'All-rounder' on and off the field

There is no other cricketer who has served the country as well as Dhoni Kapil Dev said on Tuesday I presume he was only referring to the current stars onfield exploits across all formats of the game when he made that commentThe statement got me thinking about cricketers whose contribution to Indian cricket goes beyond runs wickets and catches There are several men but Polly Umrigar stood out in my book and was fully deserving of the two lifetime achievement awards he was honoured with the CK Nayudu reward instituted by the BCCI and the Castrol award in 1998 and 2001 respectivelyUmrigar is not exactly forgotten The BCCIs Polly Umrigar Award for the best international cricketer is the most prestigious one for current players at the Boards annual gig The Polly Umrigar Gate at the Wankhede Stadium is a fine honour given to him while he was still with usSpeaking of the Polly Umrigar Gate I remember how he didnt make a big fuss over not being permitted by security men to enter Wankhede from the gate named after him for the India v England ODI in 2002Instead he merely advised the Mumbai Cricket Association MCA to have one of its committee members who could recognise cricketers at the gateUmrigar ended his Test career in 1962 as an alltime great No one had played more Tests 59 for the country than him then and before Sunil Gavaskar smashed batting records galore Umrigar was Indias highest rungetter 3631 and centurymaker 12 in TestsThe former India captain stood out as an administrator just as his tall burly frame did on the playing field He was supremely efficient as the executive secretary of the BCCI in the 1980s and 1990s When visiting teams landed at Mumbai airport Umrigar would invariably be present no matter what time of the day or night it was For four seasons 197879 to 198182 he was chairman of national selectors enjoying success at home against West Indies Australia Pakistan and England while India drew the 198081 series in Australia before losing to New Zealand in Kiwiland It was for this tour that his committee sent teenager Ravi Shastri as cover for the injured Dilip Doshi Among his luggage Shastri had Umrigars India sweater to keep warm Umrigar was also a Mumbai selector and an elected secretary of MCAEven in the evening of his life he never showed any signs of being a cynic He appreciated the talent and ability of young players During an interview in 2001 he praised Yuvraj Singh for his timing and power before predicting he would be a successful leftarm spinner as well At the same meeting Umrigar noticed that Sourav Ganguly would be a better batsman had he played the bowlers with soft hands He wasnt happy with Indias running between wickets then and urged them to be like Australia and South Africa Had he been living today he would smile in appreciation of the athleticism displayed by the current Indian team He passed away in 2006 at the age of 80Umrigar was generous with his cricket tips on the field as well When Chandu Borde found Pakistani bowlers Haseeb Ahsan and Fazal Mahmood more than just testing in the Chennai Test of the 196061 series Umrigar advised him to restrict his strokeplay against the spinpace duo Borde held back as instructed the storm passed and he ended up unbeaten on 177 while Umrigar scored 117At the heart of every Umrigar cricketing lesson was concentration it was also important to ensure a batsmans partner was wellfocused He learnt this from Vijay Hazare with whom he put on 183 for the fourth wicket at Mumbai during the 1952 Test against Pakistan Umrigar reached his century before Hazare and displayed his thrill a bit too much for Hazares liking Hazare walked up to his junior partner to tell him that the celebration was a bit distracting and that he Hazare had to get his hundred as wellExecutors of new cricketing projects didnt have to look too far for expertise Umrigar was only a phone call away Just like Umrigar spent many hot afternoons ensuring MCAs BKC ground was ready to be a good cricketing facility his efforts in building the new Wankhede Stadium in 1974 were immeasurable For long he was known as the man who understood the art of pitchmaking better than most Yes the 2004 India v Australia Test at Wankhede concluded within three days but he was only partly responsible for its preparation The only occasion for him to smile during that Test was when India won by 13 runs Umrigars brains were picked by Raj Singh Dungarpur while setting up the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and he even travelled to Indore to watch the academy team play in a tour game for the visiting Zimbabwean team in 2000Long before that he was a popular manager on Indias 197576 tours to New Zealand and West Indies He also managed Bishan Singh Bedis team on the 197778 tour to Australia where he agreed to make up the numbers for a game against Western Australia Country at Wongan Hills On his return from managerial duties in Australia he was fresh enough to play for Associated Cement Companies on the interoffice circuitCricket was Umrigars oxygenIndian cricket can never have a servant like himmiddays group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance He tweets ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates