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Hansie, Kochi's big fan
IT COULD have been the rooms with a view. For the Taj Residency offers the Arabian Sea in all its splendour. Or it could have been the little boats lazing about. Could have even been the heavy greenery around. Or the inspiring stadium.
Whatever, Kochi had a special place in Hansie Cronje's heart. The former South Africa cricket captain, who died in a plane crash on Saturday, cherished his two visits to the city, in late 1996 and early 2000.
``This place is a special one for us, it's quite lovely. It reminds us very much of Durban back home. Wish we had many such places on the circuit,'' said Cronje during his first visit to Kochi in November 1996.
It was a rather relaxed three-dayer against the then national champion, Karnataka. Very much different from the hectic one-dayers. And the South Africans even had time to go around for a couple of functions in the city.
One such function, a felicitation by the city Mayor at the Corporation of Cochin Hall, had the visitors grinning from ear to ear.
For the announcer played havoc with the players' names as the Mayor presented mementoes to the South Africans. "Haansie Crangije, Nicky Bogey...,'' read the gent quite innocently, much to the amusement of the guests.
However, one man, the tall and handsome skipper, Hansie Cronje, stood apart with a serious and dignified look.
``That's the special thing about Cronje. He was different and he had charisma. And the players had a special respect for him as a captain,'' said T. Suresh who was the local manager for the South African team during its Kochi stay. "I didn't find this in other teams, even among the Indian and Pakistan sides,'' he added.
Cronje was in the city once again in March 2000, during his last tour of India, just days before he slipped into the murky swamp of match fixing.
``They were quite thrilled when they knew that Kochi would be a part of their tour again,'' said Suresh, now based in Chennai as the Regional Manager of German Remedies. "And at team meetings, barbecue was the players' favourite,'' he said.
Hansie Cronje, a reformed man who had planned to coach children a few months ago, is now history. But his comments about Kochi and the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium forced the cricket bigwigs to sit up and take notice. The ground is now said to be among the best in the country.
Thanks Hans, thanks for the favour.
STAN RAYAN
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