Good humoured Viswanath wins BCCI's CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award 2007-08
By Qaiser Mohammad Ali
New Delhi: What a birthday gift! At times, even the Indian cricket board can time things to perfection (or was it accidental?). Just six days before he turns 60, Gundappa Rangnath Viswanath, the pint sized former India cricket captain and master batsman, was on Saturday declared the winner of the annual C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2007-08.
Viswanath, married to former captain Sunil Gavaskar’s sister Kavita and now a coach at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in his home twon Bangalore, wins a trophy, a citation, and a cheque for Rs. 15 lakh, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said.
When I was in Bangalore to cover the India-Pakistan Test in December 2007, my sources told me that Viswanath had been appointed batting coach at the NCA. When the maestro was spending an evening with Roger Binny and other former Karnataka players at the superb club house at the M. Cinnaswamy Stadium, I decided to break the news to him that I had come to know a couple of hours earlier.
As Viswanath decided to take leave the club house (“I have to pick Kavita on way home,” he told them), I accompanied him to his car. And when I broke the news to Viswanath, now a bit inebriated under the influence of beer, he was pleasantly and genuinely surprised. “Have you confirmed it,” he asked me, as if to avoid a mishap. I assured him and the former bank man looked immensely pleased.
I did the following story on his appointment at the time:
Gundappa Viswanath appointed NCA batting coach
By Qaiser Mohammad Ali
Bangalore, Dec 7, 2007: Former India cricket captain Gundappa Viswanath has been appointed the new batting coach of the National Cricket Association (NCA). “We have appointed Viswanath the NCA batting coach. The proposal came from NCA chairman Shastri himself,” an official who attended a top-level NCA meeting told me today.
Viswanath, who is also well-known for his gentlemanliness and remarkable sense of humour, was appointed in his new capacity at NCA headquarters at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday evening.
The diminutive 58-year-old maestro, who already has a role with the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) academy, was known for his unflinching batting against both speed merchants and spinners during his illustrious international career between 1969 and 1983.
Viswanath amassed 6,080 runs at 41.93 in 91 Tests and 439 in 25 One-Day Internationals and also captained India. The five-foot-five-inch tall right-hander encountered the famed and relentless fast bowling attacks of the West Indies and Australia in 1970s and 1980s with ease.
“Once his appointment was made it was decided either Shastri or Javagal Srinath, who is also a member of the NCA board, would formally speak to Viswanath to inform him about the appointment,” he said. (But I broke the news to him a barely few hours after I wrote this story).
However, sources close to Viswanath said that since the maestro now has a lot of time he would be too happy to take up the assignment. He retired from his bank job in April 2006, and is only cricketing engagement is his association with the KSCA Academy.
