Abid Ali was an original, a genuine character among cricketers
"Kya bole?" (What did you say)
V Ramnarayan
19-Aug-2001
"Kya bole?" (What did you say)? Syed Abid Ali is credited with
asking this classic question of GR Viswanath, when they met three
quarters of the way down the pitch, with GRV rooted to the spot and
repeatedly shouting "No!" at the top of his voice, and Abid still
charging down regardless for a run.
This no doubt apocryphal story of an incident in a Test match was told
with much relish by the Karnataka batsman, at the expense of the
Hyderabad all rounder, who had a reputation for getting mixed up in
run outs. The reason was simple: Abid Ali was about twice as swift
between wickets as most other batsmen and was always on the lookout
for quick singles. He was once stumped off the first ball he faced,
because he had taken off for a single even before playing the ball.
Abid Ali was a genuine character among cricketers, an original in many
ways. For instance, he set high standards of physical fitness for a
generation of cricketers known for its lackadaisical attitude to such
matters. The punishing regimen of training he followed was often the
subject of anecdotes, wildly exaggerated and embellished, but perfect
entertainment in the evening after a long day at the ground.
Few cricketers exploited their God-given talent better. Abid Ali was
an honest-to-goodness medium pacer, who could also bat aggressively,
but look where it got him. He made a sensational Test debut in 1967
when he took 6 for 55 against Australia at Brisbane, following it up
with two brilliant innings of 78 and 81 opening the innings in the
Sydney Test. He practised his fielding with such devotion that he
became an acrobatic close-in fielder and an athletic one in the
outfield, with an unerring, flat throw. He developed enough
variations in his military medium pace bowling to keep the batsmen
constantly guessing. He also had the knack of making the ball skid on
most wickets. He was demonstrative in an age when most bowlers tended
to hide their emotions. His appeals to God when he beat the edge, and
his sardonic grins at batsmen blessed by the Lord - unfairly in Abid's
opinion - were sights to see and remember.
I was one of many younger cricketers to benefit from his
encouragement. His way of helping me become a better off spinner was
to hit my best deliveries repeatedly out of the ground during net
practice, so that I learnt to adjust my flight when confronted with
batsmen who could do that to me in matches. Even in matches in which
we were pitted against each other, the lessons continued, ruining my
bowling analysis in the process. Of course, when I got him out, he
always had a perfect explanation for the accident that had nothing to
do with good bowling!
When Abid Ali took over the Hyderabad captaincy from the cerebral and
celebrated ML Jaisimha, he was determined to make a strong impression.
He was solemnity personified as he addressed the team just before
taking the field in his first Ranji Trophy match as captain. "Boys, I
want you to play tight, mean cricket. I want us to give not LESS than
40 runs in the first hour." He had meant to say "not MORE than 40
runs," and the giggles and suppressed guffaws that interrupted him,
spoiled his speech somewhat, but it was a happy Hyderabad team that
took the field that morning.