Cricket in the 80s and 90s Cricket in the 80s and 90s was gruelling and enthralling. The best batsmen in the world competing against the best bowlers and oh, there were many of them. That era saw the emergence of four exciting all-rounders who were a rare breed until then, four of the greatest cricketers of all times. Our own Chandigarh boy Kapil Dev along with three others, Imran Khan, Ian Botham and Richard Hadlee. The fab four, they used to be called. All these cricketers were great entertainers who excelled for their respective Nations and fans thoroughly enjoyed watching their scintillating battles.
Among Them, Imran was the fastest. A tearaway pacer. His run up was longish and graceful and each time he used to come running to hurl the red ball across those 22 yards, he would send fear down the spines of the opposition batsmen. Kapil Dev was equally impressive, “Haryana Hurricane”, he was nicknamed as. And highly talented with the bat as well. Remember when India needed 24 runs to escape the follow on in a test against England and Kapil hit those four towering sixes to save India the blushes? Which other cricketer would think and do that? Ask anyone from that era and they will tell you how India versus Pakistan was always such a fascinating treat to watch. India with its history of good batsman competing against Pakistan with a history of express pacers. There were so many superstars for both teams. Gavaskar, Vengsarkar, Vishwanath, Kapil for us, Imran, Sarfraz Nawaz, Miandad, Zaheer Abbas for them. And there were fascinating contests between the wicket keepers as well. Kirmani competing with Wasim Bari and both aiming to be the best in the World. The good old times when matches used to be played in a friendly and cordial atmosphere. Prudential World Cup, Benson and Hedges, Sharjah. So many lovely moments. That was the golden era of cricket which featured many icons and it’s nice to see one of them, Imran, take over as Prime Minister of Pakistan now. Imran was a revolutionary captain with the ability to think outside the box. The “Pinch hitter” was a concept which was introduced and mastered by him to good effect. When Pakistan used to be down and out, he would often send a lower order batsman with a license to score freely and bring the equation back in his team’s favour. Hopefully, Imran’s emergence on the political landscape will bring back peace and good relations between the two neighbours. Our leadership and their leadership need to engage in talks and show some warmth. The media can play their part by putting an end to the frenzy, hate and hysteria. Happy Eid wishes and greetings to all. - warm regards, Sandeep Heble