Men, memories, and some spice

Shashi Tharoor 70 was at Godrej Literature Live The Mumbai LitFest on Saturday but the occasion was less about Tharoorisms than about cricket and the stories the game has inspired At the NCPA in conversation with fellow author Rahul Bhattacharya and moderator Ayaz Memon the accomplished journalist Tharoor spoke about cricketrsquos literary riches its extraordinary characters and the memories that refuse to fadeTharoor coauthor of Shadows Across the Playing Fields a 2009 book written with Shaharyar Khan on six decades of IndiaPakistan cricket spoke eloquently about the literary side of the game Bhattacharyarsquos book on Indiarsquos 200304 tour of Pakistan mdash Pundits from Pakistan mdash ran into multiple editions and by the end of the evening news had filtered through that he had won the festivalrsquos Fiction Book of the Year award for RailsongPerhaps the only word Tharoor used on stage that set someone like me thinking was ldquoanalogousrdquo He employed it while recounting how the late politician and cricket administrator Arun Jaitley drew a parallel between Americarsquos influence in the UN Security Council and the BCCIrsquos influence on world cricketTharoor spoke about the game across eras but his fondest memories of cricket probably stem from the days when MAK Pataudi led the Indian team Brabourne Stadium was the countryrsquos principal Test venue hoicks and heaves were taboo and onfield theatrics were so few and far between that they remain etched in onersquos memory Tharoor recalled being at Brabourne Stadium for the 196364 Test match between MJK Smithrsquos England team and Pataudirsquos India On the third day Budhi Kunderan lofted the ball high into the air only to be caught by Fred Titmus off John Price With his fate sealed the flamboyant opening batsman and wicketkeeper hurled his bat into the air and caught it on his way back to the pavilionMemon traced Tharoorrsquos roots in cricket writing revealing how Tharoor had written to him about articles for Cricketer Asia where Memon was one of the executive editors I happen to have a copy of Tharoorrsquos impressive piece on Indian geniuses published in the November 1983 issue More on that laterOn Saturday Tharoor spoke about his favourite authors and cricketers politely resisting the temptation to attach the word lsquobestrsquo to his choices But he probably succumbed when it came to Garry Sobers who at one point was arguably the best batsman spin bowler pace bowler and fielder in the world And who could argue with thatOn the subject of West Indies cricket Tharoor like many of us do lamented the state of the team and the fact that its best players are instead showcasing their skills in T20 leagues He was amused that Nicholas Pooran had retired from international cricket last year without ever playing Test cricketContinuing his assessment of the greats Tharoor acknowledged the accolades attached to Don Bradman but offered a poignant observation about the Australian legend ldquoThere is one thing about Bradman that humanises him He came into his last Test innings needing four runs to end his career with a 100 average He had decided to retire after the 1948 series and came into bat eyes so full of tears that he couldnrsquot see the ball Therersquos something magical about that 9994 averagerdquo How could any discussion of great cricketers be complete without mentioning Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev ldquoI still remember how much Gavaskar meant to me with what he did in the West Indies in 1971 I remember how I felt watching Kapil Dev as a bowler for the first timerdquo Tharoor said while also praising a contemporary titan Jasprit BumrahLet us return to what Tharoor wrote in Cricketer Asia under the headline The Eclipse of the Erratic Indian Genius In that piece he recalled Pataudi being caught by Australiarsquos Graham McKenzie at longon for 86 while attempting a six in the 196465 Bombay Test ldquowhen he had all the time in the world to complete his centuryrdquo He added ldquoWhen his touch deserted him he could be worse than pedestrianrdquoOf ML Jaisimha who scored 66 and 0 in that Test which India won by two wickets Tharoor wrote ldquoJaisimha was another gentleman genius Elegant aristocratic mdash one of the few Test cricketers this century to play in a cravat mdash lsquoJairsquo was run out for 99 against Pakistan and the event seemed to symbolise his career he never made as many Test hundreds as his undoubted class warrantedrdquo Of course Jaisimha famously carved a century after arriving in Brisbane as a replacement player in the 196768 series Down Under Tharoor also made an astute observation about Salim Durrani who apart from obliging the crowd with sixes ldquocould always be counted upon to bowl at least one absolutely unplayable ball an over But he rarely had the luck to go with itrdquoTharoor played a fine innings on Saturday ably supported by his lsquobatting partnersrsquo Memon and Bhattacharya But the eveningrsquos real triumph was the reminder that cricketrsquos riches extend well beyond the boundary ropes They reside in the characters who have graced the gamemiddayrsquos Editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stanceHe tweets ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper