May 2012. Location: The coffee shop of a Chennai five-star hotel. Two worried men sat in conversation over a grilled sandwich. I just happened to be there and did not know whether to leave or stay.
This was IPL time, and since one happened to be the captain of the franchise and the other his most trusted death bowler, it was most certain that they were discussing cricket. Much worse, they were discussing the thrashing they received the previous night. Autograph hunters (remember, those were pre-selfie days) would notice them instantly, as they went by the name of Sourav Ganguly and Ashish Nehra.
On average days they would be the most obliging autograph givers. But here, the circumstances were different. They had lost a sure-shot match the previous night by conceding 23 runs in the final over at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The hapless bowler happened to be Nehra, whose death bowling stats had been largely impressive. But here he was, undone by a cricketing blood-group the world revered – AB.
Nehra had been sent to the cleaners all over Chinnaswamy. To an average cricket-lover, it was unpardonable in those days and perhaps even today. How can you concede 23 in your final over and lose the game for your team? Mind you, IPL franchise owners, with a few exceptions, are much more demanding than cricket-lovers. They want results and do not necessarily ask for reasons.
Sitting at the coffee shop, Ganguly was inundated with calls from the Pune Warriors management. They were livid and wanted immediate action. ‘Drop Nehra from the next match’ was the clear directive. Nehra tried explaining to the captain that it was a clear case of a batsman hitting splendidly, rather than a bowler giving it away. Ganguly saw no reason to differ.
But this was not India and he was not the super selector that he had once been during his glorious era. Shortly, a long-distance telephonic conversation began. The franchise boss had again called. One of India's most successful captains argued vociferously in the defence of his longtime colleague. Ganguly tried explaining that AB de Villiers in full flow is almost unstoppable, and so, keeping that in mind, Nehra deserved to be given one more game.
The bosses would hear none of it. Nehra got sidelined for the next match and Pune Warriors' fortunes plummeted further. They had began the IPL almost like Kings XI Punjab did this year – in a spectacular fashion – but had lost momentum from Chinnaswamy.
One shocking over had completely crushed the morale of the team. They finished last that season. Ganguly never held a bat again in international cricket.
More than any other reasons, one man remained hugely responsible for the slide, as the Chinnaswamy tremors were felt again and again in a pressure situation. Such was the impact of that blow!
ABD: Why Richard Hadlee Was Happy He Didn’t Play in This Era
We were having a very light-hearted, freewheeling conversation in one of the hugely decorated marquees at the Christchurch Cricket Stadium. Incidentally, I happened to ghost-write a few articles that the Pride of New Zealand was doing on the 2015 World Cup.
With the ball, he was unarguably the meanest of the four great all-rounders of the 80s with a Test bowling average of 22.30. Off the field, one of the most generous you could hope to meet. The column got done very quickly. Sir Richard John Hadlee had always been a pro.
He always came prepared for a professional challenge. With the job getting out of the way, I tried to engage in some intimate cricketing chats. First and foremost, wouldn't he have loved to bowl in the current era which offered so much spotlight, money and perhaps lesser technically equipped batsmen?
I knew the cliched answer I was going to get – “Yes I would have enjoyed every bit of it. While we played there was hardly any money. The game has also got bigger. There is so much exposure.”
But Sir Richard said exactly the opposite.
I’m happy I didn’t play in this era. The modern-day batsman would have murdered me, especially someone like an AB de Villiers.Sir Richard John Hadlee
It was such an unexpected reply. I shot back saying, “You have bowled against the mighty, and handled so many greats of that era. Gavaskar, Lloyd, Miandad, Botham, Gooch, and even a Tendulkar towards the closing stages of your career. Why would you fear a de Villiers?”
Sir Richard smiled and said, “Viv would murder you on any given day... But you always knew you had a chance against his non-striker. Even against a rampaging Viv. But AB de Villiers is so crafty and destructive that he would throw your game plan out of the window. He would use the batting crease so intelligently that my line and length, the greatest weapon of mine, would have gone out of the window."
I wish one had video-recorded the conversation. It may perhaps be the greatest tribute that the man is getting post retirement.
Only One Mr 360
In Australia, they refer to the initial AB for another legendary cricketer – Allan Border. So many years post his retirement, Border is still hugely respected as he typified the Australian spirit of a battler. A warrior who would not give an inch. But Border held on to the Australian legacy, he did not reshape it.
The magic of AB de Villiers goes much beyond the influence of a Border.
Border fought for the dynasty and retrieved her past glory along with the guile of a Bobby Simpson. His impact was country-specific. But ABD alongside also changed cricket in the way it was played. He took it to an altogether different level.
From Bradman to Tendulkar. From Hutton to Glichrist. So many great batsmen had made the sport richer. Yet none of them got referred to as the ultimate 360-degree player. Using the crease was more or less a bowler's domain.
Coaches would warn young batsmen, if a medium pacer is coming from wide off the crease, get prepared for an inswinger. If he is coming close to the stumps, expect an outswinger. But on one veer thought that one day, bowlers would start preparing for batsmen continuously moving and using the batting crease.
Couldn't AB Give One Final Push for a WC?
Post the sudden retirement, Whatsapp groups have been busy circulating the initial exploits of a young ABD. That he was a junior badminton champion. An under-19 champion golfer. Part of their junior Davis cup team. I really do not know how much to make from these. But he was arguably the fittest batsman to have played the game. He had no time for the old English cricket copy book emerging out of the MCC and wrote his own.
Viv was perhaps the first of his era who demonstrated that intimidation does not necessarily start from the bowling end. A batsman can also make the bowler scared and go sleepless.
Imran Khan had once told me in an interview, the sleepless nights he had spent on the eve of bowling against a Viv easily outnumberd the anxious days before facing their fearsome four fast bowlers. In the post Bradman days, Viv more than any other batsman, showed generating fear can also be a batsman's prerogative. But then, Viv was one off his kind. He had not left behind a legacy or a grammar to destroy the opposition.
The magic of ABD is that he has. He has not only changed the game but left behind a legacy to follow and improve upon. In South Africa, the fans remained shellshocked that their hero, despite his achievements, will also historically remain branded with a group that were called chokers on the world stage.
Especially in the 50 overs World Cup. Couldn't he have given one final push for a trophy which may have awaited just after a year?
But the decision, perhaps, is the essence of ABD. Like most of his peers or the former cricketers, he will not look at the scoreboard or chase a record. He would rather present you a new record book strictly on his own terms. He can't be dictated to, as only he is supposed to dictate!
Chinnaswamy offers the grandest and befitting tribute to one of her greatest cricketers by erecting a Wall. He was their and one of India's most durable battle-hardy cricketer. Rahul Dravid surely deserves it, now what about erecting a plaque for AB de Villiers with the inscription – ‘Thanks for changing it all!’
(Gautam Bhattacharya is a longstanding cricket writer and author. Currently, he is working as the Joint Editor of the Bengali daily Sangbad Pratidin and can be reached at gbsaltlake@gmail.com)
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