Sir Richie Benaud - A personal homage..

Sir Richie Benaud - A personal homage..

For those of us who are in our Mid forties and have spent most part of that time In India growing up watching cricket - the voice of Richie Benaud, the setting of MCG, the proliferation of colors on playing field , the transistion from five day game to the one day format - is probably the most cherished memories that we could ever hope to have of the game. What a breath taking spectacle it was? and what a revolutionary moment in the history of the game? When Kerry packer's Channel nine was refused broadcasting rights - the astute, charming, ruthless media Moghul went up to Australian Cricketing board and famously told them " Gentlemen, everyone has a little whore in them, Name your price? or I will redefine cricket...". The board did not budge, and Packer was true to his word. And thus was born the World series of cricket- a format of the game played with a flamboyant spirit, lots of money and an exposure and glamour that rattled the very foundations of this conservative sport. People flocked to drown themselves in light and color; watch their cricketing heroes dressed in fashion, pit themselves against each other; fight; embrace, attack and reach a sporting orgasm on the cricketing field. The serene starry nights in Sydney and Melbourne contrasted with the fluorescent spectacle below - and for eight hours an intoxicated audience could bask in the intense heat of electrifying cricket - laugh , cry and feel with a zeal the game has never known in its two hundred year legacy.

And then the sultry, smooth, succinct and studied commentary of Late Richie Benaud. I still remember those drowsy, sleepy mornings when we woke up to watch a one day game on television- and the nasal, smooth, droning voice of Sir Richie , almost merging and suffusing the room with his prelude to the game; going over player statistics, setting the stage, making insightful comments and characteristic remarks ( His trademark style) - "Joel garner swoops in.." or "that's gone. ..' or his dry humor when Viv Richards kept hoisting the ball over for sixes "trying to remember where I parked my car" or when a young, blonde almost childlike David Gower on the verge of his maiden century - and Richie chipping in with " Now every English mother will whisper a silent prayer.." These beautiful commentating moments were not just words from a man who was asked to do professional talking, but it came from Richie's deep knowledge of the game, his flair for English language, and almost a poetic sensitivity to the nuances of the game on and off the field . He was an astoundingly intelligent cricketer himself - who transformed the art of spinning to a subtle technique of flight and control, and wielded his bat down the order with great confidence; captained Aus. in its most difficult times in the 1960's to 28 straight victories. He knew the game, its traditions; and more importantly - the inner fire and turmoil that drove 22 players to perform at their best at this highest level.

Eighty four years is a good age to pass away. And for a Man of Richie caliber and achievement, it is a well deserved exit from the world stage. We will miss his soft, well spoken voice; and the cricketing fraternity will most definitely miss one of the greatest exponents and gentleman of the game. A Man who was never shy of spotting and grooming new talent, encouraging players who were out of form and giving the game itself a respectability, a arty position in a world where such niceties are fast disappearing.

Nobody could have rendered a more apt tribute to Sir Richie Benaud than what the Australian prime minister had to say . I have to quote him.

"There would be very few Australians who have not passed a summer in the company of Richie Benaud. He was the accompaniment of an Australian summer, his voice was even more present than the chirping of the cicadas in our suburbs and towns, and that voice, tragically, is now still..."

Poetic , moving words for a man who indeed transformed Cricket into poetry..

Sir, you shall remain forever in our cricketing hearts and your voice will resonate as long as a cricket ball is ever hit on a field.

God bless...