Is SS Das the best Indian opener in the post-Gavaskar period?
His performance with the bat and the confetti of praise that has been showered upon him raises this question: Is Shiv Sundar Das the best opening batsman the country has produced in the post-Gavaskar period
Partab Ramchand
02-Jul-2001
His performance with the bat and the confetti of praise that has been
showered upon him raises this question: Is Shiv Sundar Das the best
opening batsman the country has produced in the post-Gavaskar period?
I am inclined to answer that in the affirmative. Sure, he has played
only eight Tests, not all against strong opposition. But the manner of
his batting, that happy blend of talent, technique and temperament
that he undoubtedly possesses, his attitude of never being satisfied
and always wanting to learn more about the intricacies of his
specialised field marks him out not only as a long term prospect -
that is already taken for granted - but also one who can stay the
course and deliver at consistent levels.
In 1946 in England, Vijay Merchant was seen going around with film
reels of some of his innings he played on the tour. It so transpired
that he had instructed a professional cameraman to take these films
and then he used to watch the clippings to see how and why he made
errors of judgement or technique while getting out and he made sure
that he did not make the same mistakes again. And this was a tour on
which Merchant made 2385 runs at an average of 74.53!
More than half a century later, another Indian opening batsman is
following the same procedure in trying to rectify his mistakes. In an
interview to a news agency during the all too brief off season, Das
said that besides regular practice, he was watching his own cassettes
of the series against Australia in an effort to iron out the technical
faults responsible for his dismissals. A young man with that approach
can only be, in racing parlance, a stayer and not a sprinter.
Das has freely acknowledged that it was the valuable tips given by
past master Sunil Gavaskar and present master Sachin Tendulkar that
have helped him. But then the unassuming Orissa captain has been a
willing listener. His thirst to improve his game is unquenchable.
"Gavaskar advised me to take leg-stump guard and I followed the
suggestion in the third Test at Chennai making 84 in the first
innings. Till the Kolkata Test, I used to take middle-stump guard, but
Gavaskar pointed out that it left my leg stump exposed," said Das in
an interview a couple of months ago. In the course of the same
interview, Das admitted that "Tendulkar provided me psychological
support and advised me to play my natural game without bothering about
the bowling." This was when there were doubts whether the short
statured Das would be able to combat the pace of Glenn McGrath and
Jason Gillespie.
Despite his success, Das remains the modest young man with his head on
his shoulders and his feet firmly planted on the ground. Having been
adjudged man of the match after playing a leading role in India
winning the first Test at Bulawayo last month, what else could he say
but "maybe I got the runs, but I had a few close shaves. That is why
before the second Test begins, I will have a session with Mr Gavaskar.
Since he is on this tour, I will discuss a couple of problems that I
am having." In passing he also said that he was unhappy with his
backlift! And he won a lot of friends in an Indian society which still
holds family values dear by dedicating the man of the match award to
his parents and coach. Of course the man of the series award came as
the icing on the cake.
In cricketing terms, Orissa is one of the backward states. It does not
have a hoary cricketing tradition and cannot boast of the kind of
facilities that may exist in Mumbai, Mohali, Kolkata or Chennai. For a
cricketer to make good despite this handicap would require a fierce
determination to succeed and Das has displayed this tenacity of
purpose in abundant measure. He had to adapt himself both technically
and mentally and has done it admirably.
At the moment, Das' figures are an impressive 635 runs at an average
approaching 50. One century and five fifties is testimony to his
consistency. His game is suited to Test cricket and thankfully the
selectors have not considered him for the one day game which is just
as well. Das' batting is technically perfect and he belongs to the old
school of batsmanship from where Merchant and Gavaskar graduated with
top honours. The initial promise he has shown augurs well for him -
and Indian cricket. Thanks to the 23-year-old pint sized powerhouse,
at least one half of India's perennial problem has been sorted out.