Ramakant Desai left cricket young

That is the story as regards fast medium bowlers in India today. A Zaheer or an RP Singh is not guaranteed a place in the Indian team as there are any number of bowlers for the selectors to choose from – the problem is the reverse – quality spinners are hard to come by. In the fifties and most of the two decades that followed the cupboard was bare as regards the quicker men. After the retirement of Dattu Phadkar, the new ball was mainly used to get the shine off for the spinners to get to work.

It was in this scenario that Ramakant Bhikaji Desai emerged as a 19-year-old against the awesome West Indians led by Gerry Alexander in 1959. The West Indians were totally dominant in that series and the final Test at Delhi was expected to be a cakewalk for them. Based on his fine performance in the Ranji Trophy for Bombay (50 wickets in the season), Ramakant Desai, built more like a champion jockey then a fast bowler, was picked for the Delhi Test. Barely 5'5 in his boots and frail, he was aptly nicknamed ‘Tiny’.

As India batted first and made 415 (Contractor 92, Borde 109 and Skipper Adhikari 63), the first one saw of ‘Tiny’ was as a batsman – he made 2 no. and then one saw him open the bowling to Hunte and Holt. Wonder of wonders, he could generate pace and bounce! That too on a Kotla wicket which had given heartburn to Gilchrist and Hall. Alas, there was no one to support him at the other end – India’s opening batsman, Pankaj Roy hared the new ball for two overs before Gupte, Mankad and Adhikari took over.

As the West Indians piled on the runs on a shirtfront wicket, Desai toiled on and was rewarded with the wickets of Rohan Kanhai (Desai’s first victim), centurions Holt and Collie Smith and then Garry Sobers. He ended with 4-169 in 49 overs bowled over two days with no new ball support at the other end – a problem he was forced to live with for most of his Test career, resulting in his being over bowled – he was the shock and the stock bowler as he had the art of bowling well with the old ball.

India managed to draw the Delhi Test but were beaten badly on their tour to England in 1959 losing all the five Tests. Desai was over bowled and didn’t have the experience of English conditions, yet he had his first five-wicket haul in an innings at Lord’s where he took 5-89.

By the time Fazal Mahmood’s Pakistanis arrived, Desai was the premier opening bowler for India and he proved it quite decisively. He ended up with 21 wickets in a dull, dour and defensive series wherein both sides played with a “not to lose” philosophy. More importantly, he blunted the best batsman of Pakistan – Hanif Mohammed. Hanif, after a good outing in the First Test at Bombay, got psyched by Desai and was genuinely afraid of facing him – avoiding taking strike and backing off towards square leg being strong indicators. He was Desai's 'bunny' getting out four times to him.