He now entertains with the mike

He was called a strokeless wonder when he made his Test debut against West Indies at Ahmedabad. Though he showed character and determination during the time he spent at the crease at Chepauk a couple of matches later, no one took Navjot Singh Sidhu seriously as a long term prospect to share or take on the burden borne so gallantly by the Little Master up until then. Dour and watchful, he showed no sign of the propensity for losing cricket balls beyond the boundary that marked his second avatar in international cricket.

We had to wait till the Reliance Cup in 1987, to see this new streak in the sardar with the lean and hungry look. He was now acquiring a reputation for big hitting matched by few in contemporary cricket at the top of the order. In domestic cricket, the sixes just flowed in unbelievable sequences in match after match.

And Sidhu did not disappoint us in the World Cup - or thereafter. He thrilled the spectators by the manner in which he left the security of the crease and pummelled the slow bowlers. We later learnt that he drew most of this inspiration from his father, who did not live to see his son's greatest exploits.

To me, Sidhu was an enigma. Every innings of his was a tribute to his dedication, the long hours of practice that enabled him to overcome his technical limitations - he was no Sunil Gavaskar, we all knew - to defy the best that pacemen could hurl at him, or to hoist the spinners effortlessly over the ropes. (Ask Shane Warne!) Yet, among the cricketers I had occasion to talk to, he had gained a reputation as a man who could become unfit to field after a good, long innings, someone who chose the matches and series he played. It did not add up.

The greatest challenge to his courage and equanimity came off the field, and we all know how he coped with a manslaughter charge and still played cricket at the highest level with poise and professionalism. He came back from another major crisis when he walked out of an England tour before the Test matches began -- and miraculously returned to Test cricket, scoring a brave double century in the West Indies, an example of the triumph of his will over destiny.

Like his father, his son too inspired Sidhu. We saw a new look fielder in him that dived and slid across the grass, gave chase and brought off spectacular saves, when he decided to impress Sidhu Jr. Sidhu's short-lived athleticism in his mid thirties, was a revelation.

Now we know Sidhu can do anything when he sets his mind to it, even make the English language more colourful with his original contributions. He has grown in stature as a commentator since the time he used the word `senile' to describe a pitch, and he is never afraid to call a spade a bloody shovel (Example: `Ajit Agarkar is a good all rounder - on paper' during his current stint in Zimbabwe), often with a wonderful turn of idiom and metaphor. It seems `Sherry' Sidhu will never cease to surprise - or entertain.