The dedicated soldier of Indian cricket

It's over three decades now since he last played for India. So maybe it won't come as a surprise if he is a largely forgotten man in Indian cricket. But to an older generation and to those who are keen followers of the game in the country, the name of Rusi Surti will always rekindle fond memories. For a decade - from 1960 to 1969 - he was one of India's chief utility players, the `poor man's Gary Sobers' as he was often hailed. Certainly, given the changed face of cricket since his day, it can be said he was born 20 years too soon. For he would have been invaluable in one day cricket with his ubiquitous qualities. A hard hitting left handed middle order batsman, a left arm bowler who could bowl either medium pace or spin and a brilliant versatile fielder, it is conceivable to think that Surti would have run up an enviable record in the shorter version of the game.

Not that he would have been a slouch in Test cricket. And his record clearly illustrates this. In 26 Tests, Surti scored 1263 runs at an average of 28.70 and took 42 wickets at 46.71 apiece. He did not get a century but had nine fifties and was one of the few cricketers to end his international career with a highest score of 99. He also took 26 catches and a ratio of a catch per Test is good going under any circumstances.

And yet this gifted all rounder was in and out of the team for a major part of his decade long career. In only his second Test he scored 64 against Pakistan, dominating a century partnership with Nari Contractor. A surprise choice for the tour of West Indies in 1962, he exceeded expectations by scoring 246 runs for a side which lost the series 5-0. But through the mid sixties, the selectors seemed to think that he was little more than a good fielder and one lost count of the times he was made 12th man.

By 1967 however he had forced himself into the Indian team for good. And his crowning glory came on the tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1967-68. In the four Tests against Australia he scored 367 runs and took 15 wickets. The scores illustrate his consistency - 70, 53, 30, 43, 52, 64, 29 and 26. He followed it up getting 321 runs in four Tests against New Zealand.

By the end of the tour he was acknowledged as one of the leading cricketers in the country. And yet he played in only three more Tests - two against New Zealand and one against Australia during the 1969-70 season. He was certainly discarded prematurely, thanks to Vijay Merchant's youth policy. Fortunately however that was not the end of his cricketing career. Queensland, impressed by his all round skills, made him an attractive offer. He duly qualified to play for the Australian state and was a great source of strength to the side in the Sheffield Shield competition for several years. Since migrating to Australia in the early seventies, he has been a welcome visitor to Indian dressing rooms whenever a touring side goes to Australia. On his 64th birthday today, it is worth remembering the dedicated soldier of Indian cricket.