Vintage Vengsarkar! Tribute by a fan on his 67th birthday!

Dilip Vengsarkar is 67 today Indeed cricket continues to be central to his life Itrsquos a good time to refresh memories of DBV for his followers and cricket enthusiasts in general around the globeHe became a force to reckon with through his hurricane century for Bombay in the 197576 Irani Cup game at Nagpur He was up against a Rest of India team whose bowling attack included Bishan Singh Bedi and EAS Prasanna Vengsarkar smashed the bowling for 113 which included seven sixes and 11 foursUndoubtedly his bestknown feat outside India is his centuries at Lordrsquos in 1979 1982 1986 rightly earning him the title Lord of Lordrsquos He also scored a century at Leeds in 1986 a series that India wonThe Deloitte ratings placed Vengsarkar as the number one batsman in the world in the late 1980s ahead of the likes of Viv Richards Javed Miandad Allan Border He was also the 1987 Wisden Cricketer of the YearTall and upright Vengsarkar will always be remembered for his stance and sublime front foot drivesAlso ReadThrowback When exIndia allrounder Vinoo Mankad left a mark on young Dilip VengsarkarTo top it all he had a defiant competitive spirit and a neversaydie attitude to bootCenturies flowed from his willow at famous Test grounds The Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi for one witnessed four tons three against the West Indies 197879 198384 and 198788 and one against the Asif Iqballed Pakistan team in 197980His glorious knock of 139 not out for Mumbai against Haryana in the 199091 Ranji Trophy final at the Wankhede Stadium is etched in memory forever Alas Mumbai lost that finalEvery player has his jinx For Vengsarkar it was not scoring a Test hundred outside India and EnglandNever one to make tall claims Vengsarkar always spoke with his bat the willow which scored 6868 runs in 116 Tests for IndiaAfter he retired in 1992 he walked the talk in terms of giving back to the game He focused on development of cricket at the grass roots level and helped produce worldclass players Soon after he announced his retirement from international cricket Vengsarkar met the Sports Minister of Maharashtra and requested him to allot a plot at the northern side of the Oval Maidan Churchgate to start a cricket academy where talented young players of the city could practise and sharpen their skills under his guidanceThe Oval academy kicked off but the plot was in a pathetic condition previously There was no fence around the ground Moreover Vengsarkar had to deal with the nuisance of encroachers who had infested the maidan Nobody had the will to clean the mess before Vengsarkar cleared the maidan with the help of Mumbai police He also restored the northern side of the Oval Maidan and saved it from the clutches of antisocial elementsVengsarkar went on to launch similar academies in Mahul Chembur and at Chincwad Pune too He also served BCCI and the Mumbai Cricket Association MCA in different capacities He was chairman of the national selection committee and chairman of the Talent Research Development Wing of BCCI He also served as vicepresident of the MCA But for the restrictions imposed by the Lodha Committee recommendations he could have been at the helm of affairs in Indian cricketHis love for club cricket in Mumbai is manifest by the fact that he played Kanga League lsquoArsquo division for only one club his beloved Dadar Union Sporting Club which he revived a few years ago by building a club house and putting the pitches to use for matches which was not the case for many yearsApart from Dadar Union Vengsarkar also served Tata Sports Club wellThe Arjuna Padma Shri and CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement awards are honours that have come Vengsarkarrsquos way most deservedly and the latest one a stand named after him at Wankhede Stadium is nothing short of a major honour More recently the Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari bestowed on him a lifetime achievement award for his outstanding contribution to sportsConsidering his contribution to the game more accolades and honours cannot be ruled outHappy birthday Dilip