Three Englishmen at home in India
The England side is back in India after a break, and they are currently preparing in Kolkata for the one-day internationals
Woorkheri Raman
15-Jan-2002
The England side is back in India after a break, and they are currently
preparing in Kolkata for the one-day internationals. The break has
pushed many issues to the back burner, and the main thing to be seen now
is if the visiting side can win the one-day series. They will quite
obviously be short of match practice, while the Indians have just played
for the Challenger Trophy in Bangalore. Nasser Hussain is sure to have
drawn up a game plan to choke the Indians, and it remains to be seen
what his counterpart does, in terms of both strategy and batsmanship.
England have shown a lot of grit in India over the years, and although
the current team lack extraordinarily talented cricketers, it has
sufficient spirit and determination.
© Stamp Publicity |
If Botham was the hero for his aggressive brand of cricket, Gower was
the people's favourite for his elegance and fluent touch with the bat.
Gower's performances dictated the mood swings of his followers, and at
the end of the day, they were content to see him out in the middle. The
irony in Gower's case was that he was generally dubbed as a "laid-back,"
and this description apparently did not please him. Mind you, his record
does indicate that he did things right somewhere down the line. It was a
pity that these two players ended their careers in a run-of-the-mill
way. Their attitudes did not go down well with the team management at
the time, resulting in their being dropped. Their exit was not on their
own terms, and they called it quits when they realised that they were
not going to get back into international cricket.
© CricInfo |
Be it Gower, Boycott or Botham, they are all aware of the difficulties
in a cricketer's career, and they ensure that they do not run down the
current lot. They have chosen their own way of expressing their views,
with objectivity being the main criterion. These renowned cricketers
have kept in touch with the game after their retirement, and they
continue to entertain and enlighten television viewers with their
pleasant comments and insightful observations. As the saying goes, men
may come and go, but this trio will go on for ever.