Read on Twitter
I have a book `Memoirs Of A Twelfth Man' by Anthony Couch. The title sums up the subject. I also know of an eternal standby. How does it feel? You score the runs that matter and take catches that count. Yet, you end up denied and deprived
KP Bhaskar, aka as Bhaskar Pillai, remained an outsider. He played for Delhi, spoke the local language as good as any in the team, gave his best always, commanded place on merit, but remained an outsider. He never could understand the reason. Never
When he scored a century, he was told get a “double hundred.” Then he scored a double hundred. Now they wanted him to score a “Triple hundred.” The chief selector must have been joking. Actually, he was not. Bhassi did not give up
First standby when India toured Sri Lanka in 1985. First standby for tour to Australia in 1985. He maintained his consistency, scored runs & kept embarrassing the selectors. But he lacked support in the selection committee, especially from the representative from the north
Before each selection meeting, this gentleman would ask Bhassi to come with his stats to help him push his claims. Bhassi would prepare a note, drive to the meeting point, which was always a petrol station on Race Course Road, and present his credentials. Pre-internet days
The selector always filled gas at this particular petrol station. But always forgot to fight for Bhassi, who was crestfallen to learn that his name did not even come up for discussion. It made him all the more determined. He was among the probables for the 1987 World Cup
Bhassi kept ploughing. He was standby for seven years now. Finally, he earned a spot for the ODI against New Zealand at Jammu in 1988. Excited, when he opened the room window on the day of the match, his hopes were washed away. So was the match. It rained
Fate kept conspiring against Bhassi. He remained a standby for subsequent tours until 1992 when he was picked in the first-ever India `A' team for the SAARC tournament in Dhaka. The tournament was abandoned after two matches. He accepted his fate
Next season he retired, 11 years after making his first-class debut along with Manoj Prabhakar. He took to coaching, steered Delhi to the final in 2017, and yet lost the job. Even as a coach, his state treated him as an outsider
The eternal standby is a perfect example of so near yet so far. A gentleman, Bhassi blames no one. But dislikes rains for snatching his India cap away. I plan to meet him soon and present him with `Memoirs Of A Twelfth Man' by Anthony Couch. It should cheer him up 
