Who is the modern Hazare?
Vijay Hazare was one of Indian cricket's early greats, best remembered for his performance on India's first tour of Australia in 1947-48, when he scored a century in each innings of the Adelaide Test
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
Vijay Hazare was one of Indian cricket's early greats, best remembered for his performance on India's first tour of Australia in 1947-48, when he scored a century in each innings of the Adelaide Test. Ramachadra Guha in the Telegraph writes that Hazare’s character, and his status in Indian cricket, are captured in a fascinating, forgotten short story by the Marathi writer, N.S. Phadke. Its main character, named Bihari, clearly modelled on Hazare, was always "inwardly groaning under this strange burden of popularity and responsibility”. Guha, asks - who is the modern Hazare?
Going by Phadke’s account, one might say it was Sachin Tendulkar, who, for much of his career, has had to bear “this strange burden of popularity and responsibility”, to score hundreds upon hundreds to maintain his fame and keep his team afloat. But one can also make a case for Rahul Dravid. For one thing, his style is more akin to Hazare’s, sound and orthodox — coming in at 5 for one, which soon becomes 10 for two — he seeks to patiently rebuild the innings, whereas Tendulkar would seek rather to play some flashing shots and immediately take the initiative away from the opposition.
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo