'I still have hunger for success'
When Shivnarine Chanderpaul walked into bat against India on Wednesday, he became the most-capped Test player for the West Indies, playing in his 133rd match.
He moved ahead of pace legend Courtney Walsh, and the number is a just reflection of his longevity and survival skills at the highest level. Having begun his career as a 19-year old in 1994, Chanderpaul had to ward off criticisms for his unusual stance and ungainly ways at the crease.
Fortitude rather than the natural elegance of a left-hander has always been his forte. If Brian Lara was the enchanter, Chanderpaul was the rock in the West Indian line-up of the 90s as the duo won and saved Test matches for their team in their respective style. But Chanderpaul, arguably the most under-rated West Indian batsman, is also capable of that rare streak of violence as he showed to the world, smashing a 69-ball hundred against Australia in Guyana in 2003.
“This is a milestone I never dreamt of achieving, certainly not when I started playing Test cricket, so it is a great honour to achieve this milestone. Throughout my long career I have always enjoyed playing the game and I love batting with a passion. That love and passion are still there, and hopefully they will keep me in the game for a bit longer. Even though I am in the last part of my career I still have that hunger for success,” Chanderpaul said on Wednesday.
It’s that hunger and passion for cricket that helped the Guyana batsman, who made his debut against England in 1994, to score 9228 Test runs at a very respectable average of 48.56 with 22 hundreds, and 8778 one-day runs at an impressive 41.60 over a career spread over 17 years.
The long career saw him garnering some notable awards like ICC Cricketer of the Year and Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2008, and West Indies one-day cricketer of the year in 2010, asserting Chanderpaul’s status as a modern day giant.
“I have two major goals now. The first is to help the West Indies team start winning again, and the second is to pass on some of my knowledge and experience to the young players to help them improve their game and take West Indies cricket forward,” Chanderpaul said.
Going through a period of turbulence, the West Indies cricket certainly needs the calming presence of Chanderpaul.
