The inside story on the make-up of South Africa's most famous all-rounder
The inside story on the make-up of South Africa's most famous all-rounder Jacques Kallis' childhood coach Keith Richardson at the Wynberg Boys' High School cricket ground named after the all-rounder. pic/sai mohan
South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis has made it yet another home Test to remember. To say his hundred against India on Day Two of the Newlands Test made a huge difference to the South African total, would be an understatement. But Kallis was expected to thrive on home turf. That his alma mater Wynberg Boys' High School is not far away from the Newlands ground provided a good reason for a visit.
Wynberg High 
The school has produced the likes of Allan Lamb, Paddy Upton, Charl Willoughby, but none greater than Kallis, arguably South Africa's greatest cricketer since readmission to international cricket in 1991.
His childhood coach Keith Richardson is an affable man, who is only too happy to provide inputs on what went into the make-up of Kallis, the champion all-rounder.
"Once Jacques gets into a bubble, you can't get him out. It is a pattern that has continued from his school days," said Richardson, who oversaw his cricketing activities at Wynberg High.
That the main cricket ground was renamed the Jacques Kallis Oval last year does full justice to the all-rounder's greatness. There is also the Jacques Kallis Scholar, an annual reward for the most promising youngster.
The turning point of Kallis' career came when he was dropped from the Western Province U-15 side. "He won't make it, because he's too small," was the reason. When Kallis learned about this, he told coach Richardson: "Sir, you just watch. I'll show them." And so he did, for the next 20 years.
Today, he is tied with Ricky Ponting as the second highest Test centurion (39) in the history of the game.
"I remember taking him on a tour where he didn't get enough runs in the first innings of a match. That night he told me, 'coach, we better get to the nets at 6 am. I cannot fail again.' He knew deep down he was going to make it big as a cricketer," Richardson told MiD DAY yesterday at the school.
Batting approach
The coach recalled another incident: "I was coaching SA against India in an U-18 game. We had Herschelle Gibbs, Roger Telemachus and Kallis but India beat us. The others came and spoke to me after the loss, except Jacques. I was cross. When I went to find him, he was sitting outside the dressing room, really upset. He looked at me and said 'I am the opener, and it is my job to score runs.' That's how he approaches his batting."
Kallis Sr was another big influence. Losing their mother at a tender age brought Jacques, his sister Janine, and father Henry closer. For father and daughter, watching Kallis blossom as a cricketer became the be-all and end-all. "Janine and Henry used to watch Jacques batting for hours together, day in and day out," said Richardson.
"Henry always told his son to respect every bowler. Even if the bowler was bowling donkey-drops, you must still respect him, his father used to say. That sort of respect for the opposition is the biggest feature of Jacques. You will never hear anyone saying they don't like Jacques. And vice-versa.
"Henry would stay up till midnight and throw down balls in the nets. At times, he would skip work to spend a few extra hours with his son," said Richardson.
While growing up Kallis wasn't sure about playing for his country due to the apartheid years. But it all worked out flawlessly in the end. "It wasn't difficult to motivate him because playing for Western Province was a huge honour. There were packed houses for almost every game.
"Jacques was also extremely fortunate because he left Wynberg to directly join the Western Province side, where Duncan Fletcher was the coach.
"A year later, he played for South Africa under coach Bob Woolmer. He had the best possible coaching throughout his career.
Academic weakness
"He was never good at academics. I used to tell him to focus harder. In fact, I had asked him to apply to a few universities just in case he didn't make it as a cricketer. He looked at me with his eyes wide open and said ufffd 'I am going to be a cricketer,' " Richardson signed off.
Cricketer and more, he went on to be.
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