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Hyderabad: It was a star-studded Ranji Trophy cricket match between Karnataka and Hyderabad at the Gymkhana Grounds, Secunderabad. The visitors had past, present and future India players Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, Rahul Dravid, Sujith Somasunder, Vijay Bharadwaj and Sunil Joshi. The host was not low on firepower either–led by then Indian captain Mohd. Azharuddin, VVS Laxman, Venkatapathy Raju and Noel David.
If courage and confidence are contagious, ‘Danny,’ the rookie and non-striker, drew strength from senior pro Gangashetty Arvind Kumar. The southpaw duo not only warded off but blunted the blistering opening assault unleashed by Srinath and Prasad.
The contest between batsman and bowler was a study in contrast, the lean and wiry Danny, taking on the burly if not towering Prasad. Banging the ball in often, the strapping speedster plied the short stuff to scare the new recruit.
The confrontation turned head on, the average delivery from the burly bowler bouncing up chest high. With scant regard for India’s spearhead of the time, Danny despatched Prasad repeatedly to the square leg and mid wicket boundaries, Manohar’s hand-eye coordination ensuring his bat, turning in a horizontal arc, reached right in time to meet the racing sphere.
Danny eventually fell to Prasad, nicking to wicket-keeper Avinash Vaidya. November 6, 1997 would remain a red letter day for Manohar, not just for that quickfire and swashbuckling 144. After day one was done and dusted, another memory will forever remain etched in his mind, best described by Danny himself.
“After the team meeting, everyone left. VVS (Laxman), my childhood friend and I were the last ones in the dressing room. So I packed my kit bag but VVS was still sitting and looking out of the window. I told him I was leaving and he turned towards me and told me bye.
“To my surprise VVS was sitting there, tears rolling down his cheeks. I went up to him and asked him what was wrong. He didn’t answer as he was thoroughly disappointed that he missed out on a hundred. I told him 67 was not a bad score but he was not satisfied with that. That was really a life lesson of sorts, not to be satisfied with 50s.”
The Very Very Special batsman was equally effusive in praise of his mate. “Against a formidable Karnataka attack, which had world class bowlers, Danny in his very first outing showed no sign of nerves. As a free-stroking, flamboyant opener, each shot of his seemed better than the previous one.
“From age group competitions that we played together, I saw Danny grow from a gifted, talented and consistent run-getter to a very valuable all-rounder, contributing crucial overs with the ball and showing ability to pick up vital wickets too. After a successful India A career, his understanding of the game has made him a widely respected match referee besides grooming promising youngsters from his Phoenix Cricket Academy in Yapral, Secunderabad,” the wristy stylist added.
The euphoria of that early and highly flying start evaporated and there was a drought of centuries for Danny over many matches afterwards. “The sheer magnitude of his achievement must have weighed him down. Expectations from him were too high since that dream debut and that must have put pressure on him,” said R. Sridhar, India’s former fielding coach.
“If there was a gap between that first century and the second, Danny more than made up for it subsequently. As his career progressed, he became very consistent. He played fearlessly, adding a lot of value to the side. As a left-hander he bolstered the batting considerably, combining well with fellow-opener Nand Kishore or thereon VVS Laxman and Vanka Pratap. As a three-dimensional cricketer, he brought a lot of balance to the squad not just as a batsman but as a bowler and fielder too,” said Sridhar, who also shared the Hyderabad dressing room with Manohar for a few seasons.
“He was a fine teammate and great fun in the dressing room. Alongside the likes of N.P. Singh and Noel David, there was never a dull moment. Post-playing days, he’s doing great as a match referee. He’s one of India’s best cricket officials,” said Sridhar, endorsing his ex-comrade’s expertise gleaned from experience.
The Hyderabad squad was never short on fun. Danny fondly recalled an anecdote. “Kanwaljeet Singh pranked one of our players, talking like a girl. I don’t want to mention who was at the receiving end but that poor guy was so convinced that he kept looking for that girl for almost two years !”
Manohar continued to be in awe of Laxman though. “VVS was deeply disappointed after he was dropped from the Indian Test team, despite a stunning 167 against Australia at Sydney just months before. Hyderabad recorded a 92-run win against UP in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal at Kanpur, where VVS scored centuries in both innings–128 and an unbeaten 177.
“After dinner, Parth (Satwalkar), Nand (Kishore), VVS and I were outside a telephone booth calling our respective homes. I could hear VVS continuously telling his dad, “Ok, I will do it.” When I asked VVS what it was about, he recounted his dad telling him ‘enough of getting 100s and it was time to aim for 200s and 300s,’ continued Manohar.
Hyderabad’s cricket caravan then moved to Bangalore for the semifinal against Karnataka from April 11 to 15, 2000. “VVS started his batting, went on and on to a triple century. His commanding 353 spanned over 12 and a half hours, containing 52 boundaries and two blows that sailed over the ropes. Amazed by his temperament and determination, I literally bowed to him in homage when he retired to the dressing room, logging perhaps the highest number of centuries in a season in the competition’s history,” Danny remembered.
Manohar told Cricinfo of a special bond he shared with fellow opener Nand Kishore. In six to seven years, when jointly starting the innings for Hyderabad, neither ran the other out, exemplifying the splendid understanding they enjoyed between them. If split-second decision-making in shot selection against a delivery or bowler was paramount as a player, his career after he hung up his boots made it equally imperative to think on his feet.
Sure enough there would be testing times ahead. “In last year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) game between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals, during the last over of the game, Delhi was not happy with a waist-high no ball call by the umpire. A lot of drama followed where Rishab Pant was calling his players out. Later their coach Praveen Amre ran into the field. In this situation there were too many things to notice and charge the players,” recalled Danny.
“Rishab was fined 100% of his match fee as was Amre, also slapped with a match ban. Shardul Thakur was fined 50% of his match fee for talking inappropriately about the umpiring. This was by far the most challenging situation I had faced as a match referee.
“But in the end, the players were given the right judgement and a strong signal sent out that nothing was/is greater than the game,” concluded Manohar, a Deputy Manager with State Bank of India, in the CCPC Department of its Hyderabad Head Office.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )
