India Uncut
This blog has moved to its own domain. Please visit IndiaUncut.com for the all-new India
Uncut and bookmark it. The new site has much more content and some new sections, and you can read about them here and here. You can subscribe to full RSS feeds of all the sections from here.
This blogspot site will no longer be updated, except in case of emergencies, if the main site suffers a prolonged outage. Thanks - Amit.
Friday, March 11, 2005
Sir George Balaji
This first appeared on Cricinfo's Plays of the Day.
"Bala, Bala," a few members of the sparse crowded chanted when L Balaji walked out to bat. After he'd hit Shoaib Akhtar for six last year, John Wright had written on his bat, "to the next Black Bradman". Here, he played out a couple of overs from Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, before finally getting a full over against Danish Kaneria. What would happen? Would Kaneria beat him in flight, or with a googly? Would Balaji try to tonk him out of the ground?
First ball, Balaji steered it to third man for four. Not entirely intended, perhaps. Next ball, dot. Third ball, a two to midwicket. Surely he was getting impatient. Then, a lovely square-drive for four, backward of point. Then he played forward and was beaten by a legbreak. Last ball, fullish in length. Balaji played a majestic off-drive, that evoked memories of, well, what Wright had written in jest on his bat.
"You can call me George," he must have said to himself. "George Balaji."
"Bala, Bala," a few members of the sparse crowded chanted when L Balaji walked out to bat. After he'd hit Shoaib Akhtar for six last year, John Wright had written on his bat, "to the next Black Bradman". Here, he played out a couple of overs from Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, before finally getting a full over against Danish Kaneria. What would happen? Would Kaneria beat him in flight, or with a googly? Would Balaji try to tonk him out of the ground?
First ball, Balaji steered it to third man for four. Not entirely intended, perhaps. Next ball, dot. Third ball, a two to midwicket. Surely he was getting impatient. Then, a lovely square-drive for four, backward of point. Then he played forward and was beaten by a legbreak. Last ball, fullish in length. Balaji played a majestic off-drive, that evoked memories of, well, what Wright had written in jest on his bat.
"You can call me George," he must have said to himself. "George Balaji."
