Mumbai, May 24 – Madhav Mantri was India’s oldest living test cricketer who passed away at 92. For those of today’s generation who can only attempt to picture his persona from the tributes that flow in thick and fast can easily assume that he was a strict disciplinarian. “The last of disciplinarians,” his nephew Sunil Gavaskar said after carrying his uncle’s body on his shoulders for his final journey.
Mantri’s Test record may not be much to write home about but the more one dwells in the tributes pouring in, one learns his mentoring skills were legendary. Ajit Wadekar, India’s first successful test captain overseas who came to offer his condolence says he owes his India place to the push offered by Mantri. “I would not have played for India if ‘Nana mama’ had not persisted with Tiger Pataudi to pick me in the side.”
At the selection committee meet for India tour of West Indies in 1966, Pataudi was the captain and Mantri one of the selectors who convinced the rest of the selectors to have Wadekar in the team for his prominent run making ability. The rest is history. “But above all, he gave me as captain and to Indian cricket – Sunil Gavaskar,” says Wadekar.
As Gavaskar began speaking of his uncle, one came to understand why he respected him so much. Almost all the attributes that make Sunil Gavaskar–the great he went on to be, he seemed to have acquired from Mantri’s guidance.
“His first lesson to me was when I asked for his cap and blazers as a young boy. He refused and told me “you have to earn your India cap or India sweater”. That’s why when I later went on to play for India and got the cap and blazer in West Indies in between the 16 member squad, I didn’t play with the cap even in the tour games. I only wore it when I played a Test match for India,” revealed Gavaskar.
The other quality Gavaskar the batsman is known for, is his determination to not throw his wicket away — another learning from the uncle, shares the legend. “When I got out for 290 odd in college cricket, I told him we had a 400 run partnership.
He asked me two questions how did the batsmen at the other end fare and how I got out. I replied he went on to score some 300 not out and I got out playing a lofted shot. He questioned me why the other batsmen could stay not out and advised me never give your wicket away. Let the bowler earn the wicket. It always stayed with me,” he said.
Having delivered consistently great performances, Gavaskar says like the rest he had his share of bad patches. And during those times ‘Nana mama’ played the counsel.
“I thought he was indestructible and this day would never come. I remember when he moved out of his house and reached a location, people could make out what time it was. That’s why perhaps when we had given time of 2.30 pm for the final rites, that’s exactly the time we managed to keep,” says an emotional nephew, still managing to keep his wit intact.
-INDIA TODAY
