Press Box legends return to Wankhede through an Honours Board

By K.R. Nayar
From Wankhede Stadium  

Mumbai.  A special function was held at the Wankhede Stadium press box during the ICC T20 semifinal between India and England. It stirred nostalgia and emotion in equal measure. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), along with the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai (SJAM), unveiled an Honours Board dedicated to sports journalists of Mumbai who have passed away after serving the game with distinction.

The Honours Board of Sports Journalists at the Wankhede Stadium after being unveiled by Ajinkya Naik, President of the Mumbai Cricket Association. Photo by K.R. Nayar 

For many who grew up reading these journalists, and whose names now adorn the Honours Board, it was a deeply nostalgic moment. For me, it was even more emotional, for I have interacted with some of them closely at work and during our travels to many cricket centres around the world.

Ajinkya Naik, President of the Mumbai Cricket Association unveils the Honours Board. Photo by K.R. Nayar 

The list has K N Prabhu, chief cricket writer and ex-sports editor of The Times of India. He had earned immense respect for writing about Indian cricket through his elegant, flowing style. Rajan Bala was another writer who inspired an entire generation of journalists through his journey writing about the game. Raju Bharatan of the Illustrated Weekly was the frontrunner in giving cricket lead coverage in a national weekly and helped fans see the faces behind some of the great feats of the cricketers. I remember using pages from this weekly to cover our notebooks just because our favourite cricketers stood out in those pages like heroes. Many young fans would cut out pictures of these great cricketers and have them proudly displayed on the walls of their homes.

The officials of the Mumbai Cricket Association and Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai in front of the Honours Board. Photo by G Krishnan 

This initiative by the MCA, along with SJAM), to install this Journalists’ Honours Board for writers and photographers who left an indelible mark is truly laudable. This will now remain a permanent fixture inside the Wankhede Stadium

G Viswanath, President of the Sports Journalist Associton of Mumbai addresses the gathering.

If cricket is now an interesting read for many fans now, commentary seems exciting to listen to, much of the credit goes to these pioneers. They made writers think deeply and craft sentences that could capture the rhythm, grace and drama of the game.

K N Prabhu’s writing was literature in motion

As a youngster, I grew up reading K N Prabhu, Ron Hendricks and Rajan Bala. They did not merely report matches — they told stories. Prabhu was often compared to the great English writer Neville Cardus, who revolutionized cricket writing by transforming cricketers into romantic heroes and dramatic characters. Cardus’ reports read like poetry. Prabhu ensured that match reports were not mere information sheets but literature in motion. He showed how cricket could breathe through words.

K.N. Prabhu 

Those were the days when people eagerly waited to read cricket reports every morning and would not merely depend on watching the action on television. Through his writing, Prabhu could get readers to feel the field placements, hear the murmur of the crowd and sense the rising tension of a close finish.

There is line written by him about a Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi cover drive that I still remember, where he described it as “silk unfurling across the turf.” With such imagery, he showed that cricket journalism could be as beautiful as the game itself.

When I first met Ron Hendricks

Ron Hendricks was a towering name in sports journalism but an extremely humble and cheerful man. During my college days, I used to re-read his reports simply for the beauty of his writing, though I had no idea what he looked like. Those were the days when great writers did not have their photographs next to their bylines as they do now.

Ajinkya Naik, President of the Mumbai Cricket Association presents a memento to Clayton Murzello of Sports Journalists Associaton of Mumbai. 

During one of my early international assignments, I happened to be seated next to an elderly gentleman at the Wankhede Stadium press box. Those were the days of typewriters and manual scoreboards. There were no websites offering ball-by-ball updates. Everyone depended on the scoreboard at the far end of the ground. The gentleman next to me frequently asked me for the score as he found it difficult to read the individual scores that were much smaller in size than the main total.

During the match, he surprised me by saying he had read my latest write-up in the Sunday Observer and even discussed it, sharing a few anecdotes from the past. Naturally, my curiosity grew and I asked him his name. His gentle reply was: “I am Ron Hendricks. I work for the Indian Express.” It was a moment of sheer disbelief for me. I was sitting next to the very writer whose reports I had devoured during my younger days and whose style I had secretly wished to emulate.

Clayton Murzello and G Vishwanath presents a memto to Ajinkya Naik

Hendricks had the rare ability to capture the pulse of a contest and place the reader right at the heart of the action. His reports flowed with an easy conversational rhythm, making readers feel as though a knowledgeable friend was narrating the match to you.

Rajan Bala’s writing was like a coach’s lecture

Unlike the other two, I had the privilege of travelling with Rajan Bala and even playing for the West Zone journalists’ team under his captaincy in the J K Bose All-India Trophy for sports journalists. Bala worked for several leading publications and wherever he went, loyal readers followed his writing. He possessed a deep understanding of the game, and his articles went far beyond runs and wickets. He dissected a batting technique, analysed a captain’s strategy and examined a match situation with remarkable clarity.

Rajan Bala 

At times his writing felt like a coach’s lecture or a teacher’s notebook — insightful, instructive and thought-provoking. He never hesitated to criticise players who had promise but failed to fulfil it. It was Bala who once described Navjot Singh Sidhu as a “strokeless wonder.” That remark stung Sidhu and challenged him to transform his batting. Sidhu eventually became one of India’s most aggressive stroke-makers.

Many journalists who worked under Bala have learnt from him that cricket writing did not have to be loud or flamboyant; it only needed thoughtful analysis and clarity. His reports were often discussed long after the match ended. Such was the respect for his judgement that many believed he could pick the best Indian team even before the selectors did. Before every team selection, Bala would write a column listing the 15 players he believed deserved a place. He would also predict what the selectors’ probable 15 might look like. It was often said that his columns may have quietly influenced selection debates.

I can proudly say that I have read all his seven books, especially ‘All the Beautiful Boys’ and ‘Days Well Spent: A Cricketing Odyssey’ have a special place in my library.

Sundar Rajan: a gentleman writer to the core

Sundar Rajan, another ex-sports editor of The Times of India, was a gentle and humble man whose personal qualities reflected beautifully in his writing. Once during my early days as a journalist, Mumbai Cricket Association rejected my request for accreditation for an international match. While walking out of the room disappointed, I happened to meet Sundar, as I used to address him, and informed him of the rejection. Right away he took me back to the officials and asked them to read my latest article. His word carried enormous respect and trust. Thanks to him, I got the accreditation and gave me the opportunity to report my first international match. I am not sure how many senior journalists would do that — especially the sports editor of India’s leading newspaper.

Years later, I reported many matches with him abroad, particularly in Sharjah. During those trips I realised that Sundar lived up to his name — both as a writer and as a human being. His words carried fairness and balance, qualities that earned him the admiration of players, administrators and fellow journalists alike.

Once while reporting an international match from Trivandrum, he had mentioned that Kerala was likely to produce fine fast bowlers because the state produced excellent athletes. At that time Kerala had never produced an Indian cricketer. Yet, within a few years pacer Tinu Yohannan emerged, followed later by S. Sreesanth.

Pradeep Vijayakar – Maidan cricket specialist

Pradeep Vijayakar was another respected cricket writer. We would spend a great deal of time together because, like him, I loved writing about Mumbai’s famous ‘maidan cricket’. He was respected not merely because he worked for The Times of India, but because he was a fine cricketer himself. He played for St Xavier’s College and Shivaji Park Youngsters, teams that have produced some of Mumbai’s finest players.

Pradeep Vijayakar 

Pradeep, as he was called, often produced impressive knocks in the J K Bose tournament. Apart from cricket, he would also report table tennis, hockey, squash and rugby. During my days at the Indian Express, we frequently covered these sports together.

Veteran journalists

G. K. Menon was another writer for the Indian Express during my early days there. It was he who gave me the confidence to handle the night shifts and work on the late-night pages on my own.

G.K. Menon

I used to also interact closely with S. K. Sham, the sports head of the Free Press Journal and The Independent, as well as Sharad Kotnis of Sportsweek and Mid-Day. While at Links News Agency, I used to regularly contribute to these publications.

Suresh Saraiya and his invaluable tip

Suresh Saraiya was immensely popular cricket commentator with All India Radio. Even the manner in which he pronounced his name had a rhythm that drew listeners in. I had the opportunity to do several cricket discussions with him on the radio. He was warm, affectionate and loved speaking about the game for hours. Along with Anant Setalvad, he was among the most recognisable voices on radio before television commentary took centre stage. Saraiya once told me something I have never forgotten: “There is a story in every name — the name of a cricketer, a ground, even a curator.” That advice helped me immensely whenever I write my diaries during tournaments.

Suresh Saraiya 

Dicky Rutnagur’s rare feat

Dicky Rutnagur excelled in everything he did. He spoke eloquently about cricket and wrote with equal brilliance, contributing to prestigious publications such as The Daily Telegraph and Wisden. Few people know that he wrote for two English newspapers under different names and used the pseudonym Dilip Rao for one of them. He also reported squash and badminton.

A proud Parsi and an alumnus of St Xavier’s College in Mumbai, Rutnagur was fortunate to have witnessed two remarkable feats in cricket. He has the rare distinction of watching live Gary Sobers hit six sixes in an over off Malcolm Nash in Swansea in 1968, and Ravi Shastri strike six sixes off Tilak Raj in the 1985 Ranji Trophy match in Mumbai. I would spend a lot of time with him talking cricket when he came to cover the Sharjah tournaments.

Vinod Vasudeo who boosted Mumbai domestic cricket

Vinod Vasudeo was not a high-profile writer like the others, but he taught me one of journalism’s most valuable lessons — what matters most are the stories you bring. At Indian Express, I used to regularly interact with Vasu, affectionately known as Vasu Kaka. He would travel to almost every cricket ground in the city collecting scores from local matches. Every evening, I would look out for the familiar sight of this bald, smiling man carrying a small handbag, from which he would pull out large sheets filled with handwritten scores. Within minutes he would add a short introduction and hand them to me. Those score sheets often carried the names of future Test cricketers who had excelled in the Kanga League and school tournaments.

Vinod Vasudeo seated behind Pradeep Vijayakar and young G Vishwanath with H. Natarajan of Indian Express.

The last time I met him was at the Wankhede press box in 2013 where his name now appears on the Honours Board. Even then he was volunteering at the venue, he ensured everything was in place for the journalists.

A F S Talyarkhan – the pioneer

I have immense admiration for A F S Talyarkhan, one of the earliest radio commentators in Indian cricket. Remarkably, he continued writing a column until the age of 93. Though I have met him only briefly, that encounter remains memorable. Incidentally, his daughter Geetanjali married actor Vinod Khanna, and he is the maternal grandfather of actors Rahul Khanna and Akshaye Khanna.

Thomas Rocha who captured history

Among the many journalists I admired was A. T. P. Sarathy, former sports editor of the Indian Express and later sports head of The Daily. I also had the privilege of interacting with regional-language journalists such as Chandrashekhar P. Sant, Dwarkanath Sanzgiri and V. V. Karmarkar of Maharashtra Times and Suhas K. Agashe of United News of India. With Sanzgiri I got to travel to many venues. I also remember photographer Thomas Rocha of the Free Press Journal. He holds a unique place in cricket history as the only photographer to have captured Ravi Shastri’s six sixes in that unforgettable 1985 Ranji Trophy match.

The Honours Board at Wankhede will remind every young journalist walking into the press box that before laptops, live blogs and television debates, there were masters of the written word who colourfully painted the game with ink and imagination. They did not merely report cricket — they gave it soul. Since they followed cricket with passion, the spirit of these writers and photographers will continue to remain in that press box through this board, watching every ball being bowled.

Roll of honour:

KN Prabhu,  Sundar Rajan, GK Menon, Pradeep K Vijayakar, Girish Dixit, William Couto,  VV Karmarkar, Chandrasekhar P Sant. Shivshankar Singh, Ron Hendricks, ATP Sarathy, Rajan Bala, Saby Fernandes, Suryakant Phatarphekar, Atmaram More, SK Sham, Thomas Rocha, SV Seshadri, Suhas K Agashe, Gautam Sathe, Dara Pochkhanawalla, Surendra Modi, Haresh Munwani, Vivek Bendre, Sharad Kotnis, Raju Bharatan, Javed Akhtar, Dicky Rutnagur, AFS Talyarkhan, Anant Setalvad, Suresh Saraiya, Dwarkanath Sanzgiri, Jayant Nene, Vinod Vasudeo, Albert D’Souza, Gopal Bhat.