THE scene at the White City stadium in Sydney on that lovely October day in 1987 will never be forgotten by those who were witness to it. India had just made history by beating Australia 3-2 in the Davis Cup semi-final. Ramesh Krishnan, the hero of the hour after beating Wally Masur in the deciding fifth match, was being chaired by the other members of the Indian team.

In his time the Indiana Jones of Indian cricket, Srikkanth’s batting style was entertaining, innovative and explosive. Indeed, his approach came as a whiff of fresh air and, not unexpectedly, he was a great crowd puller. A swashbuckling opening batsman cast in the Mushtaq Ali mould, Srikkanth could destroy the strongest and most fearsome attacks in the world by fearless pulling, hooking and driving. But there were times when he could be dismissed by some pretty ordinary bowling. Gifted with a good eye and super-quick reflexes, Srikkanth’s buccaneering methods quickly caught the eye of the selectors and he made his international debut at 21.