Before Brian Lara came along, a batsman called Hanif Mohammad once held the highest innings compiled by a cricketer in Test and first-class cricket.
Short in stature Mohammad, nevertheless, strode the cricketing world like a colossus.
It wasn't long before he earned the respect of his peers as one of the best openers in the game.
Mohammad was in Kolkata as part of the BCCI's platinum jubilee celebrations. He loves the charm the city exudes and also has many fond memories associated with the place. He took time off to share his views on contemporary cricket and the way the game is played today.
Excerpts…
Gulf News: How does it feel to be in Kolkata again?
Hanif Mohammad: Actually I was born in Junagarh, India. Not only that, I was here until Independence. So, it's always a great feeling to be back. I still remember Kolkata for an incident which occurred during a Test match in 1962.
We were told that the highest scorer would receive a Banarasi sari. I scored 62 in both innings. My brother Mushtaq was playing in the same Test as well. He scored 61. I bagged the award and the players pulled my leg in the dressing room.
Finally Mushtaq admitted that since he was not married he would have had no use for the sari.
GN: On the differences between batting today and during his days…
HM: It's perhaps easier now. When we played the game, the wickets were not covered. We did not have the advantage of quality safety equipment, like helmets. We had to face the fearsome fast bowlers of our time without adequate protective gear. So, in a way, batting today is far easier.
GN: Do you think Tendulkar is the finest batsman of this era?
HM: He is definitely one of the best. But we have to speak of Brian Lara, Matthew Hayden and Inzamam-ul-Haq in the same breath, too. I believe all of them are in the same bracket.
GN: Who is your favourite opening batsman?
HM: Definitely Sunil Gavaskar. He was so composed and calm. In our days, there was a need to frustrate the fast bowlers. Sunil had mastered this art. He was always dependable and scored runs against pacers as well as against the spinners.
GN: If you had one slot left in the team, whom would you choose: Sachin (Tendulkar), or Sunil (Gavaskar)?
HM: Definitely Sunil. If you have to send somebody to the crease and bet your life on it, it has to be him. That's the sort of assurance he has given while playing. I don't think Sachin has reached this position yet.
GN: Would you have done better as a batsman if you had played today?
HM: (Takes some time to think) I believe I could have been better had I played these days. My average could have been better, we would have been better off today too.
We used to travel by trains and we were paid a pittance earlier. Later, the amount went up to a few thousand. Now the boys are earning in hundreds of thousands. Definitely, I would have liked to play cricket today.
GN: What advice would you give to the openers today?
HM: Firstly, they have to be composed. One-day cricket has made them look for strokes very early in the innings. Like, for example, the Indians have been experimenting with the opening slots and there is no genuine opener in the line up. But you had Sunil as a case in point.
I was thinking about it the other day: the youngsters should have him as role model and try to follow the way he batted. That is the best way to be prepared as an opener.
