CHENNAI: Few from this generation will be aware that GR Viswanath, a champion batter in the previous century, stood in the queue in the wee hours at MA Chidambaram Stadium to buy a ticket to watch the first Test match of his life. Things came full circle for the maestro years later, as he played arguably the best innings by an Indian at home in the same ground. His 97 n.o against a rampaging Andy Roberts of the West Indies in January 1975 still carries its weight in gold.
GRV, as he is affectionately called, at the request of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association paid a visit to the MA Chidambaram stadium on Friday along with his son Daivik and had a look at the newly built pavilion, the dressing room, the net practice area where the walls adorned murals from yesteryear matches.
He was impressed with a huge photo outside the dressing room in front of the players dining hall which depicted his famous hook shot off Roberts during his knock of 97. TNCA president Dr P Ashok Sigamani, joint secretary K Shivakumar felicitated GRV during his visit.
Viswanath was moved to meet his old friend R Prabhakar who played for Tamil Nadu and SBI. Impressed with the new look stadium, the dressing rooms and other players' facilities, he said that the gaps between the stands gave room for a lot of air and better comforts for fans. He believed that it was much more airy than the old concrete structure stadium.
"When you compare the stadium from the time I played, there is a lot of difference. Because those days we were playing Test matches a lot in Bangalore. We had temporary stands and galleries and a pitch square. But everywhere it has changed now, including Bengaluru. And here of course, always lots of memories at Chepauk which I will never forget, not because I got runs, but due to the love of people, the fans which even now I got. This morning I got a fan mail saying that your 97 is beautiful. I can't forget this Chepauk and the fans here," said a nostalgic Viswanath.
Speaking about his epic knock against West Indies in what was one of the fastest surfaces in the country, Viswanath said, "Yeah well, yes it was (fast deck) and Andy Roberts was new to world cricket and everyone knew what sort of a bowler he was. Roberts had just played a couple of Test matches before and then he played a lot of County cricket before he came. He already made a big name in world cricket as a fast bowler. And especially this pitch was, I don't know how it felt, had a lot of bounce which you never get in India. Certainly, that particular pitch was bouncy and of course, he (Roberts) had power to bowl that kind of bowling. Now, I can say it was fun but definitely one of the best knocks I have ever played in my career."
A match-winner in his own right, India never lost a match in which he scored a hundred — he has scored 14. When asked about the record, he said that he came to know about it after retirement. "I didn't think about it when I was playing. The pressure when you go there in the middle, how to win the game, you know that is pressure for me, then rest whatever happens it happens for good that's how I take it. I always enjoyed playing for my country and it is not that only the hundreds made me memorable, a lot of 30s and 40s I enjoyed that as well, whether people like it or not, but I certainly liked it because that also helped winning the game," he signed off.