Sudhir Naik and Chandrakant Pandit, mentors at both ends of Wasim Jaffer's career, reckon he was not given due recognition as ex-India Test match opener quits all forms of cricket
Wasim Jaffer. Pic /Midday archives
In a career spanning 25 years, Wasim Jaffer played under various coaches and mentored by many. However, before the former India Test opener announced his retirement on Saturday, the two people he consulted were Sudhir Naik and Chandrakant Pandit; the two coaches he mentioned in his retirement statement.
It was Naik who first offered Jaffer an opportunity to play on Mumbai's 'A' division circuit when he was in the city's U-16 team. "He was so effortless in his batting. I just wanted him to play for my club, National CC. He joined us after consulting his elder brother Kalim, who was a bit apprehensive of him getting a chance to play in the XI. But I assured him that Wasim will be well looked after. Once he joined, Wasim never left the club [in his prime] despite offers from posh clubs and gymkhanas. Even when he enrolled for Khar Gymkhana towards the end of his career, National CC was his second club," Naik told mid-day.
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Naik, though, felt Mumbai should have treated Jaffer, who represented them from 1996-97 to 2014-15 before joining Vidarbha, better. "I feel Wasim was not treated well in Mumbai in the latter part of his stint, after going out of reckoning for the national team. He was still Mumbai's best batsman after Sachin Tendulkar, who was mostly unavailable due to India duty. He should have got more respect and that would have benefited Mumbai as well. After leaving Mumbai, he continued to score heavily for Vidarbha and helped the team with his experience. Mumbai should have done a similar thing with Jaffer. He could have been a player-cum-coach. The reason Mumbai are losing for the last few [Ranji Trophy] seasons is because they don't have a captain. They look like absolutely novices. Mumbai committed a big mistake by letting Jaffer go," the former India Test batsman said.
The reason Jaffer is able to own almost all records in the Ranji Trophy is because of Pandit. Apart from most appearances (156) and most runs (12,038), Jaffer also holds the record of centuries (40), half centuries (89) and catches (200). These records could be achieved after Jaffer played for Vidarbha.
Jaffer in his statement, said: "I would also like to thank Chandrakant Pandit for showing faith in me when no team showed any interest to have me as a professional for the 2017-18 season. It is because of him that I got a chance to play for Vidarbha again and create history by winning a Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup twice."
Sudhir Naik and Chandrakant Pandit
Pandit said Jaffer was great help in his time as Vidarbha coach. "Wasim's experience was quite beneficial to the Vidarbha team. He would counsel young players. He was an ideal role model for them," Pandit said.
However, the former India stumper opined that Jaffer should have got more chances to play for India. "Thirty-one Test matches [and two ODIs] don't do justice to his calibre. Despite scoring runs consistently, he was never given another look, which is really unfortunate. But he never let this affect him. He never gave up and played for his reputation. This is the biggest quality the young generation can take from him," concluded Pandit.
19,410
No. of runs scored by Wasim Jaffer in 260 first-class matches @ 50.67
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