When the 'king' was knighted

IT WAS a sight to behold. The Calypso King, Issac Vivian Alexander Richards, struggling to hold back tears of emotion as he was being conferred knighthood during the tea break on his home ground, when West Indies was close to victory against Pakistan. It was an unusual picture packed with emotion, palpable sense of achievement and contentment. For the great man strode the cricketing arenas for 17 years (from 1974-1991) like a colossus with a consistency which is yet to be matched by the premier batsmen in contemporary cricket.

Perhaps, the timing of this unique honour could not have been more appropriate for the West Indians when they were pushed to the wall by one of the all-time great left-arm fast bowlers, Wasim Akram. If the Jimmy Adams-led Caribbeans were short in confidence during that pulsating finish, Richards' presence should have transported their moods into a different performing world. No doubt it was a different issue that Viv Richards could not fit in the role of a coach as fittingly as the powers-that-be expected during the short stint. And, it is but natural that not all great cricketers can be equally great coaches.

Beneath that wide grin of Richards, lay the wry smile, always at the expense of pitiable opponents. A batsman whose genius defied logic with the all-pervading strength to judge the line and length of a bowler that much quicker than any one else could ever even dream off. Viv's lightning reflexes and the amazing ability to improvise in the most adverse circumstances separated him from the rest.

Even a cursory glance at the records definitely suggests that Richards was always something special - a man who was largely responsible for West Indies winning the World Cup twice in 1975 and 1979. A cricketer whose presence evoked an aura of invincibility and great expectations. The great batsman from Antigua, a nation which incidentally gained worldwide recognition primarily because of his cricketing exploits, re-wrote the cricket coaching manuals with some unbelievable efforts when the going was not good. While the copy-book advises both, a budding youngster and the established to play the waiting game with emphasis on exactitude in technique, this dazzling stroke-player transgressed the human limits and took the art of batting to a different plane - a level which most of his illustrious predecessors and those who are in the long, queue to stardom now can only look up and be content with wishful thinking. For, it is not a feature which can be mastered over a period of time. He was basically an impulsive stroke-maker. He was a born genius to achieve that level of excellence. No doubt, he was never a role model for any budding star to learn the basics of batting. For, in Viv Richards' book the focus was only on one aspect - dominate, what may be the situation. The imperial strides to the middle of the pitch can never be forgotten. For, they reflected his absolute, careless attitude giving an impression that he's coming out with a feeling - to hell with this bowling.

Significantly, Viv Richards had that innate urge to translate his intention into performance and with phenomenal success. How else can one describe his straight six out of the Melbourne Cricket Ground during a Packer Series match in 1979 when his shot off South African fast bowler Garth le Roux landed into the parking slot. ``That was an unbelievable shot,'' exclaimed Imran Khan later. Viv has that stunning reaction time to spot a yorker and slam it to any part of the ground. A delivery which many batsmen love to take pride by just blocking it. One could well easily imagine what would have been the plight of the rivals had the fielding restrictions were to be there when he was on a song.

No doubt, he was a member of a dream team from West Indies. But, again why only he hogged the limelight from such an outfit? One of the most celebrated centuries in a World Cup was his scintillating 138 against England in the 1979 final at Lord's, a venue with which he always had a special affinity and where he produced his best. In fact, in a Test series just before that he cracked a classic 145 during which he had the mortification of seeing the pitiable Englishmen run for shelter - literally - as they appealed for bad light when he was on 99. Normally, a batsman's privilege. But such was his onslaught on the hapless England attack comprising Mike Hendrick, Ian Botham, Derek Underwood & co. So his World Cup century, which came a little later after that great knock and even eclipsed a breathtakingly, stroke-filled 86 by Collis King during that grand partnership, was no surprise. Viv Richards demonstrated why he was the most savage batsman in the post-War era when he set Lord's on fire that evening. One who was never intimidated by any bowler which was evident by the fact that he never wore a helmet.

In fact, there were plenty of occasions when one felt the poor bowler at the receiving end and the umpire badly needed one. There was not a stroke which he didn't play and many which were his own range, bearing the exclusive stamp of Viv Richards class. Even the Indian cricket lovers recall in appreciation those strokes off Madan Lal and Roger Binny in the 1983 Cup final which at one stage threatened to complete a hat-trick of Cup triumphs for West Indies before Kapil took a great catch to cut short his tenure at the crease.

If there is any one batsman who made a mockery of a given situation, when the bowlers and the captain felt that they were on top, it was Viv Richards. His entry always conveyed an impression that nothing had happened. From the moment he took guard, all that the opponents could do was just reciprocate the gesture - guard the fence from his flurry of strokes and just hope for the best. There were not many instances when his dismissals were schemed. His failures were more because of the adventurous style of his batting and his tendency to play across the line, a technique on which the critics took, sometimes, sadistic pleasure.

Conveniently forgetting why there is only one Viv Richards in cricket history for there are many who do that but not in such disdainful manner and performing so consistently. His brilliance always bordered on arrogance. That was his way of taking on the best in the game. What put the Caribbean maestro in the elite club of the greatest in the game's history was the way he pulverised the bowling attacks at all venues. That majestic 291 at The Oval in a Test in the 1976 series and the `Massacre at Manchester' in 1984 when Richards scored the previous all-time best score in one-dayers (189 not out) against England in Texaco Trophy were two of the many instances for a case study of the great player's class. For the record, he holds the fastest century in Test cricket, a 56-ball hundred against England.

It's not just batting which he took to new heights. Not many of the batting greats were equally brilliant on the field and in bowling, too. He was a man on electric heels in the early years which was exemplified by his three run-outs in the 1975 final which played a decisive role in West Indies victory and that stunning catch to get rid off Ian Botham in the 1979 final, running a long way to his right at long-off cannot be easily forgotten. When not breaking the back of the bowlers, this powerhouse made his presence felt with his gentle off-spinners, fetching crucial breakthroughs. In fact, he claimed more than 100 wickets in one- dayers too. To put it simply, he was a genuine all-rounder. Always a man for the big occasion. His World Cup record of 1013 runs from 23 matches, including three hundreds and five fifties at an average of 61.31 reflects that.

Surely, the goodly crowd that turned out at Antigua to watch West Indies pull off a one-wicket victory must have been proud to be part of history by witnessing the great event - their most prized possession being honoured with the ultimate.

V. V. SUBRAHMANYAM

Hyderabad

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