Mumbai tour diary – 5 : An afternoon with Karsan Ghavri at the Khar Gymkhana during G Force Academy matches

By K.R. Nayar

Former Indian allrounder speaks about his first tour abroad, how he bowled pace and spin for India, and his love for a classic dialogue from the mega-blockbuster Bollywood movie, Sholay

Karsan Ghavri at the Khar Gymkhana 

Venues with an inherent cricket tradition and flavor will always have legendary cricketers visiting the place regularly. One of India’s finest all-rounders Karsan Ghavri, who had once conducted a camp for G Force Academy in Dubai, came to witness the G Force's tour match at the Khar Gymkhana on Monday. It was a tour down memory lane as I spent the afternoon having lunch and chatting with him.

Ghavri has a massive collection of stories from the past. He was delighted to see boys even under the age of 10 touring abroad with G Force Cricket Academy. “My first tour was when I was 16 and that was to Australia with the Indian school team organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). We toured Australia for two and a half months in 1968. In that team we had Mohinder Amarnath, Brijesh Patel and Surinder Amarnath. These three, and myself then went on to play for India. There were some others who reached the fringe but could not make it to the Indian team,” he recalled.

Jo dar gaya wo mar gaya

Ghavri noted that only the tough ones will go on to earn laurels.  “Everything gets tougher and harder as you reach the top, and it is hardest when you play for India. Whether you play a 20-over, Test match or a 50-over game for India, there is bound to be pressure in every game, every time, every tournament. Those who play well handling the pressure will be successful and reach the top. Those who cannot handle pressure will not be able to continue...very much like the dialogue in Sholay, “Jo dar gaya wo mar gaya” (the one who is scared will perish).”

Leave Pant like a free Tiger

Ghavri wants everyone to make full use of opportunities that come their way. “When opportunities arise and if you strike, you become a hero. Four - five years ago no one knew about Rishabh Pant. He is someone with great talent and no one can stop him. He plays his game freely. If you restrict him, he may get out fast. So its best to leave him like a free tiger and he will kill everyone.”

Karsan Ghavri when he came to Dubai  in 2017 to conduct a camp for G Force in Dubai 

The man who bowled fast and spin for India 

Ghavri served India not only as a fast bowler but as a spinner too and was the first to reach the 100 wicket tally in Test cricket for India. So how did he master both pace and spin? “Basically I was a left-arm spinner like Gopal Jasapara (G Force Academy head coach) during my school days. In 1966, during a school tournament, I was playing for my high school team. We had reached the final of a big tournament. On the day before the final, we were all playing football. Those days we played football bare feet. Our fast bowler, who was also the captain, injured his toe while playing football and he could not barely put on his shoes for the final the next day. He had a swollen toe. So my school coach asked me to bowl with the new ball telling me to take a 12 to 15 yards run up and bowl four overs. He basically wanted me to remove the shine off the ball before the spinners, including myself, could take over. That was the first first time I was taking a run up and bowling. As luck would have it, everything went fine with me when I bowled and I went on to pick five wickets. The ball was moving beautifully....frankly I did not know how it was happening. After the match, my coach told me that I should concentrate on becoming a fast bowler and bowl with the new ball.”

Whenever Karsan Ghavri and Kapil Dev opened the bowling for India, no opponent could register a century partnership. As he came out of the Khar Gymkhana dining hall, a fan came rushing to him and asked: “Aren’t you Karsan Ghavri? When he nodded with a smile, the fan said: “I am a great fan of yours. I became your fan after I saw you produce that beauty of a delivery to clean bowl Greg Chappell.”  Incidentally, in his last but one Test match in Melbourne in 1981, he had Greg Chappell caught and bowled in the first innings and in the second innings clean bowled him for a duck.  Big names among opponents never mattered to him since he truly believed in the mantra “jo dar gaya wo mar gaya!”