PUNE(PTI): Prof D.B.Deodhar, the grand old man of Indian Cricket, passed away here early Aug.24, He was 101.
He is survived by a son and four daughters.
Professor Dinkar Balwant Deodhar, the Patriarch of Indian Cricket, was always Ramrod straight, religiously sticking to a Credo which he termed ‘the first principle.” For him, age seemed to be just a number.
‘Nature will help you, if you follow nature’s rules. No late nights, no bad habits, Luxury and undue recreation will prove harmful. Breathe the early morning air and lead a disciplined life.’
But his old worldly steadfastness did not rob him of Catholicity. He protested the banalities of modality, traversed with its positive changes and looked beyond.
Thus, hefty earnings of present day cricketers was a ‘good’ development, their ‘ostentatious ness’ was not.
‘Most players these days keep late nights and have bad habits. They take their wives with them on tours and visits on staying in five star hotels. Such luxury affects their performance,’ he said on India’s failures in south Africa in an interview to PTI on the eve of his 10 1st birthday this year.
But, introduction of the electronic eye was a ‘scientific development.” He compared it with: the ‘freezed replays’ in the Olympics to decide close finishes.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 27, 1993
