Mark Nicholas

Nagpur: Mike Brearley, Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan are regarded as among the finest to have captained England. Many feel Mark Nicholas is the finest who didn’t get that opportunity, though he did lead England A.

He didn’t get to play for the England team, but figured in over 350 first-class matches and captained Hampshire for what seemed ages.

For over a decade, Nicholas has been a much-liked commentator on TV and has been keeping the Sunil Gavaskars company in the commentators’ box during the ongoing series.

On Saturday, the articulate and suave Nicholas, now 51, spoke to The Telegraph exclusively on the Fab Four — Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman.

The following are excerpts

On the Fab Four

Laxman came on the scene some months later, but the first time I saw Sachin, Sourav and Rahul together was on the 1996 tour of England... Sourav and Rahul made runs and it was clear that Sachin now had (big) support, not that it hadn’t been there from the Mohammed Azharuddins... Their emergence, however, allowed Sachin to play more freely. I remember asking Ian Healy about Sachin, after the 1997-98 series in India, and he’d replied ‘mate, if Bradman was better, he must have been a good player!’ The Fab Four, significantly, proved to be performers overseas too. Till they got together as a unit and delivered, Indian teams hadn’t really done justice to their talent overseas. The Fab Four showed they could bat, whatever the conditions.

(From left) Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman

Fab Four off the field

They’ve got charm... They’re polite and they’ve always been humble. They reflect what may be a bygone age. The new generation in India could be challenging, combative... Combustible too at times... They could do a lot for Indian cricket, but may not be as attractive to watch... As for the Fab Four, I know that people from Sydney to Southampton have always been wanting to watch them.

On Sachin: A purist from a technical point of view, but Sachin also has a wonderful style and flair... I’ve consistently maintained that my two favourite right-hand batsmen have been Barry Richards and Sachin... There are a number just behind them, but they’re the ones I’d pay to watch... Sachin plays in the straight lines and has a lot of the pure stuff, like the high elbow... Even when I’m not doing commentary, I get up (in the commentators’ enclosure) and watch if he’s batting... Sachin has reached such heights, but what’s expected of him is too much... Going back in time, I watched one of his best hundreds, in Perth (1991-92), and the crowd was left in awe... He doesn’t go to bed thinking he has to get this record or that, but sub-consciously, that’s there and could be putting him under pressure... As he’s getting older, there’s more of the fear of failure... Sachin handles the adulation very well, but I think he’s got to a stage where he possibly bats in a manner to justify his continuing to play... But, then, even a Tiger Woods finds it harder today than when he was younger... With age, there’s traffic in your mind and you get to know too much about life... More about the downs than the ups... Sachin has been around for 19 years (at the international level), yet hasn’t lost any of his enthusiasm... He does have two years ahead of him... I’m sure Sachin will leave at a time he’s still valuable to the team and not when people start to ask questions.

On Sourav: Raw flair as a batsman and what timing — exquisite and unreal almost... David Gower, Barry, and Mark Waugh are the only others I can think of who timed so well... Brian Lara and Graeme Pollock could’ve been better, but in patches, not consistently... Sourav, in fact, is leaving a second legacy — captaincy... I mean it as a compliment when I say he had the rare ability to get up the noses of the opposition... To get under the skin of the opposition... He was prepared to do that at any cost, even if it meant putting himself under so much pressure... Sourav did what some football managers, like Jose Mourinho, do — become the bad boy, while the team stays good... I don’t think this got appreciated enough... As captain, Sourav understood the needs of a changing India... He adopted a confrontational approach... Looking back, I don’t think he should’ve been dropped in 2005/2006... But, then, Sourav rubbed many the wrong way... He once told me that when he’s the topic of discussion, people either go too high or too low... That a level opinion just wasn’t there... (After a pause) If he hadn’t announced that he’d be retiring, Sourav could definitely have continued... I liked his hundred in Mohali and felt sad when he got out on 85 yesterday (Friday)... He’d been calm at the crease and both innings were well-constructed.

On Rahul: He’s been the glue in the Fab Four... His intensity and quest for technical perfection has led him to play innings which Sachin and Sourav haven’t been able to... Rahul has batted for long periods, defying the opposition... Right up there mentally and technically... He has also allowed others to play around him... I admire Rahul’s cricket brain and his ability to weigh up situations... His ability to prepare so well is probably unparalleled in this era... Over the years, he has got stronger in the areas he was weak in and improved in the areas he’d fallen off... He’s been fighting the demons in his mind of late... He’s got to either enjoy his cricket, like a Virender Sehwag, or retire... I’m sure Rahul has made enough runs and enough money! He hasn’t been the same after leaving the captaincy (September 2007), but the captaincy took a lot out of him... He’d been wanting the job, I’m sure, but couldn’t visualise how much it would take out of him... The other day, the Board felicitated four greats... For me, everything about Rahul should also be celebrated. I’ve never heard anybody anywhere say a bad word about him... That’s saying a lot.

On Laxman: I see him as an artist with brush strokes... Imagine him as a wild, bohemian artist and imagine he’s in his studio... There could be days when he wouldn’t paint, but throw paint on the canvas, just to see what came of it... Indeed, in the modern era, Sachin and Laxman together would make for the perfect viewing... He’s opened at the start of his career, but I feel he (then) didn’t know how good he really was... It was from the 2000-01 series (at home) against Australia that his career soared... In the Fab Four, he’s the one who is most mercurial... Perhaps, more versatile... When he doesn’t make runs, though, he looks pretty down and takes it hard... It’s different when he makes runs and seems a talismanic figure in the dressing room. There are plenty of batters who’ll hit half-volleys and long-hops better, but I haven’t seen many who can cover drive on the up better. I won’t forget one such drive at the Kotla (third Test) last week. When Laxman’s on song, the bowlers don’t know what length to bowl... Looking ahead, well, I don’t know how many years more for him... He’s the type, I guess, who could get bored after three months. Equally, he may not get bored for three years... Motivation will be the key for Laxman.

Finally, remembering the Fab Four

I’ll remember them as having had charm, class and an ability to entertain which isn’t common... All that combined to make an era in Indian cricket very special.