RIP Chetan Chauhan

 After losing the Test Series in Pakistan in 1978, India's witty Captain Bishen Singh Bedi gave 3 reasons for India's loss - the Cricketers, the Footballer and the Outsiders. Imran Khan and Zaheer Abbaz were the Cricketers who played well against their arch rival, Footballer was alluded to Javed Miandad who padded all the deliveries from our spinners whereas the outsiders, apltly named for the Umpires looked the other way. India lost the series, Bedi lost his Captainship as aftermath of a tour when the visitors believed their rooms were bugged and from the day one started counting the remaining days to go back to India.

But in the same series in the Lahore test this player led a fightback along with the better known legendary Sunil Gavaskar in the second innings when India was trailing by 250 odd runs. Both of them scored nearly 200 runs reducing the deficit to a large extent for the first wicket against some hostile bowling from Imran Khan and Sarfraz Nawaz, until this batsman was prevented from scoring a much deserved century by a caught behind for 93 - a dubious decision again by the Outsiders, the Umpires. This man was India's opening batsman Chetan Chauhan.

Shadowed by Sunil Gavaskar, Chetan Chauhan was his able partner. This opening duo formed the perfect pairs in many more series to come. Chetan was a true Rajput who braved facing all fast bowlers of the time. 

In the 1980 series in Australia he along with Gavaskar rescued Indian from a similar situation in the second innings while trailing by 200 runs in the first. Chetan Chauhan battled against Dennis Lillie at his fiercest best by scoring 80 odd runs. Though his partner Gavaskar added century after century to his tally, a test match century forever eluded this batsman who had so many fighting knocks and fifties to his credit.

After cricket, Chetan Chauhan the star of many innings in cricket started his second innings of his life - politician. He was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) from BJP.  Like many sports person and Bollywood actors he failed to carve his niche as a politician.

The gritty, never say die fighting Rajput finally lost his battle with COVID-19 at the age of 73, a young age to go these days when medical science has made folks living upto 80 easily taken for granted. Rest in Peace, the fighter. Om Shanti.