Prem Panicker, in a different context, on Jason Gillespie-
Hold off on the celebrations for just a second -- and with everything you've got, applaud a man with a brittle body and a heart bigger than the stadium he performed prodigies in today.Jason Gillespie was incredible -- and you use that word only because you can't find a stronger one. India needing 155 to win, 70 overs to get it in, and a batting lineup that had, in its two previous innings, batted over five sessions and scored at speed.
Glen McGrath, the more visible face of Australian fast bowling, was good in his first spell, but never threatening. Colin Miller at first change seemed to be bowling his off spin on a different pitch from the one on which Harbhajan, yet again, performed brilliantly. Shane Warne -- the spearhead, the man expected to flatten India with the backing of two quality seamers -- was smashed out of the attack. And despite two wickets against the run of play, India was running away with the game.
Or would have, except for one man who just did not know how to give up.
Long after everything else about this series is forgotten, one image will remain evergreen -- a tall, lanky young man, walking back as slowly as possible to the top of his bowling mark, trying to use every extra second to give his body some rest, talking to himself every step of the way. Turning. Facing the batsman. Pausing -- and visibly gathering himself for yet another supreme effort, then bursting out of the blocks to send down yet another sizzling delivery.
Jason Gillespie single-handedly lifted his team. The other ten seemed to realise, suddenly, that there was something special happening in their midst, got a second wind, and lifted their own game.
An Australian reader, in mail day before yesterday, said: "This Test is looking for a hero." Today, it found one -- and as so often happens, that hero happened to be part of the team that lost.
A hero indeed!
5 comments:
Gillespie was one of the most under rated bowlers in the oz invincibles. The fact that he was not so 'in your face' like Mcgrath lost him a lot of oz fans I would guess. I salute one of the great bowlers of our era.
his values as sticky tailender can not be ignored either he might have contributed in saving or winning so many matches for oz than we think...
he was victim of internal team politics... sad
His efforts in the 2003-04 series, fronting up the bowling line up in the absence of McGrath and Warne and an off color Lee, was commendable.
Thanks for that Homer. Thanks for everything, Dizzy.
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