Kiran More was one of those gutsy little keepers who always relished a challenge, even thrived under it. It falls to a keeper's unhappy lot that he is only noticed when he fluffs a chance and More had the misfortune of putting down Graham Gooch, then on 36, on his way to a mammoth 333 at Lord's in 1990. More will be better remembered though for his fiercely competitive streak that garnered 130 dismissals and 1285 runs in 49 Tests. More than the statistics, it was his approach that set him apart. Indeed his chirpy appealing tended to get under the skin of his opponents leading Javed Miandad to do a puckish jumping jack imitation of More at the 1992 World Cup.

After spending time as understudy to Syed Kirmani on the West Indies tour of 1982-83 and the Australian tour of 1985-86, More finally became India's No.1 keeper on the tour of England in 1986, where he took 16 catches in three Tests to firmly keep his rivals at arm's length. The second most successful Indian Test keeper after Kirmani, More still holds the Test records for most stumpings in an innings (five) and in a match (six). Both were accomplished during Hirwani's Test at Madras in 1987-88. The pinnacle of his career came in 1990 when he was appointed vice captain to Azharuddin on the tour of New Zealand. More's never say die attitude was symbolised by the two fours in two balls that he swept off Tom Moody in the last over against Australia at the Gabba in the 1992 World Cup to bring India closer to an improbable victory. Of course an ambitious paddle sweep then put paid to his innings but you certainly can't fault the man for not trying. After being left out from the Test side in 1994 in favour of another Baroda product in Nayan Mongia, More continued for a few more seasons in domestic cricket before turning his attention to coaching. He now runs a flourishing cricket academy in his home town. From 2003 to 2006, he served as the chairman of the national selection panel. The year after that he joined the ICL as an executive director.
Sankhya Krishnan

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