DBV’s ton of a lifetime

There are certain innings that define players no matter how many more achievements come their way Jemimah Rodriguesrsquos unbeaten 127 that helped India stun Australia in the World Cup semifinal will forever stand out in a crown that radiates her brilliance as a batterThe year 2025 will go down as the year in which one knock led to a title triumph that took womenrsquos cricket in India to a place that is brighter higher and more spacious for dreams to be realised And Rodrigues will always have to answer questions about the innings that did not just border on the unbelievable border because anything is possible in sport but also envelope a nation with joy Simply put the innings will be talked aboutIn the afterglow of Rodriguesrsquos achievement I realised that this month marks 50 years for another epic innings in Indian cricket mdash Dilip Vengsarkarrsquos 110 for Bombay in the 197576 Irani Cup game at Nagpur on November 3 1975Vengsarkar then 19 was told that he was in the playing XI on match eve when Eknath Solkar split a webbing on his palm For him it was a great chance to put his recent Ranji Trophy debut duck against Gujarat in late October behind and move onAnd he did it by smashing the likes of newlyappointed India skipper Bishan Singh Bedi and Erapalli Prasanna like no other young domestic batsman had ever done while Bombay responded to Rest of Indiarsquos meagre 210Sportsweek magazinersquos Hosey Mistry captures three of Dilip Vengsarkarrsquos seven sixes Pic courtesySportsweekVengsarkarrsquos 113minute 110 had seven sixes and 11 fours The spin attack also included leggie Ashwini Minna who had sent back Bombay captain Sunil Gavaskar for 47 earlier in the day Bombayrsquos first innings 305 helped them regain the Irani CupVengsarkar was pleasantly surprised to learn about the inningsrsquo golden jubilee when I spoke to him on TuesdayHis utterances truly reflected a Mumbai cricketerrsquos approach and awareness thankfully seen among cricketers from other regions too Vengsarkar indicated to me that there was no other option but to leave behind that Ranji Trophy duck and move on And when that Irani Cup opportunity came he had to grab it no matter who the Rest of India had in their ranksHe also dwelled on the ldquogood nick and confidencerdquo factor He recalled that he was in good form before that Irani Cup fixture mdash a fruitful tour of Sri Lanka organised by the late Ajit Wadekar 171 against Delhi in the Rohinton Baria Trophy final in January of 1975 He also spoke about a double century for Podar College against Sydenham College at Wankhede StadiumHis Podar College teammate Avadhoot Zarapkar was a reserve player in the Bombay team for the Irani Cup He was asked to be on scorebook duty Can one imagine a reserve doing scoring in a highprofile match todayldquoIt was such a thrill to see Dilip smack those sixes against Bedi and Prasanna It was also unbelievable because we were used to batsmen hitting along the ground But this was extraordinary batting looking like a man possessed I couldnrsquot believe my eyesrdquo Zarapkar told me on TuesdayldquoItrsquos all about confidencerdquo said Vengsarkar placing that factor as paramount no matter how reputed the bowlers were ldquoThey Bedi and Prasanna were great bowlers but I didnrsquot get overawed The first time I saw them I was playing against themrdquo revealed VengsarkarBedi and Prasanna didnrsquot seem to be their sharpest although the great offie vowed to his teammates that he would dismiss the No 5 Irani Cup debutant and he did But a batting star who would serve India for 16 seasons was born a star that was used to distinguished company He played for a club mdash Dadar Union Sporting Club mdash which had some of the greatest names in Mumbai cricket Gavaskar included And like other premier clubs Dadar Unionrsquos opponents involved big names tooVengsarkarrsquos knock gained more traction than Mumbairsquos first innings leadbased triumph It provided fodder to the media and they didnrsquot hold back the adjectivesIn his report for the 1976 Indian Cricket annual R Mohan wroteldquoMany youngsters playing in this match were on the periphery of national recognition and one who seized the opportunity with both hands was Vengsarkar a 19yearold from BombayldquoHe put to sword the spin of Prasanna and Bedi handing out the sort of rough treatment that the pair had not received in many years even in international cricketrdquoMohan who went on to extensively cover Vengsarkarrsquos international pursuits said the attack on Bedi and Prasanna was made with ldquoregal disdainrdquoRon Hendricks no stranger to press boxes across multiple sports waxed eloquent in Sportsweekrsquos World of Cricket ldquoVengsarkar a hardhitting right hander used the rapier rather than the bludgeon to bruise and batter Bedi and Prasanna on an easypaced pitch on which the ball turned slowly Prasanna and Bedi were snowed under an avalanche of fours and sixesrdquoAmong all the compliments a major one emerged in the form of Colonel It is believed that Lala Amarnath Indiarsquos first Test centurion was asked for his views on Vengsarkar during his radio commentary stint Amarnath felt Vengsarkar batted like his first Test captain Colonel CK Nayudu A writer caught on did not lose sight of Nagpur being Nayudursquos birthplace and gave Vengsarkar the nickname Colonel The recipient of the sobriquet didnrsquot like it though I asked him why on Tuesday ldquoI got tired of people asking me which year I was in the armyrdquo said Vengsarkar Indian cricket lovers of that era have never tired of finding recall value to Vengsarkarrsquos Irani Cup hundredChances are that Rodriguesrsquos World Cup 127 will be no different But like Vengsarkar she must end up being an alltime greatmiddayrsquos Deputy Editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stanceHe tweets ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper