Tuesday, Oct 08, 2002
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Cricket
By K.C. Vijaya Kumar
In a tale that spins a circle, Hooper will cross the milestone at the same venue where he made his debut in 1987. "I have enduring memories of India. Made my Test debut here, got my first Test century (100 n.o. at Kolkata' 1987) and my first one-day hundred (113 at Gwalior' 87) here. I love Indian food and back home in Guyana, 60 per cent of the population is Indian,'' he said and with an impish smile added, "and hopefully if things go well, we will beat the Indians in Mumbai and I can celebrate.'' The past however was steeped in talent, turmoil and the odd tear. Hooper after making his debut against Dilip Vengsarkar's Indians at Mumbai (then Bombay), stroked an unbeaten 100 in the next Test at Eden Gardens. And in a team that boasted of Haynes, Greenidge, captain Viv Richards and Richardson, Hooper was expected to be the torch-bearer of West Indian batting through the Nineties. A 134 against the likes of Imran, Akram, Waqar Younis and Abdul Qadir at Lahore saw his potential draw prodigal lines. "It was a special knock....that too against the likes of Akram...he troubled me a lot, most often with others you can survive their unplayable balls but with him, you get out,'' Hooper said. Hooper however failed to convert his starts. He has 5638 runs and 13 centuries, averaging 36.84 but he knows that he could have got more. "Have you ever heard of Hooper having lost form? Never... "I was getting those 30s and 50s but I was unable to convert them into 100s. That was a problem and I don't know why... But the break helped me....,'' his voice trails. The break. It was a time when his son Carl Hooper Junior was not well. And Hooper had to be with his family in Australia. The West Indies was gearing for the World Cup in England in 1999 when Hooper retired. The news shook the Carribean Isles and the `deserter' tag trailed him. "My wife and son needed me. And at that stage in my career, I had played non-stop for 13 years. I played all the games for the West Indies, I never even missed tour games and then I was a full time professional with Kent. I was fatigued,'' he said. Hooper returned as captain of the team in 2001 for the home series against South Africa. The Caribbeans lost 1-2 and Hooper was busy ducking under Allan Donald's bouncers and Michael Holding's barbs. The `deserter' tag was still in place and Hooper had to break the prejudices. He did that with a measure of comfort. "I stay focussed on my job and don't let others affect me. I am settled now. During the break I understood the value of my family. Cricket now comes third in my life after my Lord and my family and the funny thing is, I am performing much better now than when cricket was everything in my life. I know that even if I go to Timbuktoo, my wife and son will be with me. God is with me and this security has helped my game,'' he said. A second life is rare in sports. But for Hooper, it's been a case of second-time-lucky. His return to the crease is rich with runs and a new-found belief among his mates. Hooper averaged 33.76 in his first 80 Tests but ever since his comeback, he averaged 49.50 in 19 Tests. The 35-year old Hooper is aware that he is in his twilight years as a cricketer. "Nothing is permanent. I just want my team to improve. We have the nucleus of a good side. Chanderpaul has been around for a while and guys like Sarwan, Samuels, Gayle will mature in a year's time. Here people have written us off after Brian (Lara) was ruled out, but if we play good cricket, people will revise their opinions,'' he said. The eight-year old who left Guyana in search of cricket has come a long way. Batsman, off-spinner, captain...roles that he has donned with dignity ever since wearing the maroon cap in '87. And when he walks out for the toss with Sourav Ganguly at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, he will leave permanent footnotes in cricketing history.
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