to behold- Mankad was stocky other great cricketers of the and nearly rotund—the round- period. If Vinoo had played head to Miller's cavalier. Man- Test cricket at the time,—he kad bowled slow left-arm and was then at his peak—he may as a batsman was effective- have broken more records. It strong with side-shots like the would come a6 a surprise to cut and pull, though quite un- those who do not know that usually for a back-foot player, when Mankad thrilled Lord's in he liked to lift. 1952, the Test which has gone down into history as Mankad's Mankad has two world Test own, the great man was 35- records to his name. He shares years old. the world Test record first wicket partnership worth 413 To-day's cricketers at this age with Pankaj Boy. And despite would have said enough and sat back to enjoy the fruits of years of toil. He played Test cricket till 1958-59, his last was the fourth at Madras against the First Single West Indies, led by Gerry Alexander. He led the team Vital for because Umrigar withdrew from captaincy. He was 41 years old. to Brad man He played 44 official Tests ic- Vino© Mankad. talking making 2109 runs and taking ras about his 1947 Australian 162 wickets. He has figured in id- experiences, has this to say every conceivable position in et- about Sir Donald Bradman. the batting order but finally >ot "He was super human- settled down to opening the ft. Even before I delivere- innings. His three great centu- he ed the ball he seem- ries, two against Australia and ed to be tm the right one against England; he got as position to hit. He. however, an opening batsman. lot had one moment of uncer- Talking to him was not easy. ak tainty and that was before He had difficulty expressing ice he got his first run in an in- himself. But the beady small dd nings. I have rarely seen a eyes were attentive during the 10. batsman so anxious -to get hour in which he subjected him- the first run. self to questioning. I used to crowd him not in Asked as to whether he had the hope of getting him finished school, Mankad replied: caught but to trap him leg "No. I had no education. I did before the wicket. Under not like school. Anyway, how pressure, a batsman rarely can one go to school if the day ac- knows where be stands in re- was spent at cricket?. Eight ta- lation to the stumps. Weil. hours a day at the least." en he got nk was murder". The Jamsaheb of Nawanagar, to a lover and patron of cricket and cricketers, saw the talent in the lad and- at 15 years of in- Sobers reigning supreme after age> Vinoo saw himself in at he quit, he continues to be the England. This was in 1932. He Uy man who made the fastest Test was coached. He does not like nd double of 100* runs and 109 the word "coached". He said: of wickets. "These coaches polished my OX cricket." rs, The name he is known by in In 1936, A. F. Wensley, the srs cricket, Vinoo, was the result of somebody (may be Wensley England pro, took charge of his coach) not hearing properly Vinoo's cricket education. Prince r Duleep helped him too. It was as that it was Minoo. This was the Wensley who told him to bow* as nickname his school chums gave spin and give up fast bowling. en him. Minoo was the shortened form of Mulvantrai. What hap- "Wensley came to me and said pened to Himmatrai is not that I will not go anywhere as S known. To cricket he became a medium-pacer. My bowling ire, was okay on matting surfaces Vinoo Mulvantrai Mankad. but Wensley felt that on turf I is. would be innocuous. Moreover, Nawanagar needed a left-arm slow bowler". So Mankad. the spin bowler, arrived. The Jamsaheb took great in- terest in Vinoo's career. "If there was anybody who had im- mense faith in me it was the Jamsaheb. I remember how he Mankad's Test. Lord's 1952. Mankad sweeps Jenkins, Hutton ducks. His 184 was a memora- ble effort as the intrepid all-rounder defied the might of England with bat and ball in a man- ner which had the Mecca of Cricket talking "about the performance many years after it took place. THE SPORTSTAR, Saturday, July 29, 79?*. 7, tried to get me into the Lahore tack is Important because there His greatest performance in Test' against Lord Tennyson's are more ways in which a bats- Test cricket came quite aptly at team. He failed because the man can get out. He has to the Mecca of the game — Lord* other selectors said I was too reach wider to bit me and there He was not in the Indian team young. But when I played at were times when I was able to to tour England in 1952. He said. Bombay, the Jamsaheb resigned anticipate a caught and bowled "They (Board of Control for Cric- from the Committee. He did not opportunity. ket) did not give me the assu- want to be involved in selection Other than the leg-spinner I rance that I would be playing in when I was concerned because bowled, I had a very fast in-com- the Tests. I had a lucrative charges of favouritism may be . delivery and a looped arm- league contract. Then they called levelled at him". 1 which was bowled with the me". In 1946, he toured England wrist rolling over the ball- This Lord's 1952 is one of the with the Indian team led by delivery would deviate sharply finest chapters in the history of the Nawab of Pataudi (Sr.) and into the right hand batsman cricket. The Times (London) completed the double — 1.120 though slowly. described his performance (72, runs and 129 wickets — the only Of the 1946 tour to England, 184 and five for 196 off 72 overs) Indian cricketer with this distinc- he remembers Compton and Hut- as "something to remember for tion. England and Wisden (which ton as outstanding batsmen. He a very long time. For endurance named him one of the cricketers said: "Hammond was on the de- and uncharactered skill, it has of the year in 1947), agreed that cline. Bat Compton was superb. possessed all the breadth of the an outstanding all-round cricketer He was a dasher, but so safe that plains of his homeland and all had made his appearance- a bowler had no chance. Hutton the height of the Himalayas". He was flooded with offers was sound and the more difficult The Daily Telegraph said: "Man- from the Lancashire League and the pitch, the better he played" kad's innings will take its place from-1947 till 1962- he was a re- among the classics". gular feature of it Vinoo's per- Asked how Lindwall seemed Vinoo is the only Indian Test formances in the League are to have the hoodoo on him be- batsman to have made two still talked about. He bettered fore he broke it at Melbourne in double centuries in a series. This the late Sir Frank Worrell's all- the third Test, Vinoo said: 1 was against New Zealand. He round record in the League and was desperate against Lindwall had a stellar role in India's first then broke the record for the because he had Barnes always Test win against England at number of wickets taken in a stationed close on the on-side- Madras in 1951-52 where he season in .the League. He was I was bent on hitting Barnes bowled, in the match, 69-3 overs, the complete professional un- out of there. Lindwall told me 24 maidens- for 108 runs and 12 tint-Barnes was stationed there wickets compromising, unemotional and to distract me. He said I should unsparing. not bother about Barnes at all. Asked how he would compare He talked of his bowling- "I Also he talked about my back- himself to tine present day indulged in variation and that lift which was high enough for Indian spin bowlers, Vinoo (al- meant there was a stage when I his yorker to slip through. I ready exhausted, and leaning on was bowling eight different deli- ignored Barnes and shortened the pillow which supported him) my back-lift". arose and said: "They may not veries- On the type of pitches have survived in our time. They we had to bo'wl on, we would Of the other Australian bats- dont know how to bowl on good have been battered without varia- men who impressed him, apart pitches". tions. Constant change in the from Bradman he mentions, Bill Vinoo Mankad meant it He bowling position (vis-a-vis Brown. Neil Harvey and Lindsay got up and went to his bedroom crease), position of the arm, Hassett. "Harvey had beautiful refusing assistance from his wife.

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