GR Viswanath on turning 60

DNA catches up with GR Viswanath, considered one of India’s greatest batsmen, on the eve of his 60th birthday.

On turning 60…
Turning 60 is an important milestone. So I am looking forward to the day. It is a great feeling to reach this magical figure.

On the BCCI’s lifetime achievement award…
Perfect timing. It’s great to be considered alongside some of great names of Indian cricket. Since hearing about the award, I have gone back in time recollecting each and every Test — from my first to last.

How he developed his batting style…
I was a little puny. I was playing against Hyderabad that included Tiger Pataudi. Pataudi told me to develop strength in my wrists by lifting dumbbells. I didn’t have dumbbells so I started lifting buckets with water in it. My wrists became strong and within two months I realised that the ball was speeding to the boundary. I never hit the ball too hard after that.

On facing fast bowlers like Lillie, Holding, Roberts and the rest…
There were no helmets. We never wanted to get hit on the head though we didn’t mind getting hit on other parts. If you were hit on the head you were out… really out. So we ensured we were technically sound. If helmets were in vogue we would have used them too. But at the end of the day, it was the technique that was important. To play fast bowlers you need courage and to play spinners you need great skill also.

Looking back on his best memories…
I had a great time playing for Karnataka. I enjoyed playing the West Indies and Australia. I loved the bouncy wickets of Australia. I really enjoyed the 1977-78 five-match Test series in which every game had a result.

On recalling England’s Bob Taylor in the Golden Jubilee Test of 1980 and on his tendency to walk…
I see some batsman walking today and it is good for the game. I am not advocating that batsmen must walk… When I walked, I used to sit in the dressing room think why I walked… but then in the next game also I used to walk. I don’t regret recalling Bob Taylor. I guess some people didn’t like it but it doesn’t worry me at all to this day. I am happy that as captain I called him back. It was simple. He wasn’t out.

On comparisons with Sunny Gavaskar
I had just played one series for India before Sunny came along. We always gave each other healthy competition. I tried to keep pace with him, but once he took over I realised I couldn’t compete with him and enjoyed watching him go ahead. I am really happy that people compared us.

Current batsmen who remind GRV of himself…
Unfortunately I have not seen myself play enough. But I do hear and read comments like: ‘He plays like GRV’. I think Mohammad Azharuddin and VVS Laxman are two who play a bit like me. It was unfortunate that Azhar got stuck on 99 Tests but it is great to see Laxman complete 100 Tests.