In print and on celluloid: The dark decade of Indian cricket

A mix of drama and suspense is what one associates most often with films and novels. So much so, that when real life events do attract the attention of movie makers and writers, more often than not, the reel version tends to be a lot more "spiced up" than the real version, using artistic license as justification for the same. Consider then, the sheer uniqueness of a film or a book where for various reasons, the real-life events which make up the story are in fact more dramatic than what is portrayed or written about.

The events being referred to occurred largely in the 1990s, a chaotic decade indeed for the Indian cricket. Captains being appointed and sacked at short notice, discord in the team, divisions between the older and younger members, and a never-ending and pathetic run of disastrous performances overseas sums up what transpired in this utterly forgettable period.

As if all this was not enough, a 'new' phenomenon called "match-fixing" emerged and shook the cricketing establishment to its roots like never before.

A still from the 2015 film, Azhar

The 2015 film "Azhar" and Sanjay Manjrekar's just launched book "Imperfect" help in shedding some light on these unfortunate events, but to this day, a lot of what actually transpired remains unknown.

Ripples before the storm

It wasn't really like all was calm before, and neither has it been all calm since. The 1980s did see some ripples and the Sunil Gavaskar-Kapil Dev captaincy flip-flop made news for all the wrong reasons. After huge losses to Pakistan in the 1982-83 series, Sunil Gavaskar was replaced by Kapil Dev as captain for a tour of the West Indies. It is fitting to mention, however, that Pakistan at home, under Imran Khan at his best, were a formidable opposition.

The change, initially did not bear fruit as India lost the series in the Caribbean, but then with India winning the 1983 World Cup, it was glory like never before. So, no doubt the World Cup winning captain continued for a long time to come? Wrong! India played and won the World Championship of Cricket in 1985 under Sunil Gavaskar!

Hold your breath, we are not done yet!! Kapil Dev was captain again, one last time, for the 1987 Reliance World Cup. All this happened in the space of just four years!

But the above incidents pale out completely in comparison to what followed in the next decade. The film Azhar is a bold attempt to focus on the shadowy aspects of the game in the 1990s while not taking sides one way or the other (to the extent possible) and giving viewers a chance to delve into many interesting and little-known facts which transpired then.

Sanjay Manjrekar's book and the film Azhar, have some uncanny similarities. There is a scene in the film where newly-appointed captain Azhar is facing a rebellion of sorts in the dressing room after reprimanding some "senior" players in the lunch break. As the argument is on the verge of getting a bit physical, Kapil walks in and the players mutter "Kapil paaji" and disperse. Kapil then advises and encourages Azhar not to take the words of the other players to heart and to do his best for the millions of cricket lovers in India.

In his book, Sanjay Manjrekar writes about seniors in the team from North India being addressed as "Paaji" and junior players having to stand up when they entered and the shoddy manner in which team meetings were conducted. The book also says that a certain senior remarked after an India defeat that it was a good thing they lost the match as the captain would then change.

Sanjay Manjrekar gives a detailed account, in his book, of how he perceived Mohammad Azharuddin's captaincy, how the captain conducted team meetings, his manner of speech in those meetings, how he consulted team members in the drinks break to formulate strategy and how the captain was aware of his own limitations. This account, in more ways than one, binds the book with the film and one needs to watch the film and read the book to get an understanding of those turbulent times.

The Man, The Legend, The Times

The 2015 movie captures the various shades of Azhar the man, finding a place in the Indian side overcoming great personal loss on account of his beloved grandfather breathing his last just before the selection trials. The young genius from Hyderabad, lighting up the cricketing world with three consecutive centuries on debut, emerging as the new hope of Indian cricket, his rise to the top, his challenges as captain, his (accidental or intentional) association with bookies, Hansie Cronje's revelations leading to his downfall, and finally his exoneration by the court.

The exoneration has been contested by some and welcomed by others (the truth yet unknown it appears) but nonetheless the film is an admirable attempt at putting together the various events in the life of a legend.

The captaincy tussle mentioned in the book is also mirrored in the film. As the chairman of selectors calls Azhar for a private meeting in an empty stadium and asks him whether he would like to be captain, the immediate response from the Hyderabad lad pertains to how the senior players would react and fearing that they would be offended. The selector then advises Azhar to change the way he communicates and to speak with authority to handle the so-called senior elements in the team.

The film also reflects cricket's fascination with Bollywood and vice versa with the association cricketers have with actresses for better or worse. Other, well known facts such as the India Pakistan rivalry and the intensity of the contest between the two sides is demonstrated to good effect.

The Match-Fixing Saga

The film has dealt in-depth with the sting tapes on match-fixing, about how they were carried out, what various cricketers had to say in the course of the sting operation, their shocking revelations, and glaring accusations, and the consequences thereof. The reluctance of the same players to repeat what they said "under oath" to the Chandrachud committee leading to there being insufficient evidence to prosecute the players who had been charged is explained ever so clearly.

Yet, the murkiest of all is the the scene in which the bookie who has underworld connections getting access to the players dressing room, an area which is reserved for no one but the team members.

Numbers do not often lie. India won just one test match away from home in the 1990s and that was in Sri Lanka. Shockingly but true, outside the subcontinent, the Indian team did not win a single overseas test match. Victories at home on dry wickets with a double-spin attack offered little consolation. No doubt, the disharmony in the team and events off the field affected performaces in no small measure.

Most sports lovers and cricket watchers will agree that much like an iceberg, what has been shown in the film and written about in the book is just the tip hovering over the surface and much still remains buried deep beneath.

Even so, for all of those who sat through every match, watching every ball, reading every match review, emoting at every victory and defeat, and have a right to know all that happened, it is a fascinating insight into what went on behind the scenes and well beyond cricket in that dark decade.