Related Links

Sadanand Vishwanath was the young chirpy wicket keeper who got noticed during the Benson and Hedges World Series in 1985. That was a major limited overs tournament that India had won after the Prudential World Cup in 1983. Vishy as he is known in the cricketing circles replaced the one and only Syed Kirmani and whatever little chances this stumper got, he gave his best shot. Nineteen years later after his success in 1985, Vishy shares his wonderful memories of his cricketing days and also talks about his quest in becoming a Test Umpire with Cricketfundas.com. Following is the interview given by Sadanand Vishwanath to B.V.Swagath:

Sadanand Viswanath, You replaced one of the greatest wicket-keepers in the game – Syed Kirmani. So you definitely had to be a special talent those days. Tell us about your success story.

Well, for every Cricketer to represent either the state or the country, you need to have talent, discipline, lot of mental fortitude, lot of courage. Apart from the cricket acumen and talent, you require mental skills, emotional skills. The right mixture of these attributes goes into the making of a cricketer. Well as a youngster, I started playing cricket from the U-19 level, because those days we didn’t have the U-15’s and U-17’s. So right from the U-19 level, we caught the selectors’ eye, and I toured Sri Lanka and England in the U-19 team. Ravi Shastri was our captain, and you had players like Navjot Singh Sidhu, Maninder Singh, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Gurcharan Singh and after that we had players like Manoj Prabhakar, Krishnamachari Srikkanth. So I guess for a youngster to play with the players whom he idolized as a kid, and to play with them was definitely a very good feeling. It is a wonderful feeling to have played with the best cricketers in the world and I consider it an honour to have played for the country.

So how did you get into cricket?

My introduction into the sport was like every other youngster, I was obsessed and fascinated by this game. There are many kids in the present generation who are in awe with the sport. In our days we didn’t have television to support our dreams. I used to wake up early in the morning and tune in to the radio and catch up Cricket in Australia and Suresh Saraiyya from the West Indies. We had the radio which truly inspired our dreams. We also had the black & white edition of the Sportsweek and that was about 75 paise. These were propellants which really helped us to create a passion for the sport. I feel the environment around me also helped as I lived very close to the cricket stadium. Right from my childhood I have always been someone who would consider himself to be a go-getter. I used to work very hard. I was talented; there is no doubt about that. I put in a lot of hard work and mental toughness along with my talent. I had to replace Syed Kirmani as the wicket keeper. The most important message that I would like to give the youngsters is that there are lot of good players in cricket, but when you get the chance, when you get an opportunity, that is the time that you have to perform because you don’t get many chances too often. So I guess, when I replaced Syed Kirmani I did my best and left a mark which includes my winning role in the Benson & Hedges Championship. I am very grateful to the Indian players, selectors and the Indian Board to have recognized my talent. And right now I continue my association with the sport, although in a different dimension. I follow up my love for the sport as a cricket umpire. I also nurture and groom young cricket talent in Bangalore. My aim as a coach is through the great game of cricket, the youngsters are able to inculcate the character in form of discipline, punctuality and so many other things that come out of the game.

What according to you are the most important factors for a young cricketer to start off with this game?

One of the most important factors that a young cricketer requires is good coaching in his childhood. And after that it depends on how he cultivates his own perceptions of the sport. This game is all about taking the right moves at the right time. The opponents are always going to put pressure on you in all departments of the game. This game not only builds character but also reveals it. I did have a wonderful spirit in playing cricket for the country although it was a bit short lived. The highlight of my career was the Benson N Hedges Series victory in 1985. Sunil Gavaskar who was our captain was able to revive the best out of each and every individual. There was a lot of synergy created by the Indian Team in that particular tournament. And, in the same year we won the Rothman’s cup in Sharjah. I remember getting Pakistan all out for a low score of 87.

As a kid, why did you choose wicket-keeping?

Of course, wicket-keeping is all about responsibility. I knew that if you are a good keeper, then you cannot be dropped from the team. Whereas for a bowler or a batsman, if you had one or two bad games, then there are replacements waiting for a chance. But if you are good as a wicket-keeper then you can have a long run in the team. Although it is a bit of a selfish reason, I feel I enjoyed my job and I knew that if I am very good, then I will always be in the eleven and not in the reserves, although I was in the reserves in my state team, when Syed Kirmani was the wicket-keeper. So I have loved keeping wickets.

Who inspired you to become a wicket keeper?

Well watching Syed Kirmani keep wickets to BS Chandrasekhar, Prasanna in Karnataka and also he keeping wickets to the spin quartet of Bedi, Venkatraghavan, again Chandrasekhar and Pras in the Indian team inspired me and I think it also inspired a lot of young children in India. I still remember my mother giving me a copy of Alan Knott’s wicket-keeping book. I think that was very inspiring and I learnt a lot from that book. I also learnt a lot from Syed Kirmani keeping wickets.

The Indian team that won the World Series in 1985 is considered to be the best ever produced. Can you tell us why?

It’s nice to know that our team was voted as the team of the century. But the team which won the World Cup in 1983 was also a fantastic team. I think we were certainly lucky to get this award. I personally feel that the 83 team was much better than our team. But, again some one has to win the award and our team won that award. I think it was more because the odds were against us, as we had lost the home series against England. One more important thing was the telecasting of these matches done by Channel 9 in a wonderful manner. They had 10-12 cameras and it was the first time that they had stump microphones. I think because of all this, people had memories of India winning that prestigious series and it stayed on their minds for ever.

Tell us more about that Benson & Hedges World Series 1985.

Well, I still remember that we were staying in the Melbourne Hilton Hotel during that Tournament. I still remember me telling Siva that I had a feeling that we were going to win this Tournament. Siva said yeah lets keep our fingers crossed and who knows, we might just get lucky. And eventually we did turn out to be the winners, and I was quite prophetic that I had spoken to Siva about it. Siva and Ravi bowled very well in those huge grounds in Australia. In fact we bowled very well; we dismissed all the teams within the 50 overs except for one. Even Mohammad Azharuddin who was new to the team during that time played very well. He always got off to a flyer. Ravi Shastri won the Audi Car and I think those were wonderful days of my career.

How were the big players like Sunny Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and others been with the new players like you, LS and others?

We were very fortunate that our senior players always guided us, motivated us. It was a sheer honour to play with the greats whom we had idolized during our childhood. It was very nice to play with the greats like Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath, Madan Lal, Roger Binny and to leave a mark of our own deeds and actions was a wonderful feeling.

You went to Sharjah and won the Rothmans 4 Nation Tournament. The Highlight of that Tournament was the Match between India and Pakistan which you went on to win inspite of getting bowled out for 125. Tell us about that match.

Yeah, that was one of the dream wins in my career. I still remember that the entire Indian contingent, who had come to support the Indian team had deserted the stadium by lunch time. The stadium was packed with the Pakistani Crowd, especially the Taxi drivers, who would come over there in the afternoon after namaz. Once one of their opener was dismissed after getting run out by Mohinder Amarnath and then Gavaskar took a beauty in 1^st slip. He took 4 catches on that particular day. Before we knew what was happening, they lost wickets continuously and were eventually spun out for 87. Sivaramakrishnan and Shastri bowled magnificently.

What were the chances that the Indian players gave after putting 125 on the board?

We knew that if the bowlers got a couple of early breakthroughs, then we were in with a chance. We knew that wickets would tumble at the start. I should admit that it was a miraculous victory. It was a complete turnaround from a normal one day game. Defending 125 is not at all easy, but I had a feeling that we would win. I am a very optimistic cricketer, and I had the feeling that we could pull it off. Not only me, but the entire team had the feeling that if they could pick up early wickets, then the Pakistanis would feel the heat on them and that’s exactly what happened.

You picked up 6 dismissals in your Final Test against Sri Lanka which was an Indian Record. Can you talk us through that tour?

Yes that's right. Well it was a series in which you did not have neutral umpires and both were Sri Lankan Umpires. Sri Lanka hadn’t got its ICC Status during that time. And I still remember that after Sri Lanka won the series, one of the umpires picked up a stump and ran to the pavilion. They declared it as a national holiday. Of course the Sri Lankan cricketers have been magnificent and the crowd has been cricket loving just like another island nation – West Indies. Eventually we lost the Test Series 1-0. That tour had started much before the Indian Domestic Season. So many of our players were not match fit and weren’t rearing to go. It turned out to be my waterloo as I had 11 victims in 3 Test matches.

Any reasons why you didn’t make it to the team again?

Well I did come back again into the team in 1986. I played in Sharjah again in 1987 in 2 games out of the three that India played. I was also in the probables for the Reliance World Cup. All this happened very long ago, so there is no point in going back and feeling stressed out on it. It was a wonderful feeling to play in the Indian team.

We have come across many Karnataka Players and came to know that Keki Tarapore has coached them. So how important has Keki Tarapore been to Indian Cricket?

Keki Tarapore has been associated with Karnataka Cricket for the past 3 decades. He has been a coach at our school level, at our college level and also at the club level. The Bangalore Cricket Club I think is 75 years old now. KSCA which was well administered by Mr Thimmapiah, produced lot of Test Cricketers and State Cricketers . All these gentlemen had cricket very close to their heart and they played a very prominent role in all our lives. Keki Tarapore of course was a wonderful coach. He coached us very well, taught us the basics.  After that, its all upto the cricketer’s imagination as to how he shapes up his own technique, how he corrects his own mistakes and develops into a wonderful cricketer as many of Keki Tarapore's students have.

You want to become a Test Umpire in the near future. So what exactly is the process of becoming a Test Umpire?

Well, the BCCI have a total of 165 umpires right now, i.e. the Ranji panel and the All India panel put together. We did have the medical exams and the viva in Mumbai. The BCCI are planning to have an Elite panel which they have done. Earlier the BCCI had called the Test Players for selection, and 6 players were selected by the BCCI. I am happy being associated with Indian Cricket in the last 9 years as a cricket umpire. You have to be very patient when it comes to umpiring, and there are far more seasoned umpires than me. There are people who have been umpiring for 15-20 years. They haven’t yet made the climb to the all India panel. So I am keeping my fingers crossed and hope that I get lucky soon.

What do u think about the present contract system implemented by the BCCI? Does the contract system mean that the selectors are looking only to pick 15 out of the 20 and if so what about other performers outside the 20? 

Good question... I don’t exactly know what is the criterion on how they pick the 20 guys, but obviously 15 cricketers pick themselves. It’s very unfortunate that cricketers like Hemang Badani and other gifted cricketers have not made the 20. But money is always a growth motivator in everyone’s life. Everyone looks for financial security, and once a person is financially secure, he would be able to canalize his energy and play good cricket. So I think eventually once the players find themselves to be financially secure, they start playing better cricket. So perhaps now the players are worth more than crores of rupees which I am very happy because sports is a modern day industry. I feel happy that the present day cricketers, once they finish their career they don’t have to hold down their heads like the former cricketers.

What do you think has been the basic flaw with Parthiv Patel’s wicket-keeping?

Well, I think he has not been able to get the geometry right. I think he is standing a little bit far and he is not taking the ball well at the spot where it starts climbing. So he’s got to move up a little, gage the wicket pretty well and the bounce of the wicket. It’s not easy keeping to Harbhajan and Kumble. He has got to create match situations with them in the nets and practice a lot. He should keeping 10-15 minutes in the nets and ask the batsman to give him 2-3 stumping chances. Create match situations where he gets a stumping or a caught behind. So he needs to work on these aspects. He also has to work a little bit harder on his abdominal muscles. He has got to work on his hamstrings and he’s also got to work on how he distributes his weight during keeping wickets. Sometimes I feel that too much of weight is being distributed to his heels and he is not exactly on his toes. So there are some flaws on which he will have to improve upon and he’s got to realize that he has to work on his strength. One more thing is that he being a short guy doesn’t have the reach. I for one person feel that the lad is bound to improve and he has got the potential. He should be given more confidence, and dropping him won’t help any body’s cause. Nagpur I think will be the acid test for Parthiv. If he doesn’t fare well in Nagpur, then you might see Dinesh Karthik donning the gloves in Mumbai.

If you were the selector and you had the option of picking either Dinesh Karthik or Parthiv Patel or MS Dhoni or anyone else, whom would you pick for a Test Match?

Right now, after having invested so much on Parthiv Patel, he has done well in England, done well against the likes of Akhtar and Sami in Pakistan, also did well against McGrath and Lee in Australia, I think we must go with Parthiv Patel. He is quite a gutsy character with the bat and he can be a very good asset to the middle order to play the 2^nd new ball. Parthiv Patel thus can bolster up the Indian Batting, so I would go for Parthiv Patel.

How do you rate Dinesh Karthik as a wicket-keeper?

I have watched Dinesh Karthik right from his junior level stints at the U-13 and U-15 for TNCA. Earlier he was a tremendous batsman. He has slowly developed into a good wicket-keeper. He is enjoying his wicket-keeping thoroughly and had a wonderful stumping of Michael Vaughan, the other day at Lords of Harbhajan.  Dinesh Karthik will certainly keep Parthiv Patel on his toes and its good healthy competition and I wish both the very best. MS Dhoni also looks very good, so the future is good as far as wicket-keepers in the Indian team is concerned and I hope that these keepers ride the rituals of the Indian Team.

Having watched Dhoni's batting, I thought he's just an amazing talent with the bat for a keeper, what do you think?

Dhoni...yes his batting looks superb, but I feel this lad has to work really hard on his keeping. And hope we get a better player than what he is in the coming days, its only good for Indian cricket with this healthy competition.

Who do you think is the best wicket-keeper technically right now in World Cricket?

Now ...you got me stumped on this. I would say that I was impressed with the South African wicket-keeper Mark Boucher previously but he has gone down ever since then and has had a very tough time. I was also impressed with the English wicket-keeper James Foster. I think currently the way things stand; you have to give the vote to Adam Gilchrist. He is contributing immensely to his team as a wicketkeeper batsman. So I think I would give the vote to Adam Gilchrist.

Any tips you want to give to budding wicket-keepers?

I would say that concentration is the key. You have to realize that you might have to take a wonderful catch in the first ball of the match or you might have to affect a stumping on the last ball of the day’s play. So better stay involved and learn to switch on and switch off. Learn the art of concentration and as you keep getting stronger with your basics. You’ve got to really slog and really work hard on your technical skills and also try and get into activities like Yoga, aerobics, swimming and even reading. Youngsters nowadays have forsaken their reading habits. Any young cricketer should go to the library and read autobiographies of cricketers and learn from them and become good human beings.

Any message you want to give to your 1985 Cricket team members through Cricketfundas.com?

I remember that after every match I used to ask them to give me an ‘E’, and give me an ‘N’, and give me a ‘J’, and give me an ‘O’, and give me a ‘Y’ and we used to shout together ENJOY. So wherever you might be and whatever you are doing, never forget those wonderful moments that we shared together. Enjoy your life. My good wishes to you and your family. Hope that we meet once again and recreate the class of 1985 and remember that we made billions of people happy and we were a very special team. Let’s hope that the present Indian team can capture that kind of spirit that we showed.

Any message to Cricketfundas.com

Cricketfundas.com is being run by ardent cricket fans and former cricketers for all the cricket lovers in the world. I hope they get lots of hits and success. I hope that Cricketfundas.com contributes a lot to this wonderful game and makes millions of people happy when they log on to the website.

Top of the Page