Lala Amarnath -- The big daddy of Indian cricket

Lala Amarnath was a complete player as he could bat brilliantly, bowl shrewdly and keep wickets skillfully. Also, he was born to lead any team. On the day of his birth centenary, DNA pays tribute to the man who went on to become Indian cricket’s patriarchal figure.

In almost every field of human activity, there are some who appear to be irresistible regardless of their little foibles. It is the spark of their forceful personality which gives them a special appeal. You may admire them, you may dislike them, but you find it difficult to ignore them. Lala Amarnath was such a man.

Though inevitably controversial because of his outspokenness, he was both charismatic and colourful at the same time. There was a touch of dynamism and an unmistakable aura of confidence and pride about him that defined his individuality.

If ever there was a man in Indian cricket who was his own master, it was the majestic Lala — both on and off the field.

Everything about Lala was on a grand scale. They called him the stormy petrel of Indian cricket. He fully deserved the label. Proud as a peacock, Lala knew what he was capable of doing when armed with bat or ball. He was a complete cricketer as he could bat brilliantly and stylishly, bowl shrewdly and even keep wickets skillfully. Also, he was born to lead any team, any set of players.

Hailed as a “pure romantic” and the “Byron of Indian cricket”, Lala had an unspectacular start to his career as he could score only 19 runs in his first four first-class innings between January 1930 and January 1932.

His listless run continued when he made five and 21 in his next two innings, for Northern India, in a two-day friendly game against the MCC in 1933-34. But he soon came into his own and offered glimpses of his class to the visitors by scoring a century (109) for Southern Punjab and a half-century (53) for Patiala. It was a foregone conclusion after these performances that Lala would make his Test debut against the Englishmen.

And he continued to feast on the English bowlers in the first Test in Mumbai. Though he did not play a big knock, his 38 was the top score in India’s 219. And England’s lead was identical. India was in all sorts of trouble on the third day (December 17) when “Nobby” Clark consumed both openers for 21. In walked captain CK Nayudu to join Lala. It was at this stage that Lala took control of the situation and began hammering the bowlers all round the wicket. Neither fast bowlers Clark and Morris Nichols nor spinners Hedley Verity and James Langridge could make any impact on him as four after four flowed from his blazing blade. He was particularly severe on Verity.

He raced to his and India’s maiden Test hundred in 117 minutes. It triggered off celebrations in the Indian dressing room and the stands. The band began playing God save the King. A delighted Nayudu (who added 186 runs for the third wicket with Lala), was the first to congratulate the young centurion.

A number of spectators carrying garlands rushed to the pitch and “engulfed” the hero of the day. At stumps, India looked comfortably placed with both Amarnath and Nayudu still unconquered.

As he said afterwards, he batted “as if possessed by some mysterious power”. Many commentators felt that the presence of Nayudu at the other end had much to do with Lala’s batting. While it may have been true, it called for genuine talent and confidence to play the way he did. But Lala had oodles of them.

By the close of play, a delirious crowd had gathered in front of the Bombay Gymkhana marquee, refusing to leave until Lala came out and greeted them. Some women cascaded him with jewellery.
Lala had become larger than life that day and was hailed as a national hero. The Maharajas of Baroda and Kolhapur made gifts of money and gold. A millionaire presented Lala with a car while another gave him Rs1 lakh. He was also presented with a gold cup on behalf of the Bombay Club.

Cricket lovers did not stop basking in the euphoria of Lala’s heroic innings in spite of the fact that India collapsed the next day and were all out for 258 after being 207 for three when Nichols dismissed Nayudu for 67. Lala, too, returned to the pavilion at the score of 208, when Nichols caught him off Clark for 118 as a result of a mistimed hook. Lala’s innings was studded with 21 fours. England won by nine wickets.

Though he played several cameos at crucial junctures in his chequered Test career, Lala could never repeat, let alone better, his debut performance. He would excel more as an all rounder. It was never easy to score off Lala’s immaculate medium-paced stuff. He appeared to deliver the ball off the wrong foot. Sharp in-swingers, mixed with deadly leg-cutters, had fetched him many wickets. He was close to a hat-trick in the first Test at Lord’s in 1946, when he dismissed Len Hutton (7) and Denis Compton (0) off successive deliveries; and finished with Cyril Washbrook (27), Wally Hammond (33) and Thomas Smailes (25) for figures of five for 118 from 57 overs. In the second at Old Trafford, too, he had attractive figures of 51-17-96-5 and 30-9-71-3.

On the same tour, he had a memorable match against Derbyshire at Queen’s Park, Chesterfield. He scored 17 in the first innings. He kept wickets in Derbyshire’s entire innings. When India batted again, Lala scored more than a run a minute and made a whirlwind 89 before being bowled by medium-pacer Clifford Gladwin.

When the hosts were chasing a 328-run target, the Indian captain, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, realised Lala the bowler was required more than Lala the wicketkeeper. Not only did Lala snap two catches in the field but also took three for 33 to give India a 118-run win.

Lala may not have scored another Test hundred, but he played many a big knock in first class cricket. Before he was sent home from the 1936 tour of England for disciplinary reasons on the eve of the first Test at Lord’s, he was heading the batting averages with an aggregate of 613 runs. He also picked up 32 wickets at 20.78 apiece. It remains in the realm of conjecture what he would have done in the three Tests if he had not been punished, or if the punishment had been delayed.

A big-innings batsman, Lala scored four first-class double centuries. When he made his highest score (262) in the match between India-in-England and Rest of India at Kolkata in 1946-47, he had shared a 410-run partnership with Rusi Modi. However, being an instinctive player, he was inclined to spoil his blossoming masterpieces sometimes.

It was a fitting reward to Lala’s leadership ability when he was appointed captain on India’s first ever tour to Australia in 1947-48 after Vijay Merchant withdrew at the eleventh hour citing health problems. Though victory was out of question for India, he did a fairly good job against Don Bradman’s formidable Test team despite the limited resources at his command. Bradman himself praised Lala’s captaincy.

However, his abject lack of form in the five-Test series, which Australia won 4-0, was shocking, especially when you consider the fact that he scored 144 and 94 not out against South Australia and 228 not out versus Victoria in successive innings; and subsequently 172 not out, 171 and 135.
Lala may have failed as a batsman in the Test series, but some of these innings earned him generous compliments from Bradman. “We knew Amarnath to be a brilliant run-getter,” said the Australian, “and those who saw his innings (228 not out) against Victoria rate it among the best ever seen at the MCG.”

He retained the captaincy against the mighty West Indies at home in 1948-49 and it was quite an achievement to allow the Caribbeans to win only one of the five Tests. Lala fared well with the bat, too, and scored 294 runs at 36.75. By the time England toured India in 1951-52, Lala was 40 and no longer at the helm. He figured in the second and third Tests at Mumbai and Kolkata respectively but couldn’t do much. Restored to captaincy after missing the disastrous tour of England, he successfully led the rejuvenated Indian side against Pakistan at home in 1952-53, winning the five-Test series 2-1, though his batting and bowling made it abundantly clear that his days as a player were numbered.

In retirement, too, Lala was as imposing as he was when he represented and led the country. He served as manager, selector and chairman of India’s selection committee twice. His ability to spot genuine talents gave India players like Abbas Ali Baig, ML Jaisimha and VV Kumar.

A remarkable reader of the pitch, Lala’s assessment of Australian batsmen’s traditional weakness against off-spin bowling on a turning track was the telling factor in India’s historic triumph at Kanpur in 1959. As chairman of selectors, he insisted on the inclusion of Jasu Patel, for he was convinced the otherwise-forgotten offie from Gujarat would torment the Aussies on a viciously turning Green Park wicket.

Lala’s clear instructions to captain Gulabrai Ramchand to bowl Patel from the pavilion end to exploit the rough made by left-arm pace bowler Alan Davidson in his follow-through did much to engineer the batting collapse.

Lala always kept his head high, never compromising with his dignity, self respect and principles, never hesitating to take on the authorities for the same. Old age could not diminish his swagger or temper his provocative nature.

(The author is a freelance journalist specialising in cricket. He has contributed prolifically to a number of leading publications of the world)