SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020 (PAGE 4) SPORTS A Dream Indian Team Sunil Fernandes The advent of limited-over cricket from the 1970s has irrevocably changed the way the game is played. With all fixtures locked down, one cricket fan lets his mind wander to what might have been. Vasant Raji, ’s oldest first-class cricketer, passed away recently. He was 100 years old. His passing, perhaps, is a time for cricket to remember and cele- brate some of the other great stalwarts of Indian too – especially when the coronavirus pandemic has meant no sporting events can take place. India played its ever first ever test match at the historic Lords Cricket Ground in 1932 against England. Forty-two years later, in 1974, India played its first ever limited-over international, also in England. Pahlan Ratanji “Polly” Unarguably, the advent of limited-over cricket, from the 1970s, has irrevoca- Mulvantrai Himmatlal C.K. “Colonel” Nayudu M.A.K. “Tiger” Pataudi bly changed the way the game is played. We have come across several compila- “Vinoo” Mankad Bharadwaj () Umrigar (Vice-Captain) tions of All Time Best India XI but hardly any All Time Indian XI consisting of those cricketers, whose cricket wasn’t affected or influenced by the one-day game at all, those who played test matches only. The legends of a forgotten era. Here is that XI. THE OPENERS Mulvantrai Himmatlal “Vinoo” Mankad Along with , this right-hand batsman scored 413 runs, the then highest ever by an opening pair. A record that stood for 52 years till it was broken, barely so, by South Africans Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie against Bangladesh in 2008, who made 415 runs. Mankad scored 231 runs in that partnership, which was the highest Indian individual test score, till Gavaskar broke it in 1983 (236 against West Indies). Such were his bowling skills, he would have merited a place in this XI solely as a left-arm spinner. He took eight and scored a double in an innings Vijay Samuel Hazare Subhas “Fergie” Gupte during the course of his test career, a feat that great all-rounders like Sobers, Kapil, Imran and Kallis haven’t achieved. He ran out the Australian batsman Billy M.A.K. “Tiger” Pataudi (Vice-Captain) bounce and movement generated by India’s opening bowlers in that tour remains Brown, when the latter had strayed too far from his crease, thereby coining the etched in history. The Second World War stole some of the best years from these In 1961, after a county match in the English countryside, a few first class crick- two bowlers. While Nissar was faster and considered to be the better of the two, memorable mode of dismissal – “Mankaded”. eters implored one of their teammates from India to take a post-dinner walk with Amar Singh was the more competent batsman and a world class fielder. Vijay Merchant them. The offer was declined, with calamitous consequences. No sooner had the Subhas “Fergie” Gupte The spiritual founder of the “Bombay School” of aka the “khadoos” tired Indian player hopped inside another of his teammates’ car, there was a head- style. Steely determination, unwavering concentration, terrific temperament. on collision with another car and a glass splinter from the windscreen permanent- The greatest all round cricketer ever to have played, Sir , called ly damaged his right eye and Indian cricket lost someone who could have been the Technically, the best India had in the pre-Gavaskar era. Has the highest first class him the best spinner he has ever faced. Nothing more needs to be said for the best batsman-captain of the world in the 1960s. average (71.64) after . inclusion of this Bombay born magical leg spinner in this team. ‘Tiger’ Pataudi still played for India, for a decade more, with one eye and two 12th man. Dilip Sardesai MIDDLE ORDER names! Before the 26th Constitutional Amendment of 1971 abolished privy purs- The first and only -born player to play test cricket for India. With the mid- Lala Amarnath Bharadwaj (Captain) es and royal titles, he played as the Nawab of Pataudi and post-1971 as Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. He led India to its first ever overseas test series win (vs NZ in 1967- dle order packed as it is, I sadly could not accommodate a player whose role was He was independent India’s first-ever test captain, and also its first-ever test 68). He will also be my team’s vice captain. (Millennials may recognise him as the probably more crucial than Gavaskar’s in securing India’s test series win in the centurion. This Lahore-born stylish batsman was one of the select few who was father of Saif Ali Khan, father-in-law of Kareena Kapoor and most importantly, the West Indies in 1971. equally loved on both sides of the Radcliffe Line. He was never afraid to take on late grandfather of baby Taimur!) SELECTOR’S LOGIC the high and mighty for his team’s sake and for this reason, coupled with his astute ALL ROUNDER cricketing brain, his uncanny ability to read cricket pitches and opposite players, Vijay Samuel Hazare It can be argued that this team is reasonably balanced. Bats deep with Amar he is my choice for the captain of this team. His son Mohinder played a stellar role Singh coming in at No.9. Well stocked with bowling options too. Two terrific pac- in India’s 1983 ODI World Cup win. He was the closest thing we had to a before Kapil Dev. Prolific right- ers, Singh and Nissar to open with Hazare, Nayudu and Lala ji would offering hand batsman and a handy right-arm seam bowler, he was the first Indian to score Pahlan Ratanji “Polly” Umrigar handy seam support. Gupte and Mankad would be the star spinners, capable of centuries in both innings of a test match, against Don Bradman’s “Invincible” running through any side on turning pitches. ‘Polly Kaka’ scored the first ever double century by an Indian batsman (against Australians at Adelaide in 1947-48. Five out of the 12 members in this squad played for Bombay (Mankad, New Zealand, in 1955). His free-flowing batting style was a treat to watch. One WICKETKEEPER-BATSMAN Merchant, Umrigar, Gupte and Sardesai). Hardly surprising since we are talking could safely bet, that had Polly Kaka played his cricket a decade later, he would Budhi Kunderan of an era where getting in the Bombay team was considered tougher than getting have been a terrific ODI player too. The 1960s witnessed an epic tussle for the team’s -keeping slot, between into the Indian team. Bombay remains the only first class team, anywhere in the C.K. “Colonel” Nayudu the -born, Tulu-speaking Budhi Kunderan (sharing his birthdate with world, to win its domestic cricket championship (the ) 16 consecutive times (1958-1974). Indian cricket has been glowing example of India’s syncretic, He was Indian cricket team’s original “Colonel” (a moniker that Dilip Mahatma Gandhi) and the flamboyant Bombay Parsi, Farookh Engineer. Both Vengsarkar rightfully inherited a few decades later). India’s first-ever captain in excelled at being “keeper-batsman” even before the term was invented. inclusive, secular culture. Religion (thankfully) has never been a criterion for selec- the debut test at Lord’s 1932, he is, in my view, one of the bravest batsman ever to In an era where you’d feel grateful if your keeper merely reached double digits, tion. It was as late as December 1979 that India fielded a team consisting solely of don the India cap. these two hammered three figure scores with ridiculous ease. Engineer played 5 Hindus. In a team of mere 11 players, it wasn’t unusual to see as many five religions being represented, which was unprecedented for any team anywhere in the world Batting in a first class match, while he in his 40s and understandably past his ODIs for India and hence fails to make this XI. of cricket. This team has too has members from four religions – two prime, Nayudu’s tooth was broken by a vicious bouncer from Dattu Phadkar, one SEAM BOWLERS of the fastest bowlers in India at that time. He shooed away the concerned fielders, (Merchant and Umrigar), two Muslims (Pataudi and Nissar), a Christian (Hazare) picked his blood splattered tooth from the cricket pitch, kept it in his pocket, and Amar Singh and Mohammad Nissar and the rest, Hindus. A Sikh sadly missed out (with A.G. Kripal Singh coming clos- est). This eclecticism in our cricket is something all Indians must take pride in, calmly faced Phadkar again, smashing him and other bowlers for a fearless half When India played its first test match, no one expected the Indians to trouble century. especially in these fractious times. their colonial masters, who then had the best test team in the world. But the pace, (The author is an advocate on record in the Supreme Court).

SOCIETY HEALTHLINES Management of cancer patients during COVID-19 “Very perception of wedding will change” Dr Nadeem Shoket blood counts and other lab investigations, or Author Amita Sahaya was present at An Author's Afternoon session presented 'kanyadan'. The fear factor of inviting bad luck to the changing aspirations of e-visits (which most hospitals are adopting by Shree Cement Ltd and organised by the Prabha Khaitan Foundation in June the young couple is something which is very interesting. The tumultuous arrival of COVID-19 has these days) with the oncologist over the How far do you think liberalisation and Bollywood have influ- hardly afforded any time for experts to put internet for minor ailments can add tremen- through Zoom. Sahaya, whose present book 'The Shaadi Story' examines the enced the Indian weddings? forward formal recommendations regarding dous value in mitigating COVID-19 trans- I would rewind back in time to 1994 when India was going through an Indian wedding through a socio-economic and gendered prism, during an the management of different types of can- mission and keeping these ALL patients safe absolutely economic draft and then liberalisation and the economic boom cers of the human body during this pandem- while not compromising on patient care as interaction with author Kiran Manral, spoke how marriage has been an integral which followed from there changed so much of India that actually it was ic. Same holds true for leukemias, which are unrecognizable in a very positive way. It is something like what is happening far as cancer treatment is concerned. For part of a woman's life and how it is changing. Souvik Ghosh brings excerpts. types of a more commonly used term called leukemias with comparatively less immuno- with these Covid times in a very short, compressed phase. A whole new para- blood cancer. Four common leukemias we suppression such as CML as well, similar You have mentioned in the very start of the book an incident digm change in the way of looking at things had occurred. Before liberalisation oncologists frequently encounter in our clin- strategy, such as telephonic or e-consults about your own family which you have witnessed. Can you tell us a of the economy, the royal weddings were hosted by the Zamindars and not by ical practice include: Acute Lymphoblastic with the oncologist can be implemented to bit more about the incident and what drove you perhaps to write the middle-class who didn't have the money, was much more spartan, and Leukemia (ALL), Acute Myeloid Leukemia minimize COVID-19 transmission risk. this book? their aspirations were very well within. With the liberalisation of the economy, (AML), Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) Altering treatment plans to avoid neutrope- As a small child, I was actually attending my aunt's the amount of wealth which then came into the pockets of the middle class and Chronic Lymphoblastic Leukemia nia after corroborating complete blood wedding in a small town in the northern part of India. (CLL). These are some of the most trouble- counts, again, becomes an option here, In the evening, the bride and groom were going some ailments a human body can be afflict- which can be discussed with the oncologist. around the fire (marriage rituals), a banquet was laid ed with. Put COVID-19 in the mix, and you This strategy of altering drugs to avoid out, a mellifluous sound of the shehnai was played out, have a potential catastrophe at hand. and the fragrance of flowers were coming. And sud- neutropenia is not an option always avail- Most of these leukemias have a prolonged denly there was an absolute discordant sound coming able to the oncologist. This holds true for treatment course which requires multiple as if somebody was shouting. People turned around to induction of treatment for ALL where rec- hospital visits and day care admissions, look at where the sound was coming from. Then (all ommendations have to be followed strictly sometimes over a period of months. The found) there was a man who was extremely affronted. with hardly any room for improvisation. For issue of dealing with leukemias in the midst Well he had been slighted (because) he hadn't got his intensification, again though, drug regimens due as an exalted member of the bride-groom's party. He felt that he had been of the COVID-19 pandemic needs to be dealt insulted and therefore he had taken his plate and thrown it on the floor and with utmost seriousness was threatening to walk out of the wedding. And because he was in some and care, because here we important hierarchical order of the bride-groom's party, the others sort of have patients at the low- looked at him and asked him if they might have to accompany him. est level of their immuni- Then came my grandfather, who was my aunt's father, and he took off his ty venturing into an envi- turban- the mark of the tradition honour and family prestige- and placed it on ronment as hostile as any, the man's feet. The man takes it as his due, he is placated and sort of mollified. for treatment, of course. What struck me even at that very young age was the larger acceptance of the So, a close liaison two roles being played out. The groom's side was kind of reiterating their role between patient and in the power structure and the bride's side was accepting their subordinate also led to the huge aspirational change. The world view had changed. treating oncologist role. So that in fact really stayed with me, some visceral part of it which also Two other factors- films and social media- also brought about the change. becomes one of the most in a way honed my gender lens in later years and it was reflected in the works Before the emergence of social media, we have never, ever been exposed to important factors for that I have done. people including filmstars to whom we look up to. So in a way we turn and management of the dis- In prehistoric days, men and women were on equal footing but twist around and may be dwarfing it a little and then started absorbing it and ease during the COVID- as we headed towards the present time, marriage became an introducing it in our modest milieus. Before 'Hum Aapke Hai Koun..!' (a 1994 19 pandemic. Open com- important aspect in a woman's life across all cultures and geogra- Hindi film starring Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit), there was Amitabh munication utilizing phies. Why? Bachchan whose films were so much about the angry young man and revenge every modern technologi- I think there are cultural presets behind it. In many ways, the householders' which after a while the audience was getting tired of. Then films like 'Hum cal resource at hand to role as the grihasta is of huge primacy both for men and women and yet contra- Aapke Hai Koun..!', 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' (romantic films) came and minimize COVID-19 can be implemented in a way to minimize dictory. I always say India or Hinduism is the "Queen" of contradictions because changed everything. People incorporated the 'Sangeet' (marriage ritual) exposure risk is crucial as it can significantly neutropenia. on one hand grihasta's role is considered so supreme for continuing with proge- scenes. The whole perception of how the wedding can be organised had then reduce the number of hospital visits for the Also, for CLL, the room for improvisation ny and paying obeisance to the ancestors by carrying on the lineage but at the changed. The scale of weddings then kept on going up to what we are seeing patient. Making the patient or their atten- for the oncologist is restricted because the same time 'Brahmacharya' is considered of supreme importance and given a today. dant understand the goal of the treatment staging of CLL can sometimes force the huge respect. Are we heading towards smaller weddings in post-Covid world? process, the hows and the why, the ins and oncologist to start treatment as soon as the In a way I think there is just a misogynist, patriarchal point of view where The big-fat weddings will have to make way for the ones with 50-75 theouts of what needs to be monitored a woman's role is considered incomplete until she gets into one major set aim people? disease is diagnosed even if it exposes the between each hospital visit so that they can patient to a higher risk for secondary infec- of her life which is to bear progeny. I think the patriarchal point of view in a We are now looking at a period where we are hoping the pandemic will be look out for when to contact the treating way has contained women into narrower spaces. We have seen in all cultures over and the things will be normalised. But what will that norm be? In a way tions. This is the decision the oncologist can oncologist in assessing whether any inter- make, weighing the risk vs benefit profile of and scriptures that women's role is to support the man. Today I think we are we are living through a real-time scenario which is constantly changing. We vention is needed between treatments, espe- in a great position where we can actually question that. each individual patient and the staging of are like actors and the audience. We are trying to define paradigms. The very cially assessing the option to bring the Do you think people are changing the rituals in marriages to the disease. perception of how a wedding is going to take place is going to change. I think patient in or not for checkups. In majority of solemnise? AML requires intensive treatment and weddings are going to change in the next one year or so. these cases, evading neutropenia (low neu- I think there is a huge shift happening even though it is not always obvious most of the treatment might need to be done Given the circumstances, do you think people will opt out of trophil counts) stands as the central goal or apparent because we get bedazzled by all the outer equipments which are marriage in future? on an in-patient basis. This should be man- through the course of leukemia treatment. meant to project the celebration of a wedding. People notice the scale of a mar- I wrote a chapter- 'Singular View'- in my book where the idea was to give aged by keeping AML patients undergoing Closely monitoring blood counts and alter- riage going up. But in the crux, I find that happening in a very different way the space to the very large number of singles who had chosen to remain as they treatment in isolation wards with a dedicat- from what it was earlier. Some things remain the same while others are chang- are for a reason. Also (now) people are remaining single because they are ing drugs accordingly in a timely fashion can ed nursing staff to reduce the probability of ing. I have personally written a lot about 'kanyadan' (a ritual of handing over exploring different ways of companionship outside the milieu of a kind of mar- help reduce hospital visits tremendously, COVID-19 infection to as much as institu- the bride to the groom's family) but I come across parents who are fundamen- riage stamp. I had reflected that scenario in the book. But in this counter- especially in patients with ALL where the tionally possible. tally against the idea of handing over their daughters and yet many due to lack stream of a pandemic-oriented time, a lot of young people who would have treatment has a tediously long maintenance (The author is Medical Oncologist in American Oncology of knowledge of the rituals, think marriage would be incomplete without tried to get married right away, have decided to hold back for now. (TWF) phase. Telephonic corroboration of the Institute-Jammu)