Remembering our own champions Down Under

Blazing knock: K. Srikkanth bludgeoned the Australian bowling attack on his way to a quickfire century, his first in Test cricket, at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January 1986.
| Photo Credit: THE HINDU ARCHIVES

A famous son of Chennai recently bid adieu to international cricket under Australian skies. R. Ashwin made a quick announcement at Brisbane’s Gabba on December 18. It left the cricketing fraternity stunned and as the legend flew back home, it is time to recall a stage when another famous son of Chennai had his share of the sun Down Under.

This was during the 1985-86 cricketing season when Kapil Dev’s men were on their Australian sojourn. The Indian openers were the great Sunil Gavaskar and the maverick K. Srikkanth. The latter, an aggressive batter and one fiercely proud of his Tamil roots, had forged a great bond with his legendary partner. Slashing fast bowlers, hoisting spinners, and twitching his nostrils were Srikkanth’s traits.

Blend of fire and ice

Having made his national debut in 1981 and then being the top scorer in the 1983 World Cup final at Lord’s, the Chennai marauder was firming up his position in the Indian ranks. In ODIs, he opened with Ravi Shastri, while the more famous Mumbaikar Gavaskar was his partner in Tests. Theirs was a classic blend of fire and ice.

When the Indian team moved to Sydney (January, 1986), after securing draws in the previous Tests at Adelaide and Melbourne, the confidence within the ranks was high. There was also a sneaking suspicion that the host’s umpires were a bit dodgy, and in those days, neutral umpiring was not in vogue.

India batted first and relished a dream start as Gavaskar and Srikkanth piled on the runs. Both scored hundreds and for the latter, this was extremely special as it was his maiden ton in Tests. The man from Madras slammed a 116 from a mere 117 balls. This was limited overs batting exhibited in cricket’s longest format, but Srikkanth was like that, a precursor to the Virender Sehwags and Rohit Sharmas of the modern era.

Stretching his career

Even as the opener tucked into the Aussie attack led by lanky speedster Bruce Reid, an injury to his leg meant that he was contemplating returning to the dressing room. “I told Cheeka to stay at the crease, told him to get a runner and we had Laxman Sivaramakrishan stepping in,” Gavaskar recalled. The rest was history even if at times there was unintended comedy as Srikkanth forgot that he had a runner.

For a player who hated the ‘lottu’ (defensive shot) and preferred the ‘thooki adi’ (loft and play) method, Srikkanth’s effort strengthened his position in Tests and he stretched his career till the 1991-92 tour of Australia. Perhaps, it is a coincidence that both Srikkanth and Ashwin’s last Tests were in Australia.