Where Solkar Dared !!

Traditionally Indians have always been bad fielders the only exceptions being MAK Pataudi, Ghulam Parkar ,Brijesh Patel who stood like a rock in the covers ,Mohd. Azharuddin at slip and Gully , Abid Ali at mid-on/mid wicket and to the recent Ajay Jadeja/ Yuvraj Singh at backward point.
All these fielders were exemplary and achieved accolades for their courageous attitude and daredevilry on the field. However all these positions were ‘’SAFE’’ and the chances of getting injured was negligible if not impossible.
People who have played cricket at a reasonable competitive level reckon the position of ‘’Forward Shortleg ‘’ as a suicidal position to be in for any fielder of any calibre. Once the ball leaves the bowler’s hands and it pitches on and around middle and leg it is the natural tendency of the batsmen to heave his bat either for a flick or a pull which is enough for the fielder at forward shortleg to take evasive action. Instinctively the fielder will try to save his face and groin for these are some of the most sensitive body parts prone to get hit and if you do get hit YOU STAY HIT!! Atleast while Playing gully cricket (that too with tennis and rubber balls)most of us –including me always avoided that position and opted for safer areas like the slip cordon or at best be the wicket keeper.
In the ‘’PRE-HELMET’’ era of the early 1970’s E.D.Solkar – Eknath Dondu Solkar played for India who created his own space and stood within handshaking distance of the batsmen. Mind you there were no shin guards to protect the knees from getting hit and it was left to providence and destiny if they were to survive any onslaught from the batsmen.
It is said that LEGENDS are BORN and NOT MADE.
Born in perpetual penury his father struggled to make ends meet by working as a groundsman at Hindu Gymkhana where a hut in the far corner was home to Eknath and his 5 siblings.
Clad in tattered clothes he used to fetch the cricket balls in a jiffy for the fielders from the boundary.
Drafted in the Indian team he was a complete utility player who could play at any position and also bowled medium pace and spin as per the situation.
He had a very good reflex further complemented with a hawk like eye- sight which made him a predator on the prowl at the most enviable but dangerous position.
He played 27 tests and took 53 catches which is a world record for the highest average per test- which comes to 1.96 catches per test (for all fielders except the wicket- keeper who have played a minimum 20 tests).
The first ever overseas victory over the West indies and England in 1971 was a team effort but his contribution in batting /fielding in those twin victories is still talked about in cricketing circles.
During a recent effort while launching the Eknath Solkar academy his erstwhile team mates had come to talk about his super human efforts his colleague and of his most dear friends BS Chandrashekar, was choked with emotion and could barely speak about the long and fruitful association of the duo who mesmerized batsmen with the scoreboard often reading: caught Solkar bowled Chandra . Solkar took some amazing catches of his bowling and many debated whether it was due to the exceptional ball or the unbelievable catch that was taken. He had the ability to catch the ball inches off the ground and often threw himself forward, sometimes landing at the batmen’s feet. In the later stages when batting form deserted him he was included in the side just for his fielding exploits justifying his abundant talent and skill.
India’s famous overseas Victories over the West indies and England in1971catapaulted him to be acknowledged as the best close in fielder in the World and some odd dropped catch made Headlines!
England batsmen like Allan Knott and Fletcher lost confidence because of his close proximity which rattled their concentration and which ultimately resulted in losing their place in the test squad.
The legendary West Indian Batsman Vivian Richards made his debut against India in 1974/75 series and who treated every bowler during his playing days with disdain and contempt was shocked by the audacity of this slenderly built man with rolled up sleeves standing next to his shadow . He had to frequently nudge him with his bat to stand at a little more distance fearing that some of his shots could hit, maim or even kill the fielder who stood dangerously close for comfort. The greatest tribute paid by Richards was : “”Man! I am not afraid of your Chandrashekar (one of the best leg spinnners in the game) but this man gives me the goose bumps . This man is preventing me from playing my natural game and I really cannot concentrate’ . I can bet no one will field this close and even when he was hit on occasions there was not a flinch or grimace.
ED Solkar or 'Ekki' as he was fondly called by Chandrashekar became immortal on 26th June 2005 at a young age of 57, I reckon he had already attained that stature in his mortal state amongst his innumerable fans for his acrobatics and dare-devilry.
We were privileged to be born in an era and proud to have witnessed and heard about the exploits of this talented Cricketeer who was very humble and never discussed his on- field heroics and waived it off with a smile.
The image of the crouching fielder ever eager to pouch half chances that came his way shall always be vivid in our memory.

New cricketing terms and rules have come into existence and the ‘’FORWARD SHORTLEG’’ Position is now called as ‘’SHORTLEG’’ perhaps justifying the truth that –NO fielder will ever dare to stand in that fatal Position where ONLY SOLKAR DARED !!!