Contractor steps into the 90s

When are you starting to play cricket againrdquoItrsquos nearly 62 years since Nari Contractor got asked this question by Dr Chandy at Christian Medical College Vellore in Tamil NaduFormer India captain Contractor turns 90 todaymdasha day he may never have seen had he not heeded Dr Chandyrsquos adviceA few weeks prior Dr Chandy had inserted a metal plate in Contractorrsquos head as a follow up to an operation caused by a lifter from West Indian fast bowler Charlie Griffith in the Indians versus Barbados game of the 196162 series in the West Indies The plate was removed in 2022Contractor spent his days recovering while the Indian team who he had captained in the first two Tests of the fivematch series dealt with Frank Worrellrsquos fiery West IndiansAt Vellore the next medical facility Contractor checked into after New Yorkrsquos Presbyterian Hospital he had to be coaxed into making his way to Dr Chandyrsquos room The doctor could have visited his patient instead of the other way around But good doctors are the best psychologists too so he insisted on Contractor undertaking the 300metre walkBack to the question A stunned Contractor wondered how Dr Chandy could expect him to play again considering what the delivery from Griffith had reduced him to In the words of Berry Sarbadhikary who reported on the tour Contractor ldquohovered between life and deathrdquoContractor at his Colaba residence on WednesdayDr Chandy remarked ldquoI want to tell you Contractor in plain and simple English that if you want to be a vegetable for the rest of your life donrsquot ever play cricket againrdquoOn leaving the doctorrsquos room Contractor soon found the wherewithal Not only did he return to firstclass cricket the following season to play for his beloved Gujarat Ranji Trophy team and nearly get picked for India again in 196768 he also served his sport in a quiet and efficient mannerCourage was a quality he displayed even before his neardeath situation in 1962 In the 1959 Test against England at Lordrsquos he continued to bat for his 81 after having his ribs broken through an express Brian Statham delivery in the second over of the Test Breathlessness played a role in Contractor not reaching his hundred but he took Australian legend Keith Millerrsquos breath away In his expert comments piece for a newspaper Miller suggested that Contractor be accorded the Victoria Cross for his braveryContractor ended his firstclass cricket career in 197071 From the house of Tatas he joined Mafatlal as personal assistant to the Chief Executive according to the January 24 1971 issue of Sportsweek in which he backed Ajit Wadekarrsquos side to give West Indies a run for their money He was right as India won 10Contractor went about his duties at Mafatlal without having much to do with the game But one day he received a telephone call from Madhav Mantri the then Bombay Cricket Association president asking what could Mafatlal do for Mumbai cricket in the face of a Ranji Trophy title drought in the second half of the 1980s A fast bowling scheme headed by Frank Tyson soon took shape and changed the face of Mumbai cricket Indiarsquos fast bowling stocks rose in the bargainWhen it was decided that the bowling scheme would need a foreign head coach Contractor was sent to England by his employers to find one He met several coaches there who were willing to come over and head the scheme But they couldnrsquot provide a blueprint and Contractor had to return to the city without zeroing in on a coach He then contacted Tyson in Australia and convinced him to come overAlthough the scheme didnrsquot go the distance it produced enough fast bowling talent for it to be rated successfulTyson later came to India to conduct courses for coaches so the coaching machinery was put in place as wellLook at the Indian set up today Indiarsquos bowling coach Paras Mhambrey is a beneficiary of the BCAMafatlal Fast Bowling Scheme and so is national selector Salil AnkolaAmol Muzumdar Indiarsquos womenrsquos head coach used to bat in the scheme Ditto Hrishikesh Kantikar who did a stint as head coach of the womenrsquos team And legspinner Sairaj Bahutule who works with the Indian youth was Indiarsquos head coach in Ireland last year as a stopgap arrangement Abey Kuruvilla the tall India and Mumbai fast bowler was the first success story of the scheme He is now BCCIrsquos General Manager after a stint as India selectorAll the above owe it to Tyson and Contractor as well for getting the late England fast bowling terror to these shores Contractor was also involved in the Talent Resources Development Officer TRDO wing as the head of West Zone as well as Cricket Club of Indiarsquos Cricket for Care coaching schemeIndeed Contractor has lived a life of fulfilment layered with a generous slice of integrity and commitmentHe has made countless friends along the way and hersquoll miss many of them Like his India teammates his rival captain in 1962 Sir Frank Worrell the decorated cricket writer Prabhu and welltravelled Dicky Rutnagur who also covered that tour They donated blood to ensure Contractorrsquos first operation went smoothly And most of all he will feel the loss of his wife Doli passed away in 2022 who was with him all the way just like he was there for her That said Contractorrsquos family members have kept him warm and cheerfulItrsquos time to raise a toast to Indiarsquos oldest living Test captain a living example of where picking up the pieces overcoming pain and displaying admirable courage can take youmiddayrsquos group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stanceHe tweets ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper