Batting sides collapsed like a pack of cards when faced with CK’s tactics, executed to perfection by the left-handed Gaikwad – over after over, match after match – giving batsmen no respite.

Old timers reminisce that on a matting wicket. Gaikwad could virtually make the ball dance to his tunes, spinning a web around the batsmen. Regardless of whether the pitch was a bowler’s paradise or night mare, Gaikwad’s accurate line and length and never-say-die attitude never wavered. ”I often used to bowl for an entire day unchanged but my thirst to bowl was never quenched,” the bowling machine’ remembers.

That was not all that Gaikwad had to offer. Coming to bat at number eight, he built up a reputation as a hard-hitting batsman capable of chipping in with useful runs at decisive junctures.

Born and brought up at Nagpur, aikwad’s drift to cricket was a ‘neighbourhood affair’. ‘Adjacent to my house was a cricket ground. The players there were always short of bowlers. So they used to ask me to do what they considered a thankless job. But for me, those were the first and the most vital lessons in the art of bowling,” he said. Lessons that developed in him versatility, and the ability to bowl both pace and spin, medium pace with the new ball and then spin when the shine had worn off.

He made his Ranji Trophy debut at 20, playing for Central Provinces and Berar against Madras before his talent caught the attention of Holkar. ”In 1943, His Highness Holkar asked Col Nayudu to call me to Indore to play for the Holkar team,” he says, his face echoing a profound appreciation of the experience of playing alongside the legendary CK. ”Col Nayudu used to study cricket very deeply, implementing his attacking strategy right from the first ball. We used to discuss a particular batsman’s style and weakness for hours, and then execute it on the field.”

Gaikwad’s best bowling display was against Bengal in 1947 when he had a match winning haul of 11-74, though his most versatile display was to come a couple of years later against Bihar. Batting first, Holkar had lost six wickets with only 141 on board when Gaikwad walked in to bat. The Jamshedpur ground seemed to have been struck by lightning as he went on the rampage, scoring a scintillating 164, punctuated by four sixes and 19 fours. He had earlier finished with figures of 30-16-49-5 with the ball.

He played his first and only Test against Pakistan in 1952, where he did not do anything exceptional, but which he has no regrets about. ”To me, what mattered most was that I enjoyed my cricket and tried to give off my best. Then came a stint in country cricket for Lancashire in 1953, which he regards as a most exciting and educative experience.

Despite being located in the heart of the bustling city of Indore, C T Sarwate’s house is surrounded by tranquillity. Echoing the mood of its inhabitants. The ace all-rounder – in whose name stands the record last wicket stand of 249 runs with Shute Bannerjee – sits on the verandah, basking in the warmth of the winter sun, as he takes fresh guard to begin an eventful trip down memory lane. Having been an active participant in the game for long and having witnessed all its ups and downs, Sarwate draws immeasurable pleasure from delving into its past.

Born in Jabalpur, in 1920, Chandrashekhar (he is popularly called Chandu) Sarwate was drawn to cricket while still at school. With the passage of time, the interest became an obsession, and, later, a way of life.

Chandu was only 16 when he made his Ranji debut for C P & Berar as a leg-spinner. `In my maiden performance, I took five wickets giving away 33 runs, against Hyderabad’ he recalls, But his association with C P & Berar did not last long because the province did not participate in the Ranji trophy for the next couple of years. So the young law graduate moved to Pune, to play for the national champions, Maharashtra. In 1940-41, playing for the state against Madras in his maiden Ranji final that year, Sarwate was instrumental in Maharashtra – led by professor Deodhar- retaining the trophy. His bowling figures were 11-2-26-3 and 32-2-9-83-6.

A job in the docks in Bombay, saw Sarwate representing the metropolis. He was with them till a little time before a terrible fire that swept the dock area broke out. The sense of relief at his narrow escape has not faded even now, 40 years later. `Maharajah Yeshwant Rao Holkar wanted me to play for the Holkar team. So he sent Col C K Nayudu to invite me to Indore, and I went. A few days later, the fire broke out. The person who replaced me in my job was killed in that fire.’

In Indore, under Col Nayudu’s expert guidance , Sarwate blossomed into one of the finest all-rounders of contemporary cricket. Making his debut for the Holkars against Bihar in 1944-45, Sarwate hit a quick 72 and followed it up with match winning figures of 9 for 72. In the semi-final match versus Madras, at Madras, Sarwate bundled out the opponents single-handed, with a match haul of 13 for 149. He also chipped in with the bat, scoring 74 valuable runs. The Holkars won by 10 wickets.