Chandu Borde in good nick at 85

Middleorder batsman Chandu Bordes legspin was good enough for cricket pundits to rate him as an allrounder in his 195859 to 196970 international career 55 Tests 3061 runs 5 centuries 52 wicketsAfter his playing days he continued to be an allrounder through his roles that entailed heading the selection committee spread across five terms and managing junior and senior teams Then out of the blue he was picked as manager of Rahul Dravids 2007 team that won the Test series in England not long after the World Cup debacle in the CaribbeanTake the quizmiddaycricketquiz Guess the cricketer in the picturePunebased Borde turns 85 today and is probably as fit as he has ever been in retired life My fitness regime is nothing extraordinary ndash 10 minutes of freearm exercises as soon as I freshen up in the morning and a 40minute walk at Poona Club in the evening If I dont sweat I feel lazy he saysNot many former players are summoned to manage an international side at 73 but Borde was in 2007 He never gave the impression on the tour that age was a handicap and he dished out advice to his players whenever necessary The Indian team had no head coach but Robin Singh was the fielding expert and Venkatesh Prasad the bowling coach And there was Borde who was game for a net or two with batsmen and bowlers I remember a few elderly autograph hunters being so delighted to see him in the squad because they had missed out on his inscription in 1967 the last time Borde had toured England as a Test player He was also a tigerish fielder and more than safe catcherAlso ReadThey will have it all coveredBorde a Christian has kept in touch with Indian cricket and will rejoice in the fact that Mahendra Singh Dhoni still a junior in that 2007 Test squad emerged as an alltime great and that fact that Sachin Tendulkar who was written off in some quarters after the World Cup went on to play with distinction for another six years Ishant Sharma was a rookie in early 2007 but later that year he was troubling the best Australian batsmen in their den And Dinesh Karthik who did a good job as Test opener partnering Wasim Jaffer is still an India playerChandu Borde on the 1967 tour of EnglandBorde is pained at Indias 2019 World Cup exit through their semifinal loss to New Zealand Like several former stars Borde feels selection was at the heart of Indias problemsThey should have picked Ambati Rayudu and Ajinkya Rahane These two players would have boosted the middleorder in English conditions And I dont know why Kedar Jadhav was not persisted with He scored a half century second highest scorer with 52 after Virat Kohlis 67 in that tense game against Afghanistan says BordeJust love the way Rohit batsAs chairman of selectors he was not exactly outspoken Many a time he toed a diplomatic line That tone was noticed even on Saturday when I asked him if Rohit Sharma should be now given the captaincy of the oneday side I just love the way Rohit bats I am aware that he is a successful leader of the Mumbai Indians but its up to the selectors he says And should India have a new coach Borde responds with a question Should there be a change after only one knock out lossPicked Azhar recalled SivaBorde is happy to turn back the clock when he was chief selector It gives me great satisfaction that there were a number of young players who went on to serve the country well he says of his 198485 to 198586 and 19992000 to 200102 tenures in the big seat Bordes committee picked Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and Mohammed Azharuddin for the home series against David Gowers Englishmen in 198485 Siva struck in his very first Test on Indian soil mdash at Mumbais Wankhede Stadium mdash where he claimed 12 wickets mdash and Azharuddin was picked for the Kolkata Test mdash where he scored the first of three consecutive centuries The Bordeselected team also won the World Championship of Cricket in Australia in 1985If cricket lovers were surprised at Indias turnaround and eventual victory in the 2001 home series against Steve Waughs allconquering Australian team the then chairman of selectors was not Yes we lost the first Test by 10 wickets in Mumbai but I was sure we would bounce back because we had a good side he said of the epic series that ended 21 in Indias favourHazare a perfect batsmanIf that 2001 triumph was one of the highlights of his selectorial stint he wont pick the best his performance against the West Indies in the Delhi Test of the 195859 series is more than just a cherished memory for him Borde made his debut in the opening Test at Mumbai and recalled how swift the West Indian opening bowlers Wesley Hall and Roy Gilchrist were Gilchrist was crazy and Wess runup nearly started from the sightscreen We were not scared but we had not faced such pace before It was a ploy to rattle us he recallsAt Delhi Borde was set to score his second century of the Test But when on 96 his foot touched the stumps and was out hit wicket Thus he missed emulating his guru Vijay Hazare who took two centuries off the Australians in the Adelaide Test of 194748 Hazare was my idea of the perfect batsman says Borde politely declining to name his No 1 bowler and captainBorde is pained at Indias 2019 World Cup exit through their semifinal loss to New Zealand Like several former stars he feels selection was at the heart of Indias problemsI played under several captains and faced many great bowlers mdash Hall Fred Trueman Brian Statham and Ray Lindwall too I remember Lindwall troubling me in the Kolkata Test of the 195960 series and he was 38 thenAustralias Graham McKenzie was another fast bowling great Borde had to tackle and he remembers falling to the Western Australian caught by Ian Chappell in the first innings of his final Test at Mumbai Two days earlier he scored a hundred for West Zone against the same opposition There is no trace of regret in Bordes voice while talking about his final Test never mind the fact that only in the previous Test he contributed 41 and 65 not out to Indias win over New Zealand at Auckland He acknowledged that he was getting on in years and young blood had to be infusedAt 85 there are no regrets just memories Bordes childhood recollections are vivid I used to stay at the YMCA in Pune with my uncle and that exposed me to an array of sports so I was always very activeI was most happy carting the kit of the YMCA team for friendly games and I soon became popular with the players One day a regular player could not make it and I was included in the XI for YMCAs match against NMV School Mr Pentana our captain introduced me into the attack in the dying stages of the game and I claimed three wicketsLegspin fascinationMr Pentana bowled offspin but I was fascinated by the ball turning from leg to off which Mr Salve did as a legspinner I didnt look back after thatOne of Indias most prominent cricketers in the 1950s and 1960s was never coached He adopted the watchandimprove policyHes still watching and his cricketing brain is constantly ticking Sunday mass is on top of the days agenda on his birthday but those 10 minutes of freearm exercises will not be skippedCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereAlso download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates