Only batting skills cannot cover up for lack of fitness
LEGEND WRITES To his 12yearold self, Vengsarkar says how cricket, with its twists and turns, reflects life
Dear me
LETTER TO MY YOUNGER SELF Dear 12-year-old Dilip, They called me the ‘Colonel’. It’s a rank in the Indian Army and it takes a lot of hard work to earn this. I was not the first ‘Colonel’ of Indian cricket. A legend called CK Nayudu, famous for hitting sixes, was the original holder of this title. Like all young batsmen, I loved to give the ball a whack. It was an Irani Cup match in 1975. It was my debut for Bombay. Up against the spin duo of Bishan Singh Bedi and Erapalli Prasanna, I was going to face the test of my life. Chasing Rest of India’s 210, Bombay were 98 for three. My 110 turned out to be the saving grace. More than the century, to smash seven sixes against Bedi and Pras was incredible. It was this fearless approach that won me the title of ‘Colonel’...
My cricket journey started at the Dadar Union Club. The seeds of greatness are sowed in this amazing institution. At DUC, there was this guy called Sunil Gavaskar, who was also cutting his teeth with me. Little did I know that we would be playing for the state and country together...
Playing for India is the ultimate dream. Getting there is not easy but staying in the Indian dressing room is tougher. The system in Mumbai taught me to fight it out. I made my Test debut in 1976 in Auckland and I opened alongside Sunny. While I failed, he scored a ton. Failure made me determined.
Cricket is just a great leveller. Travelling in third class Railway compartments with ~10 as allowance was quite an experience. It is not necessary that team bonding happens in dressing rooms. The joy of tea in a khullar (clay cups) and the fun of smoke from the steam engine hitting your face made travelling fun.
It took me 17 Tests to score a century. Why did I take that long? Cricket can be cruel. It punishes you for being underprepared. Skills are not everything. Fitness is key. And temperament is crucial to success. I realised this when I saw Javed Miandad. How easily he converted the twos into threes, the singles into twos. How badly he exposed us.
My only regret in life was my fitness. I thought my batting will cover up my shortcomings. I was wrong. The boys from North were much stronger. Kapil Dev’s physical ability boosted his skills. Wish I had his power. Together with Kapil, I had some of my best moments. The Benson & Hedges semifinal in 1985 is memorable. Nobody gave India a chance but Kapil and I had other ideas. You never give up in life. And cricket presents unexpected twists and turns. It reflects life... You can’t cheat the game. Work hard and the fruits will come. There are no shortcuts to success. If you are willing to run the distance, the returns are huge and last a lifetime.