Why Mumbai is so close to Mike Gatting's heart

Mike Gatting batting against India during the 1984-85 Test in Mumbai. Pic/Getty Images

Mumbai has a special place in former England cricket captain Mike Gatting's heart. "I love coming to Mumbai, having made my first trip here in 1981-82. I was stunned when we entered the Taj Mahal hotel and then it was fantastic to view the Gateway of India from the hotel."

"The sad part though was to see so many poor people on the streets. But once you got into the ground, things were fine and I was amazed with the kind of knowledge the crowd had. They knew details of all our players," Gatting told mid-day.

Gatting, 62, released a book here on the famous Indian spin quartet (Bedi, Chandra, Prasanna and Venkat) at the Royal Bombay Yacht Club on Thursday evening.

Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium was where Gatting played two Tests and the 1987 World Cup semi-final against India. It had been kind to the former Middlesex middle-order batsman.

In the 1984-85 Test, he scored his first Test century for England after an eight-season wait, in the opening contest of the series. India ended up winning the Test, but not the series. In the fourth Test at Chennai, Gatting slammed a sparkling double century. Opener Graeme Fowler too helped himself to a double ton in the same innings as India lost their second home series to England in eight years.

Before the 1984-85 Mumbai Test, Gatting's highest score had been 81 - against New Zealand at Lord's in 1983 - after making his debut on the winter tour of Pakistan in 1977-78.

Though he was consistent for Middlesex in the 1984 county season, he had just played one Test that summer, dismissed in both innings by Malcolm Marshall at Lord's for one and 29. He was picked as David Gower's vice-captain for the India tour and he recalled on Thursday how a brief conversation between his skipper and him changed his cricketing life. "We met at the Taj here (pointing to the five-star hotel from his seat at the Yacht Club in Colaba) and David asked what number I would like to bat at. I said I would be happy to bat at three. Not only did David agree to me being one-drop he also told me that he would try me in that position and if it doesn't work out, I would drop down the order. He was very clear that I would play all the Tests. That was reassuring and that was some great leadership shown by him," Gatting said.

England went into the first Test at Mumbai in a chaotic atmosphere. Their arrival in Delhi coincided with India PM Indira Gandhi's assassination. Then, British Deputy High Commissioner Percy Norris was killed in Mumbai just before the first Test. The diplomat had bonded with the England team at a party only the night before.

Gower's team were overpowered by Sunil Gavaskar's Indians in an eight-wicket win at Mumbai, but Gatting scored his much-awaited maiden Test hundred in the second innings.

"I could feel some unspeakable pressure lifting off me," Gatting wrote in Leading From the Front about his Mumbai century.

As captain in the 1987 World Cup semi-final, he slammed 56 off 62 balls to help England pile up 254 before India, the defending champions were bundled out for 219.

Gatting also played the final Test of the 1992-93 series at the Wankhede where Mohammed Azharuddin's side won their third Test of the series. His 61 was the second-highest score in England's second innings after Robin Smith's 62.

Gatting leaves for London today and will witness next week's second Ashes Test at Lord's.

Fortune Turners - The Quartet that Spun India to Glory, is written by Aditya Bhushan and Sachin Bajaj, published by Global Cricket School.

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