Andy Roberts reveals secret behind success of West Indies side of 1970-80s

West Indian great Andy Roberts, a tearaway fast bowler of the 1970s and 80s who was part of the famous West Indian fast bowling quartet, never wore emotions on his sleeves.

The name itself sent shivers down the spine of the best batsmen in those days who feared his bouncers. A casual internet search on Andy Roberts+Bouncers will give a wide list of fearsome videos of the West Indian legend knocking down the best in the business. So, before Robeets was to arrive at the CK Nayudu Hall of Cricket Club of India on Saturday evening, there was a sense of anticipation. The audience varied from kids to former India stars like Ajit Wadekar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Balwinder Singh Sandhu. But anticipation soon turned into awe as Roberts answered every question right from his heart, some even laced with humour.

Talking about his journey to the West Indian team, the 64-year-old said it was a difficult one since he came from a small island of Antigua. "It used to take us four-five years to play for the Windies, now you can play in a few hours! So, we had to start young. Once we got there, we realised that we were as good or perhaps even better than the others. I and Viv Richards brought the never say die attitude to the West Indian team. The only thing we had in common was we hated losing. We won because we played hard and tough cricket," Roberts said.

Asked how he would plan his dismissals, and pat came the reply: "You had to plan because all you had was visualisation. We had no video analysis like you do today. Sometimes, I believe that some of this video analysis is just a show. But I don't think a lot of the players go back and look at their strengths and weaknesses, because every year they come back with the same weakness," he said. Roberts also revealed the birth of the magnificent quartet – Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Colin Croft and himself.

"During that period in West Indies cricket, we had four outstanding fast bowlers. We had one or two spinners who weren't good enough to make the team. Hence, they said 'look, let's play our four best bowlers, who happen to be fast bowlers'. That was the birth of the four-pronged (pace) attack. "A lot of people wonder why I didn't put Marshall in that. Because all four of us were different in approach, thinking and the main attribute to that was that we were all different in size. Garner presented bounce, Holding sheer pace, Croft angle. I was the least of the lot. I presented what many people said was the 'brain behind the four'," Roberts said as the crowd burst into laughter.
Roberts also revealed the secret behind his favourite weapon, the bouncer.

"When I bowled, I always put myself in the position of the batsmen, and what would I do if I encountered this delivery. So, I said look, if someone bowls me a bouncer, I'll hook. If I hook it, I believe I can hook the next. So I developed a style," he said. For Roberts, the best Test batsman might be Sunil Gavaskar but he admired the way Gundappa Vishwanath batted in the 1974-75 series when West Indies toured India and won 3-2. For the record, Roberts was the leading wicket-taker with 32 wickets in five games.

After some in-depth analysis, it was time for Roberts to bring out his humorous side. Asked why West Indies have a tendency to produce great athletes, he said: "Because physically, were different in many ways. And a lot of times, we've been running from things and that's where speed comes in." On why West Indian star players like Chris Gayle prefer T20 leagues over Test cricket, Roberts had the house in splits.

"If you walk maybe a quarter of a mile to the Wankhede Stadium, and go to the IPL office and ask this question there," he said. The answer might have drawn a round of laughter, but it is something that the West Indies Cricket Board has to seriously ponder upon.

r_taus@dnaindia.net