Anshuman Gaekwad
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
'I still have hearing issues, but at least I am alive'
Nitin Naik, Nov 30 2014
In the wake of Phil Hughes' tragic end, former Indian opener Anshuman Gaekwad recalls his own neardeath experience during the 1976 West Indies Test.
Young Australian batsman Phil Hughes tragic death after being struck by a bouncer has reopened old wounds for Indian opener Anshuman Gaekwad, who had a near-death experience during the 1976 Jamaica Test. In the pre-helmet era, he batted with cracked ribs against intimidatory bowling to reach 81 before a thunderbolt by Michael Holding struck him on his right ear. He was rushed to the hospital where spent 48 hours in ICU. Later he went undergo two surgeries. He still has hearing issues.
“We had won the second Test in Port of Spain chasing over 400 in the fourth innings and drew the next one at the same venue. Clive Lloyd's captaincy was on the line and there was a lot of pressure on the West Indies to win in Jamaica. They put us in. Sunil (Gavaskar) and I had a long opening partnership of 136. Sunny got out late on Day 1,“ recalls Gaekwad, who went on to be come a national selector and coach.
The former opener claims there was sustained hostility from the West Indians. “Their attitude was, if we can't get them out, knock them out. They were bowling five bouncers an over and also slipping in beamers. It was dangerous.“
The West Indies pace attack boasted of bowlers like Michael Holding, Wayne Daniel, Vanburn Holder and Brendon Julien. All of them could bowl at over 90 mph.
After a barrage of bouncers and beamers which nearly hit him, Gavaskar, known to stand up for fair play, complained to the umpires. “One of the officials, Sang Hue, of Chinese origin, then taunted him saying you are probably not used to playing such bowl ing. Sunny then threw down his bat and cap in disgust. I then asked him why he reacted in such a manner. His response was funny , yet scary. `I don't want to die here. I want to see my new-born son' he said,“ recalls Gaekwad.
Gavaskar was dismissed late on Day 1, but Gaekwad carried on and was batting on 81, with cracked ribs and bruised fingers. Holding was breathing fire and bowling round the stumps which was a challenge for any player on any wicket, but more so at Sabina Park. Gaekwad explains why . “Unlike modern Test centres, Sabina Park has short sight screens and to make it worse, the commentary box was located directly above it and was dark. When Holding bowled from round the wicket, you just didn't pick up the ball early. One delivery split my middle finger. Out of frustration, I made an incorrect gesture at Holding. That infuriated him and the next one was a thunderbolt which I lost sight of and the ball hit me on my right ear. My glasses flew all over the place and there was blood all around,“ Gaekwad recalls.
The injured batsman was taken to the dressing room and thankfully for him there were a few Indian doctors who had traveled to the venue from the US. One of them was a friend of G Vishwanath. “I was lying on a wooden bench in the dressing room when he examined me and suggested I needed to be hospitalized as there could be internal bleeding. At the same time, a member of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) medical staff too arrived. To my horror, he said it was just a minor bruise and I was fit enough to bat. I was bleeding from my ears. He was clearly a few drinks down as it was lunch time and in the Windies lunch time is also rum time,“ says Gaekwad.
Thankfully , better sense prevailed and he was taken to the hospital ICU where he stayed for over 48 hours. “It was a harrowing time. The X-ray technician paid no heed to my cracked ribs and lifted me from under my shoulders and placed me on a hanger. I couldn't even scream because I was in so much pain,“ he states.
Gaekwad remembers traveling to India against medical advice and being operated. “I had two surgeries on my ear. I still have hearing issues, but at least I am alive.“
One of the most successful coaches for India, Gaekwad sympathises with what happened to Hughes but says there is a place for bouncers in the sport. “We don't have too many express pacers these days. Also, the laws are very strict and there are restrictions on the number of bouncers a bowler can bowl. Without bouncers, the game will become very one-sided. It's time we focus on players' techniques. What happened to Hughes was unfortunate, but banning bouncers is not right.“
