15 July,2021 07:03 AM IST | Mumbai | Clayton Murzello
Yashpal Sharma could shift gears seamlessly, from launching a blistering attack to stonewalling the opposition. Pic/Getty Images
Yashpal's passing comes at a time when the BCCI has no place for the Duleep Trophy in their ambitious 2021-22 schedule, drawn up in the hope that Covid-19 won't deprive our domestic toilers of cricket and remuneration.
It was in this zonal tournament that Yashpal announced his arrival on India's domestic scene in the 1977-78 season, with a 173 for North Zone. In the South Zone bowling line-up were BS Chandrasekhar, EAS Prasanna and S Venkataraghavan; the first two playing on their home turf of Bangalore. The fourth member of the famous Indian spin quartet - BS Bedi - was Yashpal's captain.
Hari Gidwani, his North Zone teammate, remembered on Wednesday how Yashpal was unafraid of reputation and attacked off-spinners Prasanna and Venkataraghavan with impunity in that game.
Later that season, Yashpal scored a hundred in each innings for Punjab in the pre-quarter finals of the Ranji Trophy against eventual runners-up Uttar Pradesh at Mohan Nagar. Those two innings in February 1978 made the Polly Umrigar-headed selection committee mark Yashpal down as a strong India candidate. His 99 (run out) for Rest of India against Ranji Trophy champions Karnataka in the Irani Cup sealed his selection for the 1978-79 tour of Pakistan, although Yashpal had to wait till the 1979 tour of England for his Test debut - in the second Test at Lord's.
The home series against Australia saw him get his first Test century in the fourth Test at New Delhi. This came after enduring a pair in the previous Test at Kanpur. Yashpal's was the third century in the India innings, after captain Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Viswanath. The Kanpur pair must have weighed heavily on his mind but encouragement came from Dilip Vengsarkar, who reminded Yashpal that he himself had bagged a pair at Madras against WI in 1978-79 but scored a century in the very next Test. Yashpal went on to emulate his senior teammate and Vengsarkar was delighted for him.
The Mumbai great's 122-run stand for the fourth wicket with Yashpal almost won India the Delhi Test against Pakistan in December 1979.
The start of Yashpal's innings against Australia was far from convincing. He struggled against Jim Higgs, the leg-spinner, and it was painful to see. Dicky Rutnagur wrote in Sportsweek: "Yashpal, who eventually set off blazing and booming fireworks, initially struggled desperately for survival. This phase of his innings was tedious to watch. But one had to give him credit for his grit and concentration."
The same correspondent informed readers about the high fever that kept Yashpal in bed for two days after the Kanpur pair. Rutnagur added: "Yashpal had to contend not only with bowling of high calibre, poor form and his ill health, but the antagonism of a noisy crowd which made no secret of the fact that they willed him out."
Yashpal stayed unbeaten on 100 as Gavaskar declared at 510-7 in the drawn game for which the visitors earned high praise.
Yashpal also proved his worth in the next Test at Calcutta, where another draw was witnessed. The match ended with India falling 47 short of the 247-run target with four overs to go when Yashpal, who was at the crease with MV Narasimha Rao, appealed for bad light, something that surprised his captain Gavaskar. "I was surprised when Yashpal appealed against the light when only 15 short of a century. I thought he should have got his century, for he deserved it," wrote Gavaskar in Sportsworld.
MAK Pataudi, the magazine's editor, was effusive in praise for Yashpal's batting on the final day: "One doubts whether Yashpal has played better than this. He hit the ball cleanly on both sides of the wicket and he is one of the better runners between the wickets. Any aspirants for the No.5 position in this side will have to be patient."
After 1979-80, Yashpal's next battle against the Aussies was in 1980-81. India allowed the cheer of Sandeep Patil's 174 in the Adelaide Test to evaporate in the second innings. Yashpal walked in and hung around long enough to help India draw the game. He faced 157 balls and stayed put for 169 minutes before he was trapped leg before by Bruce Yardley for 13.
Karsan Ghavri, who stayed unbeaten with Shivlal Yadav when the tense game concluded, told me that Yashpal was a player who could shift gears seamlessly. "People praise his gritty ways and rightly so, but he could attack mercilessly too. If you wanted quick runs, Yashpal could get them. If you wanted him to stonewall the opposition, he could do that too. And don't forget he was a top-class fielder who saved so many runs for his team," said Ghavri.
Grit and guts will forever be associated with Yashpal and who better than the West Indians of the 1980s to underline these qualities. Malcolm Marshall was impressed when Yashpal returned to the crease after one of his deliveries left the Indian concussed during the Trinidad Test of the 1982-83 series.
Yashpal joins Marshall in Elysian Fields. Both are the only deceased ones from their respective 1983 World Cup teams.
May it stay that way for many, many years to come.
mid-day's group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance. He tweets @ClaytonMurzello
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