CHENNAI: During the late 1950s and 60s, a sense of anticipation used to fill the air at cricket grounds whenever a man in a turban walked out to bat. "Singh aadraru, minimum moon nalu bana vuduvaru (Singh is playing, he will hit a minimum of 3-4 sixes)" - the fans would discuss as
AG Milkha Singh
, who died on Friday at the age of 75 following a cardiac arrest, took strike.
Many of them might have turned up just to watch the elegant left-hander bat, and Milkha seldom disappointed.
Belonging to a Sikh family with a rich cricketing lineage, Milkha's grandfather had migrated to Chennai from Amritsar in the early 1900s. While Milkha's father, AG Ram Singh, played first-class cricket for TN, his elder brother,
AG Kripal Singh
, made one century and two-half centuries in 14 Tests for India. His younger brother, AG Satwender Singh, and two nephews, S Kripal Singh and Arjan Kripal Singh, also represented TN with distinction while current national selector
Sarandeep Singh is a close relative.
Milkha made his Ranji Trophy debut for
Tamil Nadu at the age of 16 and went on to become the first-ever centurion in Duleep Trophy history - one of the many highlights of a decade-long career which included four Test appearances for India.
What stood out was the fearlessness with which Milkha approached his game. Former India off-spinner and captain S Venkataraghavan still remembers the way Milkha, or Micky as he was known to his peers, handled the threat of Erapalli Prasanna and BS Chandrasekhar in a Ranji match. "I think among the left-handers to whom I bowled in India, Milkha was one of the best. The way he played Chandra and Prasanna in a Ranji Trophy game still sticks in my memory. He made 85 in both innings. Those were fantastic knocks. In fact, Prasanna and Chandra always admired him," says Venkataraghavan, who made his India Test debut four years after Milkha played his last for the country.
In fact, Venkataraghavan, who encountered many top-class batsmen during his Test career, believes that the "stylish" southpaw ought to have played more for India. "He had a very short Test career. In my opinion, he should have played at least 15-20 Tests more. He had that calibre to play."
According to former TN leg-spinner VV Kumar, whose two Test appearances came alongside Milkha, the latter could have had a longer Test career if the selectors had shown some patience. Making his Test debut against Australia at Chepauk just days after his 18th birthday, Milkha failed to make it count with scores of 16 and 9 and was given the axe just after three more matches.
"Unless you are a
Sachin Tendulkar, it is difficult when a player is exposed to Test cricket in his teens. Possibly, Milkha was not quite ready at that stage. I feel if he had got his chance a bit later, India would have made the most of the services of a great left-hander," Kumar said.
Perhaps, as his record of 4324 runs at an average of 35.44 from 88 first-class matches suggests, the fact that Milkha was never one to rack up big hundreds could have gone against him.
"He was not a batsman who would not be interested in hundreds and double hundreds for his personal benefit. He was a man for a crisis. Whenever his team would be in a crisis, he was the one fighting fire with fire. He could conquer all conditions," Kumar explains.
At a time when the numbers mattered more than the way you score it, Milkha's international career didn't go too far. There was no One Day cricket or T20s either, formats in which the southpaw would have been a definite success. Yet, it seems, Milkha was never consumed by a feeling of bitterness about the lack of opportunities at the top level. "When he was the manager/coach of the TN State team, he was great fun and could relate to guys in the early 20s without any problem. He was very friendly but could be firm when required," says former Tamil Nadu captain WV Raman.
It's not surprising, then, that the cricket-obsessed Milkha stayed in touch with the game well after retirement. "He was fully aware of what was happening in the game. He used to be glued to the TV, watch every match and give his comments about the players he liked," younger brother Satwender said. "Among the current players, I remember him talking about Ashwin on a couple of occasions, saying he is a very good bowler who will go far in the game."
(With inputs from Bagawati Prasad)
Start a Conversation
Post comment