The magic of Bhupen Lalwani

All these years, they have been an understated source of motivation behind the curtains. Yet when the Lalwanis alighted from their car at the Rangsharda auditorium on Friday afternoon for son Bhupen's felicitation ceremony, there was simply no running away from the spotlight. A swarm of journalists tailed them as they navigated their way through.

Later, the smile of pleasure never left their faces each time there was a mention of Bhupen during the press conference organised by ASK Foundation24. "I can say that I am here because of my parents, because not just Dad, even Mom, waking up every day…preparing food so that I don't eat outside food and get ill…so that I get nutritious food every day…Uh, so supporting me from home has always been special. And you know, sometimes if Dad is scolding me, Mom is always the one who protects me. (smiles) And, uh, but dad, whatever I say, of course, he says for my own good, but, uh, mom's support has always been special (sic)," Bhupen told Mid-Day, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Bhupen's parents are defined by the humility and soft-spoken grace that are model virtues of the Indian middle class. Of all the good traits passed down from them, it is Bhupen's modesty that stands out prominently. Whether in a private conversation or public address, he appears quietly confident in how he carries himself, although grounded in humility.

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Mumbai Ranji Player Bhupen Lalwani at his felicitation ceremony

In sports as in less important things, a major impediment for a talented youngster can be to live up to expectations. Sports, cricket, in particular, is littered with examples of newbies who burst onto the scene only to crash and burn later.

When queried about his vision for the future in five years, Bhupen answered in a manner that transcended the conventional thoughts of individuals his age. Sitting with crossed arms, he pondered for a minute and replied: "There are many things in place…like playing for India, IPL, and other stuff. But I'm not thinking about any of that. Even before the entry season, I was not sure if I'd play or not, but I performed well, I got good support and never knew that I would be the highest run-getter and win the title for the 42nd time. Hence I'm not keeping any goals for myself. I'm just trying to improve myself by just one per cent every day so that if I play at another higher level, I'm fully ready for it. Because when you keep a goal for yourself that after 5 years you have to play for India, then you know, you expect too much from yourself sometimes. And you just see the top, you forget the process, the steps to do so."

The ‘next big thing of Mumbai cricket' label was draped around Bhupen's shoulders the day he stood out with 102 runs on board against Chhattisgarh. He made his first-class debut while still at college in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy. There have been roadblocks since, but each time, the 25-year-old has gone away, addressed technical shortcomings, and come back a better player. Few cricketers can do that.

Earlier in March, as Mumbai did their best to end their eight-year barren run after overcoming Vidarbha to lift the crown (Ranji Trophy) for a record-extending 42nd time, Bhupen was one of the few who stood firm in the thoroughly engrossing cutthroat battle, smiting the ball into the stand and triggering the biggest roar Wankhede has ever heard.

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He may have top-scored with a mammoth 588 runs (including a ton and five half-centuries), but truly what set him apart was the ease with which he scored them. From the delicate finesse of a late cut to the brute force of a straight drive, Bhupen's willow knew no bounds.

"I remember my first match… more than 20,000 people were watching me, it was a Ranji match. That time I was like, there were goosebumps in my stomach. I thought to myself, ‘How will I do it?' It was my first match…what should I do! (smiles) And you know, there were so many senior players. There were thousands of people watching, but, at that time, my senior players, Ajinkya Rahane and others just told me one thing, to take it match by match…just take it as a practice match. And yes, that thing really helped me (sic)," he reminisced.

Having faced a little over 1250 odd balls in the 16 innings that he played for Mumbai, he delivered at a strike rate of 39.2 and forged a second-best opening partnership with Prithvi Shaw in this recently-concluded edition of the Ranji Trophy. And yet, those who have followed him closely all these years will say he has never let his talent go to his head. Perhaps, this is part of what makes him so special at this age.

In any sport, young talents often exhibit a fervent eagerness to glean insights from the seasoned expertise of their elder counterparts. Bhupen is no different. He smiled a charming smile when asked about the ambience within the dressing room.

"Rahane (Ajinkya), whom we call Ajju da, has played under the world's best players and he is a very good human and he understands the game pretty well. He has a very good understanding of the game. So that helped us for sure, because, if you handle any situation in such a calm manner, it becomes easy. There was nothing like ‘you are a senior, you are a junior'. When I went for the first time in the dressing room, I kept my bag at Wankhede (ground)...I thought I wouldn't be allowed to keep my bag there, but it was not like that, they were treating us like brothers. They never showed any arrogance, we all had just one motif, that is to win the Ranji Trophy," he said.

Back at the press conference, Bhupen captivated a select few within the audience when a journalist posed the customary query about what prompted him to choose cricket. "Virender Sehwag," pat came the reply. In fact, his devotion for Sehwag ran so deep that he would abstain from eating if the former India opener failed to notch up runs on the scoreboard, as laughter rippled through the audience.

"I grew up watching him. Apart from his batting skills, there were some more things like…always being calm. I would play shots while singing, so even I tried that and it helped me many times, yeah (smiles)," he quipped.

"I have a playlist of about 100, all of which are Sehwag's favourite songs. Sehwag's playlist is now kind of old…'O Mere Dil Ke Chain' was one of the best. (smiles) There were a few more motivational songs, which I obviously cannot say here, but there were some songs that I would listen to before going on the ground. They helped me keep calm because I am a person who can perform well only if I'm calm. That was a good way to concentrate also because when you go to an important event, there are thousands of thoughts coming into your mind. And if you are calm at that moment, listening to songs before the match or singing songs…help you remain blank and being blank always helps."