These are the impressions of a 14 year old boy watching his third test match ever. There were no special video cameras in those days to prove my point and thus the best innings I ever watched was and is still etched for ever in memory.I still remember the day 11th Jan 1975. The day my mom packed me a lunch and sent me off to this match with my cricket loving uncle. India had just tasted its first win against the mighty windies in calcutta and the architect of that win was a certain Gundappa Vishwanath with a masterly knock of 139. He was a celebrity to the Madras crowd and we all loved to watch his half cut half drive as it sped to the cover boundaries with such immaculate timing.
What we were to witness that day was an innings that no words can describe. India were 24 for 2 when vishy(or vichu
as the Madrasians like to call him) walked in. Not a good situation for any batsman. Andy Roberts was already breathing fire on a freshly relaid and helpful chepauk. Within an hour of his arrival he lost Tiger Pataudi and Gakewad leaving india at 40 odd for 4 wickets. I remember that very well though I have to look up the scorecard to confirm just in case. There was vishwanath playing his glorious half cut half drive(and he played a hook shot that I can say is the best I have ever seen in my life off a lethal Andy Roberts) and he was having mastery of the bowling as wickets fell at the other end. Soon Mankad was gone and so was Madan Lal and India were six down for less than 100.
To give you an idea vichu scored 60 of the 80 odd runs with 10 and jack. It was an amazing effort. I cannot describe it here just like an art lover cannot describe how beautiful it is to see the water lillies or the Mona Lisa.
Yes I have watched V V S Laxman’s 281 and it is the third best innings I have seen(Brian Lara’s 150 odd ranks second). Laxman’s knock was the best prose you could read
but Vichu was Poetry at Chepauk.