Madhav Apte is a former India batsman who played first-class cricket from 1951-52 to 1967-68. He scored a century on debut in the Ranji Trophy for Bombay against Saurashtra and kept playing for the team till the 1967-68 season.
“The dull dogs of cricket.”
That is how the cynics had labelled Bombay (now Mumbai) during the early days of the Ranji Trophy. It was only us in the team, who knew those words were far from an apt description of a side that seldom lost and won with a vigour like no other.
It would later be called the ‘Khadoos’ Mumbai attitude. Whatever the cost, never accept defeat. Many a great batsmen and bowlers from the various champion sides this city has produced, lived by this motto.
This never say die attitude was not born out of a chant or ever discussed in the dressing rooms. It was part of Mumbai cricket’s culture, so to say and most players lived by it.
From Vinoo Mankad to Vijay Merchant to Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar, the ethos has always remained the same. Mankad was my coach when I was studying at Elphinstone College. He walked around with a confidence that only champions would. He was my hero and it was through his guidance that I made it to Bombay’s Ranji team at the time where I would get a chance to play alongside some of the greats of Mumbai and Indian cricket.
From Ramakant Desai to Polly Umrigar, Bapu Nadkarni, Subhash Gupte and many others. Every member had the ability to win a match. At the time at least six to seven members of the Indian team would be from Bombay, such was the aura of the team.
During the phase I was lucky enough to be part of this set up at a time, which is usually dubbed as the golden era of Bombay cricket by many. The team just did not lose any games then. Bombay played over 50 games without facing an outright defeat. That phase laid down the marker for others to follow. Very few came close.
Indian cricket’s Bombay origins
I personally feel the genesis of this khadoos attitude as many call it can be traced to the fact that the game in India originated in the city. It was the ‘Parsees’, who first took up the sport in the late 1800s. Youngsters watched cricket bloom in front of them. Cricket clubs began mushrooming at the turn of the century and most took the sport as a vocation or physical activity. Those fortunate to grow up watching the sport at the time, began playing it long before most in other parts of the country had even heard of the game.
Cricket like today, had not spread across the country. It was predominatly played in the western region of the country, with the Holkars promoting it in central India and a few enthusiasts taking to the sport in erstwhile Madras. The big stars, were from Bombay.
By the time the sport took wings in the country in 1930s and later, most cricketing heroes called Bombay home. Bombay was the torch-bearer for the sport. The big brother mentality was all-pervasive. Because Bombay was always known as the place where cricket originated in the country, most teams would yearn to beat them. This fact was never lost on Bombay players, who would strive to maintain this mental edge in the years to come. They had a legacy to maintain from early on.
Fortunately for Mumbai cricket, this legacy has transcended generations. The khadoos in us never wanted us to lose. In my memory, even now at the age of 86, there is one instance of this dogged attitude that sticks out as if it only occurred yesterday.
It was the final between Mumbai and Madras. It turned out to be a memorable encounter all thanks to some rearguard batting effort by Manohar Hardikar, known fondly as Manya Hardikar among teammates. Bombay was set a target of 249 to win on a wicket was crumbling. The chase did not go well as we lost half our side with just over a 100 runs on the board two sessions left in the game.
Hardikar with a young Eknath Solkar for company produced a gritty performance, the likes of which have been hard to come by since. They did not give up and remained unbeaten to help Bombay bat out the day and clinch the title on first-innings lead.
It was a batting display that perfectly encapsulated the concept of khadoos.
Changing times
Today, the game has changed. It has spread to nearly every corner of the country. Television has made cricket an obsession for Indians. We have had a captain from Jharkhand. The competition is not the same, the talent is no longer concentrated in the metros as was the case when we were playing. Most of the best cricketers of the time would invariably turn up in a city like Mumbai. Bapu Nadkarni came from Nashik to the metropolis in search of employment. He ended up playing cricket.
Those days have changed. Top cricketers now come from every part of the country. Mumbai, understandably is not the clear favourite every time they go into a season. There are fewer stars in the team, all of whom are usually playing for the national side which plays around the year unlike in our time when tours were fewer.
But, for all the alterations, that Mumbai has continued the winning habit is testament to the cricketing culture of this city. In 499 games, Bombay or Mumbai has 41 titles to its credit, a domination likely unparalleled in a league of any other sport.
The club culture is still strong in the maidans of this great city and is churning out talented youngsters, who seem to be driven and committed.
As the game evolves, one hopes the players continue to adapt and the culture persists. Call it khadoos attitude or something else. It is a culture that has remained intrinsic to the team for 500 games. One hopes it carries on in the same vein for 500 more.
As told to Kushal Phatarpekar