Amazing Grace
But the team was still awaiting departure when ”His Highness Holkar” impressed upon me to reconsider my decision since the period of mourning was over. A wire to the effect was sent by His Highness to the board president.”
The man who was good enough to be appointed vice-captain a few weeks ago, was suddenly considered unfit for a place in the team. ”I was stunned reading the board president’s telegram,” he recalls. That setback signaled the end of Mushtaq’s sparkling Test career.
Later that year, the West Indies played a Test series in India. ”I was very surprised when I did not find my name in the team for the first Test in Delhi. I had a successful Ranji season, having made my career best of 233 against UP and averaging 81. Yet, I became a victim of jealousy and intrigue.”
Mushtaq was reinstated for the second Test at the Eden Gardens. To the delight of his fans and as a fitting reply to the board’s rudderless selection, Mushtaq scored 54 in the first inning and 106 in the second; his first Test century against the Windies. ”The ovation at the end of my innings was the biggest I ever had. To my mind, the scene of jubilation was unprecedented.”
In the third and fourth Tests at Madras and Bombay respectively, Mushtaq had scores of 32, 14, 28 and 6- reflecting that his career was nearing its end. As if to prove his critics wrong though, Mushtaq hit a century in each of the four successive Ranji trophy matches and aggregated 607 runs from seven innings, averaging 101.16.
In the process, Mushtaq reached two personal landmarks. He achieved the distinction of scoring three hundreds in successive innings and five hundreds in successive matches in the Ranji trophy. His talents were sought not only by Holkar, but by Gujarat, UP and Madhya Pradesh as well.
Having played glorious cricket for over three decades, Mushtaq announced his retirement from first class cricket in 1956. ” Many of my fans,” he says, ”from India and abroad were pressing me to publish my memoirs. I was a little apprehensive about it in the beginning, but then got down to it.”
It was aptly called “Cricket Delightful”. In the foreword, the great Aussie all-rounder Keith Miller wrote. ‘I have, in my life, seen more methodical and correct stroke makers, but have I seen such a dynamic character as Mushtaq? I doubt it. To me he was the Errol Flynn of cricket: dashing, flamboyant, swashbuckling and immensely popular.”
The government honored Mushtaq Ali with the PadmaShri in 1963. Mushtaq beams with pride, ”When I was being drilled on how to approach the Rashtrapati at the investiture ceremony, my footwork went awry and I turned in anything but the right direction. And why? Merely because I looked forward to that day as being the greatest day of my life.”
The last feather in his cap same earlier in 1987. Sheikh Bukhatir’s Cricketers Benefit Fund Series, Sharjah, felicitated him along with Mushtaq Mohammad as minor beneficiaries at the Sharjah Cup in April 87, presenting them with a cash award of 15,000 dollars each. ”I am deeply touched by the gratitude shown by the CBFS organizing committee and all my fans abroad. But I am sorry to say that such awards only come from abroad. Our cricket association announced long ago an award of Rupees 2000 per player per Test played before 1972. I should receive Rupees 54,000 for the official and unofficial Tests I have played. But the board has failed to follow up the announcement with implementation.”
Barely had he uttered these words than the doorbell rang. An official of the MP Cricket Asociation was ushered in. After exchanging pleasantries, he said, ”Sir, Congratulations! We have received a cheque of Rupees 54,000 from the BCCI, to be presented to you.” Mushtaq Ali turned towards me and he said, ”I knew that my bat had an instant effect on the bowler’s morale and the scoreboard, but did not know that the same was also true for my words.’