The lesser lights of 1986

On popular demand this column once again features the 1986 Dr HD Kanga Cricket League as it did last week While I had largely focused on the India stars who made themselves available for the monsoon tournament 40 years ago following their return from the 1986 tour of England several local cricketers got in touch to share their memories of that particular edition They felt the lesser lights as it were also deserved their moment in the spotlightmdashand I couldnrsquot agree moreThe League got underway as scheduled on July 13 a rarity in itself At Islam Gymkhana visitors Cricket Club of Indiarsquos opening batsmen Jaideep Mathur and Jayprakash Jadhav put on 198 for a new record firstwicket partnership It remained an A Division record for 21 years until Sushant Marathe and Nilesh Patwardhan bettered it with 228 for New Hind in 2008Jadhav a former Mumbai Ranji Trophy player better known as JP in cricket circles told me on Monday that he simply concentrated on playing off the back foot while watching his partner carve out a splendid century 104 Missing out on a century by 12 runs in that drawn game may have hurt but JP says another achievement will forever have pride of place in his Kanga League memories He recalls carrying his bat through the innings for CCI against Shivaji Park Youngsters SPY in 1984 That feat achieved on September 16 1984 at Brabourne Stadium remains vivid in his memory ldquoI scored an unbeaten 44 while my elder brother Deepak former Mumbai allrounder got 25 So in a total of 88 we scored 69 CCI were terribly depleted for that game and I remember playing my natural game in the company of veteran Keki Kotwal I recall umpire Piloo Reporter praising me for taking the aggressive route even though it endangered my chances of remaining unbeaten through the innings ldquoUltimately we ended up losing a close game as SPY reached their target with two wickets to spareldquoThe Kanga League posed big challenges and it was fun Sadly the charm has vanishedrdquo said JP who went on to serve PJ Hindu Gymkhana and is now a Mumbai U19 selector while Deepak heads the U23 panelThe Pagare brothers provided another memorable family subplot in 1986 Kaluram Pagare of MB Union and Gautam Pagare of Khar Gymkhana clashed on September 14 Kaluram MB Unionrsquos star performer was one short of a century when his younger brother Gautamrsquos leftarm spin sent him back to the pavilion The game ended with honours evenThe Kanga League also attracted several players who represented other states Delhirsquos senior pro Venkat Sundaram turned out for Jolly Cricketers Goarsquos Namdev Fadte represented Sunder CC while Uttar Pradeshrsquos Sunil Chaturvedi played for Khar Gymkhana Sundaram and Fadte were in the thick of the action on the opening day locked in battle at Cross Maidan Fadte scored 25 in Sunderrsquos 115 which Jolly Cricketers chased down with five wickets to spare Sundaram contributed 32On September 21 Sundaram returned figures of 425 to restrict Islam Gymkhana to 1398 after Jolly Cricketers had declared at 2374 a total boosted by Mumbai legspinner Ajit Sawantrsquos 107 At Khar Gymkhana Chaturvedi smashed seven sixes and nine fours in an unbeaten 133 during a drawn game against SunderAnother centurion of the 1986 edition was Vidyadhar Pednekar whose strokeful unbeaten 100 containing seven fours and five sixes challenged Sunder in another drawn game on August 3 On September 14 Sunder beat CCI with future Mumbai seamer Anoop Sabnis claiming 10 in the game Wicketkeeperbatsman Girindra Vasudeo was outstanding behind the stumps with five catches Vasudeo was again behind the wickets when Sabnis took a hattrick against Dadar Parsee Zorastrian CC the following year Sabnis incidentally is now a Mumbai U23 selectorThe 1986 edition ended with Dadar Union emerging champions for the 11th time after beating Jolly Cricketers on the first innings at Cross Maidan The final Jolly wicket fell 10 minutes before the end of play under the 1986 rule book play had to finish at 6 pmUday Keluskar 61 Sanjay Manjrekar 36 and the late Avinash Karnik 49 helped the champions declare at 2026 before Jolly were bowled out for 104 Stalwarts Suru Nayak the legspinner who took 540 and offspinner Kiran Mokashi who claimed 327 were the destroyers Speaking to some members of that Dadar Union team Irsquom told Shridhar Mandale led the side He too is now a Mumbai U23 selectorAnd that perhaps is a fascinating thread running through the 1986 Kanga League Forty years on many of the players who once battled it out on rainsoaked maidans are still contributing to Mumbai cricket now as selectors and guiding hands From JP and Deepak Jadhav ton for PJ Hindu on the last day to Anoop Sabnis and Shridhar Mandale the Kanga League has continued to shape people who remain invested in the game With so many good guiding hands Mumbai cricket can only head in one directionmdashup Meanwhile we await the start of action in the 79th Kanga Leaguemiddayrsquos Deputy 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