GUNDAPPA VISHWANATH:Gundappa Vishwanath or Vishy as he is famously known was born on 12 February 1949 in Bhadravati, Mysore. Vishy made his debut against Australia at Kanpur in the year 1969.He is one of the most stylish batsman the country has produced.Like all stylists, Vishy had the ability to both delight and frustrate his fans all within a matter of minutes. His wristwork was a joy to behold, both in his flicks to the on and in his square cut, his pet shot, which generally sent the ball whizzing away to the boundary. A short man (5' 4"), his timing was impeccable. However, he also had an ability to get out, often indiscreetly, in his 30s and 40s, leaving the crowds to imagine what may have been.He played 91 tests to score 6080 runs with 14 centuries and 35 half-centuries with a test best of 222 in his illustrious career.When he married Gavaskar's sister in 1978, it seemed for a while that all of India's batting was in one family. His 97 not out at Madras vs the West Indies in 1974-75, on a day when he met fire (in the presence of Andy Roberts) with fire, is still considered to be amongst the finest innings played on Indian soil. He began his Test career with a duck and century on debut.Other memorable innings include centuries at Port-of-Spain in 1976, when India successfully chased 404(a world record for most runs chased in the 4th innings)and at Madras against the West Indies in 1978-79, which led to an Indian win in a low-scoring Test on a bouncy wicket. He was a sportsman to the core, and always walked when he was out. He captained India for 2 Tests in 1979-80, in one of which he recalled Bob Taylor to the crease after the latter had been erroneously given out, letting him continue a partnership that proved to be decisive. After his retirement, he chaired the national selection committee, during an era of unprecedented success at home, between 1993 and 1996.Presently,Vishy officiates as a match referee in international matches.
PRAKASH PADUKONE: Prakash Padukone,the greatest badminton player to have emerged from the country was born on 10th of June 1955.He is the only player from India to have won the prestigious All England Championship.As a player Prakash has won many a tournament in his hay days and is presently actively involved in coaching the young aspiring shuttlers at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy(P.P.B.A) in Bangalore of which he is the Chief Coach & Director.The P.P.B.A in association with BPL has been a great boon for the young hopefuls of the game and it won't be far when they produce a player of Prakash's calibre for all the hard work that they are doing. Prakash padukone was awarded the "Arjuna Award" in 1972 and later awarded the "Padmashreee" in 1982 for all his achievements in the court for the country. Padukone's Major Achievements are highlighted below:National Senior Champion for Nine Years in a row from 1971 to 1979. CommonWealth games Gold medal winner in 1978 at Edmonton, Canada. Winner of English Masters at Royal Albert Hall, London in 1979.Won the Danish Open, Swedish Open and the All England Championships in 1980.Winner of the first Alba World Cup in October 1981 at Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia.Won the First Indian Open tournament at Pune during November 1981.Won the Dutch Open in 1982. Won the HongKong Open in 1982.Winner of the Bronze Medal in the World Championships help in Copenhagen, Denamark in 1983.Manager of the Indian Team which won the Silver Medal in the Men's Event & Bronze Medal in the Women's Event of the recently concluded CommonWealth Games 1998.
B.CHANDRASHEKHAR:Chandrashekhar was born on 17 May 1945 in Mysore. He made his debut against England at Bombay in the 2nd Test of the 1963/64 season.Chandra played 58 Test matches for the country wherein he took 242 wickets;scalping 10 wickets or more twice.Along with Bedi,Venkatraghavan and Prassana he formed the most versatile spin quartet which is unmatched in world cricket,to date.An attack of polio when he was a child left Chandra's right arm weak, but very flexible at the wrist. That right arm won several Tests for India. He was a wrist spinner who bowled at near medium pace; playing in an age in which India did not have fast opening bowlers, he was sometimes the fastest bowler on the side. His stock ball was probably the top-spinner or googly; Tony Greig, who played him at his peak with some success, said that he played Chandra like a fast off-spinner. Chandra was always unpredictable, often serving up a mix of long hops and half-volleys punctuated with unplayable deliveries. He could turn the ball both ways, and combined this with changes in pace and bounce. His captains knew that bowling him was generally a gamble. In 1974-75, Tiger Pataudi chose to take that gamble, against the West Indies at Calcutta. After giving up three fours in two overs, Chandra bowled danger man Clive Lloyd, and India went on to win the Test. He bowled India to wins over England at the Oval in 1971, and Australia at Melbourne in 1977-78, as well as quite a few Tests at home. In recognition of his complete lack of ability with the bat, the Australian team presented him with a bat with a hole in the middle, during the 1977-78 tour. Being a mild person by nature, he enjoyed the joke. Chandra was a great fan of Hindi film music, especially singer Mukesh. In a Test at home, he took a wicket and came running up to his team-mates, not to celebrate, but to ask if they had heard the Mukesh song blaring from a radio in a section of the stadium. He was the Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1972.
ROGER
BINNY: Roger binny was born on 19 July 1955
in Bangalore. He made his Test debut against Pakistan at Bangalore in
the 1st Test of the 1979/80 season.Binny played a total of 27 Tests and
72 one-dayers taking 47 and 77 wickets respectively.A most under-rated
all rounder, Roger Binny was a useful asset to the Indian team in both
Test cricket and the one dayers. He was capable of rescuing India, like
he did while scoring 83 not out and sharing a record 155 run seventh wicket
partnership with Madan Lal against Pakistan at Bangalore in 1983. He was
capable of bowling India to victory, like he did by taking seven wickets
in the match at Headingley in 1986;or with his best Test figures of six
for 56 he pushed Pakistan to the wall at Calcutta.Roger
Binny's most outstanding feats are associated with limited overs cricket
especially the 1983 Prudential World Cup where he played a leading role
in India's victorious campaign by taking 18 wickets which stands as a
record in that competition.Binny was an aggressive batsman who could either
open the innings or go in the middle order.He was a classic medium pace
bowler who could swing the ball both ways and was particularly effective
in English conditions and the bouncy Australian tracks. He burst on the
national scene when he scored 211 in the Ranji Trophy game against Kerala
in 1977-78. He was generally in and out of the Indian team but whenever
he was persisted with, he proved his value. With the ball, he was capable
of destructive spells like when he dismissed Majid Khan, Zaheer Abbas
and Miandad at Bombay in 1979 to put Pakistan on the backfoot or when
he dismissed Greenidge, Haynes and Richards to rock the West Indies at
Ahmedabad in 1983. A Karnataka stalwart for several years, Binny has made
his mark as a coach and was instrumental in the victory of the Indian
under-19 team in the World Cup in Sri Lanka in January 2000.He is also
involved in coaching the under-15 side and the present lot of youngsters
of the National Cricket Acdemy set up in May 2000.