His jovial enthusiasm was Gokul's biggest asset'

Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi pays tribute to one of the finest leg-spinners never to have played for India, former Punjab and Delhi leg-spinner Gokul Inder Dev — a giant of India's first-class cricket scene with 302 wickets who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 80.
I'm feeling very guilty. I knew my colleague and dear friend, Col. Gokul Inder Dev, was not keeping well for some time.I had promised his son Rahul that I would visit his ailing father, but that didn't happen, and now the inevitable news of Gokul's demise has left me desolate.
Gokul hailed from Amritsar, and like most of us from a small town, he too left his home and hearth early, seeking better opportunities for survival. And again like most of us, Gokul's only skill revolved around a cricket ball, with his right hand preserved for the toughest part of the game — leg spin!
Gokul's leg-breaks found favour with Punjab to start with. He then moved on to Delhi and eventually with the Armed Forces, where he retired as a full-fledged Colonel. Not that Gokul ever defended the National Borders. His job was to play cricket, and I would like to think he did that with flair and aplomb, keeping his teammates in great spirits with his sharp wit and enormous capacity to crack a joke a minute!
Gokul was a terrific team man and loved his amateur status beyond the boundaries of sanity, if I may say so! I would often call him ‘Jokul' in appreciation of his very lively humour. It was a delight to share a dressing room with Gokul, Vijay Mehra and Som Prakash Anand, all former Punjab players, and all with colossal ability to keep everyone in peals of laughter! Sadly, all three are no more with us.
Much as we claim ‘excellence' as the modern script of professionalism, there's a lot more to be said about the ‘happy-go-lucky' amateur who played the sport for the love of it, and spread the gospel of genuine fun and frolic far and wide, to the delight of fellow players and opponents alike.
Gokul was no mug with the bat. He had seven first-class hundreds against his name, which is sufficient credibility for an allrounder. But no, Gokul was primarily a leg-spinner who knew he'd never play for the country, as he had to be content watching the great Subhash Gupte, and then V V Kumar, from the sidelines. That didn't, however, deter him from enjoying every wicket that he picked up. His jovial enthusiasm was Gokul's biggest asset.
Gokul lasted 20 years in first-class cricket. That was the norm then, playing for the love of the game and serving the game like a true servant. All the leggies of that era played for nearly two decades or more. I can think of the immortal Subhash Gupte, followed by Baloo, V V Kumar of Tamil Nadu and Chandu Joshi of Rajasthan.
Our man Gokul was indeed rubbing shoulders with the very best in the country. One picture of Gokul doing the ‘bhangra' is very vivid in my mind. It was the Duleep Trophy match between North Zone and West Zone in Pune when we beat the ‘arch-enemy' for the first time ever, with Gokul helping us get the vital first- innings lead. Lo and behold, Gokul was dancing right in the middle! It wasn't quite the ‘done thing' then but Gokul couldn't hide his Punjabi background!
If I may add, Gokul was also the vice-captain of the team. North Zone went on to win the coveted Duleep Trophy thanks to Gokul's all-round contributions.
We have had many evenings reminiscing our cricketing years. Stories retold by Gokul always had a different expression, one more interesting than the other. On one occasion he was invited by his school in Amritsar to motivate the kids, and he referred to all his teachers as ‘cruel guides' who invariably kept him standing on the bench!
The net result of that was he ended better off than most, a rather crude way of ‘giving back', as is the modern way of doing things! But that's Gokul. You were a joyful companion and I reckon cricket is poorer today without amateurs of your ilk!