A TRIBUTE TO MY FRIEND RAMAKANT DESAI

A TRIBUTE TO MY FRIEND RAMAKANT DESAI

 It was on Thursday, September 22, 2016, exactly a week back, India began its milestone journey of playing 500th Cricket Test match, a feat previously reached only by England (976 Tests), Australia (791) and West Indies (517). England’s landmark occasion was a drawn affair in 1974, Australia’s was an Ashes win against their arch rival England in 1990, while the West Indies celebrated their crushing win against Bangladesh in 2014. India crushed New Zealand by 197 runs to celebrate the 500th test in style. During this period there was mention of many cricketers of the yester years. Sadly there was no mention of my friend Ramant B. Desai by anyone.

I knew him since his college days. I was schooling then. I used to go to watch Inter- collegiate matches. He had left Ruparel and joined Siddharth. There was this classmate of his, Dinoo, who became pally with me. He introduced me to Ramant, Sudhakar Adhikari (who later on married my sister’s friend Radha). Ramakant was quite soft spoken and down to earth person. But he was very friendly. If  there was a man who proved that size and stature could be two very different things, it was Ramakant Desai. Standing at five feet, four inches tall, Desai was capable of bowling at a deceptive pace and getting the ball to rear up unnaturally for a man of his small size. He was affectionately called “Tiny” because of his height, but he was still by far the fastest bowler India possessed throughout the 1960s. He troubled the batsmen with bouncers, which was unusual for an Indian bowler at the time. He had ‘bunnies’ of two batsmen, the first being the Pakistani legend Hanif Mohammad, whom he dismissed four times in nine innings during the 1960-61 series. I remember, in that test match at Brabourne Stadium, it was the fourth day of the match and one of my uncles, Prabhakar Dharadhar, who was the chief scorer, took me there. As a fourteen year it was my first experience to watch a live test match. When India’s 8th wicket fell at 300, everybody thought the innings would fold up and Pakistan would start their second one. But in came my hero. He mixed his innings with aggressive and lusty big hits and perfect copybook defense. At the end of the day’s play he was not out on 60 and wicket keeper Nana Joshi unbeaten on 29. In the evening both the teams were invited by one of my relatives, Dr. Prabhakar Kothare at his residence. (Dr. Kothare would always invite teams when they played at Brabourne. His son Raju would often take me to their home on such occasions.) I also remember, how I had congratulated Ramakant and he had replied, “Vinay, come to watch me score some more runs.” He did score some more runs, coming in at no.10, he scored 85 (unfortunately not a century) and shared a record 149 – run with Nana Joshi, which was broken by Pakistani players Asif Iqbal and Intikhab Alam. But it is an Indian record for the ninth wicket that stands even now. India had taken lead in the first innings. Pankistan started its second innings. All the eyes were on the great Hanif. Ramakant ran in. First ball - hhsh- went past his bat, narrowly missing the edge- beaten neck and crop! We could hear the radio commentary blaring 'beaten all ends up!' Ramakant ran in again - second ball, a bouncer, his most reliable weapon - and this time it did not fail to take the edge and the ball safely landed in the hands of Polly Umrigar in the first slip. The whole stadium erupted. This time we could not hear the radio commentary.Though they say 'seeing, is believing,– we simply couldn’t believe our eyes! The legend was out for a blob -a zero! It must have been his first zero in Test cricket and it started 'his 'Ramkant's bunny - days' as we Indians say, since then he became Ramakant's 'bakra' or goat.

 In all the subsequent matches in that series,  he made the great Hanif  hop at times and the legendary opening batsman was generally all at sea against Ramakant. Ramakant also created 'bunny' out of England's Peter May. 

Ramakant played Test cricket for only nine years, appearing in his final Test against New Zealand in India’s 1968 tour Down Under. New Zealand batted first at Dunedin, getting bowled out for 350.Desaitook two wickets. In response, India were 300 for eight when Desai walked out to bat, and were soon 302 for nine. Then Ramakant and No. 11 Bishan Singh Bedi added an invaluable 57 to help India take the lead. This was impressive in itself, but there was more. Desai was struck on the face by a bouncer during his innings. His jaw was fractured and there was an instant swelling. Braving the pain, Desai batted on to remain unbeaten on 32. He even bowled some overs in the second innings, but it was EAS Prasanna who turned the tide with a six-wicket haul as India won what proved to be Desai’s final Test. It was heroic final hurrah. 

In his first year in the Ranji Trophy, he took 50 wickets in 7 matches at an average of 11.10. It is still a record for Bombay (Now Mumbai), and that too in his first Ranji Trophy season, a record at least till 1972-73 It included a performance of 5 for 10 and 6 for 28 against Saurashtr In the Ranji Trophy final in 1960-61 he took 7 for 46 and 4 for 74 in Bombay's victory over Rajasthan. Two years later, also against Rajasthan in the final, he scored his only first-class century, 107, in another victory. In his 11 years in the Bombay team (1958-59 to 1968-69), he never finished in a losing side.

I had watched him in the Times Shield ‘A’ division inter office matches, he would often take me in their tent. It was indeed a treat to watch batsmen getting clean bowled by him, in any form of cricket, Test, Ranji or first-class cricket, especially when the stump would get uprooted and go cart-wheeling quite some distance. Playing for A.C.C. he would bowl his heart out just as he did in Tests, and that too on the dead pitches in India. Perhaps, a more judicious use of his talent both in the Ranji Trophy and other matches could have preserved him as a penetrating bowler for a longer period.

I not only had the privilege to know him personally but also to play against him once. It was in Kalyan, it was during my college days. During the vacation at gone there and staying with Vernekar family. Raju Vernekar was captain of Kalyan XI team and had selected me. It was Tennis ball cricket match between Kalyan XI and Thana XI. I do not why or how, but many ‘outsiders’ in both the teams. Ramakant was in the Thana XI. We lost the match. But I had remained unbeaten on some 10- 15 odd runs, faced some overs from Ramakant. May be he bowled loose deliveries to me with a purpose. He had taken all the wickets, so I think. A tribute to you my friend,the 'Tinny Terror' - On the occasion of this India’s Cricket milestone!

On reading this tribute of mine to Ramakant his friend and class mate, Prabha Karle sent methis WhatsApp msg.: Excellent tribute, Vinay. What a  good natured boy was Ramakant! I also remember him taking 25  quick wickets in Australia tour. Hescored some 85 runs at the Braborne Stadium if I mistake not.' (which of course I had already written in this block.)

Vinay Trilokekar