Avid Fan .
S.M.H. Kirmani The mercurial, spunky stumper with a magical sleight of hand Blessed with nimble feet & lightening quick reflexes He was central to many of India’s successes As he put paid to many a batsman’s advances True custodian behind the stumps, he hardly let go any chances Affectionately called ‘Kiri’ by his cohort & fans His gloves adorning the safest pair of hands Readily executing every bowler’s new-hatched plans Few behind the stumps matched his wide expanse Starting with bricks as gloves in his early days He had to bide his time to reach heydays Known also for his wit & humour in his cricketing days He was a star stumper earning all-round praise An asset to any team or its skipper With his keen eye & inputs, behind the stumps so dapper The only one who stood up even to Chandra’s flipper With his brillance, he rendered wicketkeeping aglitter Boosting many a bowler’s wickets tally With his skills that was every bowler’s ally Unforgiving of any batsman’s slightest folly Such a great team-man; with everyone so pally Playing many a match winning/saving innings with his bat Scoring a century donning a night watchman’s hat With his gritty batting, he kept many a bowler on the mat Deservedly getting from the discerning- a laudatory pat Many yearned to mimic his skills- but this a mere chimera! As kiri stood upto the stumps to Pras, Bedi & Chandra He was India’s best keeper of his era Nay, i dare say, even the best of any era Excelling in legside collections with finesse A ‘blind zone’ for even the best in business Effecting leg side stumpings with alacrity & swiftness Flummoxing hapless batsmen with mercurial quickness Our world class spinners – posed questions to batsmen & keeper alike A tough challenge that Kiri did relish & like With his sharp work, the team spirit he’d hike A live wire on the field, always sportsmanlike Agile, supple, ever keen on the ball Endowed with a sixth sense better than them all Never letting even a single bye – behind the stumps such a wall With his spunk & magic, he’d everyone enthrall Holder of many a batting & keeping record Tremendous utility to the team he did accord With all bowlers alike, he’d a productive concord Short in height but among his ilk, a towering lord A vital ‘shield’ for fielders at first & leg slip Intercepting with his acrobatic dives & alert flip Any wayward delivery or the batsman’s faint clip Deft as always, never even a momentary blip Not taking delayed selection or premature exclusion to heart Constantly perfecting his chosen art Devoted to his craft, he played well his part Emerging India’s best keeper/bat- a class apart The Zimbabwe worldcup match of 1983 was poised for damage Even as he held one end up with Kapil on the rampage Every run of Kiri worthy of gold in weightage Sans his support all else would’ve been mere wastage Winning ‘the best keeper’ award at the 83 world cup A no small feat; operating sans a backup As with both bat & gloves he’d his tail up To the team’s fortunes – he, a vital add-up Kiri richly deserves a doff of the hat For his stupendous feats with both gloves & bat An ‘original’ keeper, never a copycat He shall be remembered for his spirited combat Dr K S Kumar
