Eulogies pour in for the Lala

Predictably enough, tributes to Lala Amarnath have come from far and wide, from cricketers across several generations. Here is a compilation of some of them, culled from various sources.

Mushtaq Ali: The death of Lala Amarnath is a great loss to Indian cricket as well as a personal loss to me. Lala was senior to me by one Test. I was very lucky to see his first hundred against England in 1933. It is an innings etched in my memory, what glorious strokes, what delectable square-cuts, he was marvellous.

MJ Gopalan: He was a very respectable man and his judgment, whether it concerned team selection or the nature of the pitch, was impeccable. As the chairman of selectors he was responsible for the selection of off-spinner Jasu Patel against Australia at Kanpur in 1959. Patel picked up 14 wickets as India won the Test. A giant like CK Nayudu, he deserved all the praise he received. He was a brave batsman, and bowling off the wrong foot, after a short run-up, could swing the ball both ways. He possessed fine leadership qualities too.

CS Nayudu: It is shocking news for me. I think it is a big loss to Indian cricket as well. The last I met Lalaji was in Mumbai in 1998. It was a felicitation function there organised by Pantaloon. He was very pleased to see me there and was very much his characteristic self.

Polly Umrigar: Lalaji was a top class cricketer but unfortunately in his time very few Test matches were played. He was a fine stroke player, a useful medium pace bowler, a shrewd captain and a good thinker of the game. He was very outspoken and did not hesitate to speak his mind.

Pankaj Roy: He was an aggressive personality. Even in the thirties and forties he was disciplined a couple of times for his fiery temper. Cricket wise he was man who always liked to dominate the opposition on the field. He was never a man to mince his words.

Hanif Mohammed: I am completely shattered and shocked by the news. I have such a great memory of Lalaji and his family that I can write a book. He was a very shrewd captain and very quick to pounce on the weakness of the opponent. I remember when he got me for 96 in the 1952 Test at Bombay. In the first Test at New Delhi, he bowled me with a second ball inswinger. In the press box on the 1978-79 tour, the local and travelling journalists used to only listen to what he was commenting on because for them, Lala's words were the ultimate. He commanded so much respect on and off the field. In India, I and my elder brothers, Wazir and Raees always tried to follow him. Lala was one of the driving forces behind my initial days in the sport.

GS Ramchand: If he had played more matches he would have definitely been one of the best batsmen in the world. Those days we were considered underdogs and Lala, with his positive approach and allround abilities made the opposition work hard for victories. Amarnath stood for the truth. He was not afraid to take on the authorities if he felt justice was not being done. Lalaji was a character, someone the game sorely misses these days. His passing away is indeed sad news.

Naren Tamhane: In my opinion he would have been an ideal one-day player for his allround abilities. Though I have not seen much of him I had the opportunity of knowing him well during our tour of Pakistan where he was our manager. Personally I have lost a good friend, who would not hesitate to speak his mind out.

Chandu Borde: His penchant for being outspoken gave him an image different from what he actually was. Hard outside, but soft inside, especially towards players under his charge. He was manager on India's first tour to Pakistan in 1954, my debut tour. The respect he commanded in Pakistan was tremendous. They respected his cricket, they respected him as a person. Everywhere we went, the same treatment was extended to the Indian team.

Nari Contractor: He was a real flamboyant cricketer and a real character. He was a difficult person to understand and only people who knew him could figure him out. I had the pleasure of playing under him when he captained the Railways. And I also knew him when he was the chairman of the selection committee. He was a great player and it's a really sad occasion. Brings back so many memories...

Vijay Mehra: I had the good fortune of playing with him for Railways for five years, and was a member of the squad which toured Pakistan in 1960. We found that he was a household name in Pakistan. Technically, Lala had no parallel.

EAS Prasanna: I was blessed to have received compliments from him for my bowling. His contribution to cricket is everlasting. I played one match in Hyderabad under him in the mid 60's and Lala might have been in his mid 50's and believe me, he had such control and command over the game which cannot be put in words. I always used to think how Lala would have been in his younger days.

Bishen Singh Bedi: Lala Amarnath was a legend. Indian cricket literally took off from his shoulders. He was a volatile, at the same time, forceful character who always believed in himself.

Gundappa Viswanath: I can't forget the tips he gave me during my last season in 1982-83 in Pakistan. I was also mentally down during that period and his words made a lot of difference. Though it was my last tour, I played a couple of innings well after that.

Ashok Mankad: My father played a lot of cricket with Lalaji, and would always talk about him. He would tell us what a character Lalaji was. Indeed, he was a hero, a cricketing idol in those days. Young boys would try to bat like him then.

Madan Lal: Personally, he was a great inspiration. I still remember when I first met him as a young cricketer, I was really thrilled. Since then, we've met several times and he used to come up with fantastic stories about cricket. One thing that really impressed me was his impartiality. Even though, Mohinder and Surinder used to play with me, and Mohinder was in many ways my competitor for the national team, he always had the same good words for all three of us.

Arun Lal: Lala Amarnath was mainly my father's friend. We all used to hear what a great cricketer he was. He was one of the biggest names in Indian cricket and his death is a loss to the game. I used to meet him regularly, but never really got any tips from him. However, his demise is like losing someone whom you have known for a pretty long time.

Maninder Singh: We were very unlucky never to see him in action. It is unfortunate that there were no video cassettes which captured his genius. I remember my coach always used to cite the example of Lala Amarnath and talk a lot about him.

Raj Singh Dungarpur: Lalaji was a family friend, and I have had the privilege of watching him from close quarters, as he had played a lot of cricket with my late father, Maharaja Laxmansingh of Dungarpur. He loved to talk about the game, his knowledge came from wide experience. I remember when India played Pakistan for the first time in 1952 at Delhi, a lot of sand had got on the wicket while watering, and Lalaji said the wicket will turn a lot and we must bat first if we won the toss. That is exactly what happened and Vinoo Mankad bowled us to a famous victory.

Jagmohan Dalmiya: Lalaji had a huge following in Calcutta. I still remember the day when the BCCI felicitated all the living captains of the Indian team. There was a motorcade at the Eden Gardens during the interval of the Independence Cup final in 1997. The entire crowd at the venue rose to give him a standing ovation.