The 'Wall'-ish Jonathan Trott!

As an Indian cricket fan, I have always been awed by classical batting, thanks to my affiliation of hooking up to the high standard batting displays by some of the Indian stalwarts on the idiot box. Hard to resist their charm, batting has been a matter of pure style and elegance for me over the last fifteen years. Maybe that is why it is hard to accept the new-age cricketers as they are. Shuffling is a sin, reverse sweeping is an abomination and switch-hit, a crime which deserves nothing less than a death sentence.

England cricket too has a touch of variety and style in their ranks. If Alastair Cook is the rock-solid run-machine, Kevin Pietersen shows what classy and unorthodox batting is all about. Wedged between them and almost unnoticed is a man of equal calibre, persona and class. Jonathan Trott was a victim of age. It was the Ashes, 2008 when he burst on the stage for the first time. England was level with Australia 1-1 in the series and a victory was required to hold on to the Ashes urn. The middle order appeared brittle and tentative. Ian Bell was looking completely out of sorts. Andrew Strauss, the skipper put his faith on the debutant and provided him with a chance to stake a claim in the English middle order.

The South African born batsman did not disappoint. He scored a gritty 41 in the first essay and followed it up with a match winning ton to help them bag the coveted urn. It was a career defining moment for him. A legend was born, unknown to the world but known as yet another potential for England. He showed the selectors his worth in runs, having made a delayed debut.

Jonathan Trott reminded us of a certain Rahul Dravid and he seemed to possess the “Wall” like qualities that Dravid was known for. Trott’s technique was out of the coaching manual and his ability to concentrate and grind on the field perceived him as a man with grit of steel. He had a set routine while in the middle and he would follow it like a saint, no matter what.

“Trott goes through his batting routines, checking out his flexibility by playing the defence within himself even after getting a hundred. It shows his will-power and the hunger to stay in the middle and get runs” – Tony Greig, commentator

He sedately settles down in the middle and the desire to bat gleams in his eyes. More often than not, his rock-solid defence throws the bowler out of the equation, making them work hard for the money that they get paid. The battle is within himself to attain more perfection and timing with every passing ball. He strives hard to better his previous shot and perceives every single ball as his last and tries to keep himself afloat.

He could really hurt the opponents once he gets set and to say that he can play all the shots in the book would be an understatement. He has evolved with the game and knows how to seduce the audience to his batting, unlike the olden day masters. The controversy filled series against Pakistan is considered widely as the ‘coming-of-age’ series for him. He had the necessary credentials even before that series but the one innings he played in the series was out of the world to describe the least.

The final Test of the series started on a pretty bad note. Mohammed Aamir was on fire and was running through the English batting order with disdain. Jonathan Trott was helpless, standing on the other end and watching the other batsmen come and go. It was a massacre. The Pakistanis would have thought that the game was in their bag until Trott decided otherwise.

History was created as Jonathan Trott unleashed himself upon the opponents. He, along with a defiant Stuart Broad turned the match with their masterful stroke play and was the sole reason for the team’s dominant position two days later. Trott especially, was elegance personified. He had a plan in his mind, venerating the Pakistani bowlers initially, playing along. But once he got set, the runs started to flow. He eased up and was playing the ‘aggression-mixed-with-caution’ game to impeccable perfection. It was a marathon innings that announced the inclusion of Trott into the ‘innings-of-a-lifetime’ list.

Trott did not rest easy. He invaded Australia for the Ashes in 2009 and plundered runs in tons. Trott was in the form of his life and the retribution for the previous losses that the Aussies promised never came. Trott and Cook were the lynchpin of England, leading the team like giants in a battle. Australia crumbled against a well set England and Trott was creating history along with his equally determined team mates.

The One Day series was scheduled subsequently. It was completely opposite to what happened in the Tests and the Aussies were finally doing what they know best, winning. Yet, Trott wouldn’t give up and he managed two centuries from his blade, encountering the hostile Aussies in their own den. It was a lion-hearted effort from a man whose team deserted him at crucial junctures. He saved the face of the team and was a messiah standing above mere mortals at that point.

“Anyone could win a match, but only legends can save pride!”

England had a disastrous World Cup, losing matches against minnows like Ireland and Bangladesh. But Trott had an excellent tournament personally and he displayed his versatility in subcontinental conditions. He scored crucial runs against all major teams and had five half-centuries to his credit. It was a dream come true, yet Trott would be ruing the fact that he was not able to convert the fifties into a bigger score. He was deservedly the highest run-getter for England, a moment that would be etched in his memory forever.

The quest to achieve the golden mace – an initiative by Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower could have well been just a reverie if not for Jonathan Trott’s monumental contribution. Yes, he has been impatient once in a while, and he has shown some serious attitude for a quiet man. In spite of all the criticisms, he stays focussed on the job at hand. He was a complete team-man, hard worker and a winner.

Jonathan Trott was a revelation to his team and the world. To say that he has the class to achieve success akin to the likes of Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis would be an honour and would be near sufficient to describe his cricketing skills. He is a phenomenon himself and a classical cricketer who loves batting, batting and more batting!