He is an unlikely hero. There is nothing charismatic about him. He
does not have the aura of a Tendulkar or a Dravid or a Ganguly. Quiet,
rather shy and reserved, he is not known for dramatic achievements but
goes about his work diligently. However, now and then Sunil Joshi
comes up with the kind of performance that marks him out as not just
another valuable team man, which has been his quintessential image.
Just over a year ago, Joshi had the mesmeric figures of 10-6-6-5 in
the LG Cup tournament game against South Africa at Nairobi. Given the
unusual analysis and the formidable opposition, Joshi's feat made
people sit up and take notice. And they wondered why the 31-year-old
left handed utility man from Karnataka had not played for the country
more often. Even given his image of a one day cricketer - a
description Joshi will no doubt staunchly disagree with - the fact
that he has played only 65 ODI's over the last four years gives the
distinct impression that his services have not been utilised to the
full. On the face of it, Joshi should be one of the first choices in
limited overs cricket. A left arm spinner, combining accuracy, turn
and flight, a hard hitting middle order batsman and a safe field are
the kind of credentials the ideal one day cricketer boasts of. Besides
his dream figures in the LG Cup - which are obviously his best
analysis in ODI's, Joshi also has a highest score of 61 not out. But
the selectors and the team management on tour have not really been
fair to Joshi. Either he has not been picked or when he finally does
get a chance, more often than not, he has been underutilised.
While Joshi may disagree with his description as a one day cricketer
there is no doubt that he wants to do well in Test cricket and would
like to be recognized as an all rounder in the longer version of the
game. The just concluded Test in Dhaka provided him the opportunity
and how well he grabbed it! He came up with the kind of all round
performance that has been beyond the capabilities of many more
illustrious players. First, in the absence of Anil Kumble, he was
suddenly elevated to the status of spin spearhead. He did his job
commendably in the first innings taking five for 142 off 45.3 overs.
True, these figures were achieved against a debutant Test nation but
in his favour it must be said that the pitch was absolutely placid.
The seamers struggled while the other left arm spin bowler in the side
Kartik Murali finished wicketless after 24 overs. In the second
innings, there was slight wear and tear on a fourth day surface and
Joshi used the conditions well to take three for 27 off 18 overs.
In between Joshi top scored with 92 in the Indian innings. It was the
kind of knock that brought out Joshi's character. He loves a challenge
and meets it headlong. He came at a crucial juncture when India were
236 for six in reply to Bangladesh's 400. Despite the grim situation,
Joshi boldly went for his strokes. He always loved to attack whether
batting or bowling and his belligerence forced Bangladesh back on the
defensive, helped India wrest the initiative and they never lost the
grip thereafter. With Ganguly he added 121 runs for the seventh wicket
off 32.3 overs outscoring his captain who is not exactly a novice in
the art of bold, aggressive batsmanship.
The rare feat of a century and five wickets in an innings in a Test
match has been performed only by two Indians - Vinoo Mankad at Lord's
in 1952 and Polly Umrigar at Port of Spain in 1962 and Joshi came
within an ace of joining the greats. At stumps on the third day, Joshi
was on 71 and was aware of the rare nature of the feat. Perhaps he
thought too much about it and this probably led to his dismissal at
92. It was a very untypical Joshi that one saw on the fourth morning.
While he had compiled his 71 off 112 balls with eight boundaries on
the third evening, he took another 68 balls to score only 21 runs with
one boundary hit on the fourth morning and then holed out to mid off.
But it was a performance to earn him the man of the match award and
the 2000 US dollars that went with it.
Possibly to ensure that Joshi's feet stayed on the ground, Ganguly did
not go overboard in his praise for him. Speaking to reporters at the
end of the Test match, he said, ''Joshi has always been a top class
performer for India but I am not taking his performance here as a
yardstick because it was achieved against a weak side. But this will
give him confidence and he will go to the next match a much more
confident man. We expect better things from him against stronger
sides.''
Ganguly might have been right in being guarded in his praise but then
there is never any doubt of Joshi not having his feet firmly planted
on mother earth. He is strong temperamentally and is down to earth in
his attitude. He has been dropped so many times, has taken so many
knocks along the way that he is aware that nothing should be taken for
granted - not even a double of 92 and eight wickets in a Test. India
has played 40 Tests since Joshi made his debut at Edgbaston in 1996,
and the Dhaka game was only his 13th Test. He is a level headed
cricketer who does not look beyond the horizon but takes it match by
match. His immediate objective is to do well in the next Test against
Zimbabwe at New Delhi where again, with Kumble still out of action, he
will be the spin spearhead. Against stronger opposition, Joshi will
not find it as easy to score runs or take wickets. But then he has
always been a cricketer who has been judged by the sweat on his brow.
And somehow one is sure that after his feat at Dhaka, Joshi will not
be subjected to the yo-yo treatment again.