Dean Jones – Lost 8 kgs at Madras Test in 1986
Dean Jones made his debut against West Indies in 1984 but failed to manage the lethal four fearsome quicks and dropped from the squad after two Test matches. During 1985, he got a lucrative offer to join the rebel tour of South Africa. It was extremely tough to reject the offer because he could easily buy three houses and set for life with the money offered. However, Dean discussed with his father and rejected the offer. Soon he got picked for the India tour in 1986.
Embed from Getty ImagesSpinning Guides:
Dean knew, it wouldn’t be easy out there in India. He needed a strategy to tackle the square turners. He consulted several ex-players for advice. Lindsay Hassett told him to use the feet against spinners. Ian Chappell taught him the anatomy of batting against spin and more importantly how to handle himself in extreme hot and humid conditions in India.
The Madras Test:
The first Test match was scheduled at Chepauk Stadium in Madras. It was a hot and extremely humid day. The temperature was touching almost 42 degrees. There was no room for air passage in the pre-renovation era of Chepauk Stadium (now known as M. A. Chidambaram Stadium) and the condition often became unbearable for foreign players. Jones batted for 502 minutes in that extreme condition and scored 210 runs in 330 deliveries. He vomited multiple times during the innings but never gave up. Soon after the innings, he had to rush to hospital and put on a saline drip. Jones lost almost eight kilos during the Test match and it took him almost nine months to regain the weight back.
Embed from Getty ImagesAllan Border’s Comments:
During the midway of the innings, Dean felt so sick that he wanted to walk off the field “retired ill”. However, AB told him that if he failed to handle the situation then he would ask a Queenslander to do the job. The Queenslander Greg Ritchie was the next batsman to come. It hurt the ego and Dean continued the batting.
He later said, “It was my first Test 100. My first game back since 1984. I realized after the knock I could play Test cricket – I climbed my Mt Everest.”
References:
Featured Image Credit: Prasad1287 – CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized as per the need)