Playing cricket without a helmet

The cricket lovers of this generation are not aware of who Vivian Alexander Richards is.

- P.V. LAXMIPRASAD

Perhaps they may have heard of him as the batsman. He is an iconic figure in the game of cricket.

He was born on 7 March, 1952. Hailing from Antigua, West Indies, Richards had many records to his credit. He defined his era with exceptional skill and style. He revolutionized batting with his aggressive style. Over his illustrious career, he amassed 8,540 test runs and 6721 ODI runs, cementing his legacy as one of cricket's greatest batters.

His explosive starts spoke about his genius. His average speaks about his success rate in both test and one-day games.

Behind the successful journey of Vivian Richards, the master blaster, there are many things that this generation of cricket players need to learn about.

As one who saw him in action at the crease in many test matches and one-day events, Richards is undoubtedly the batsman par excellence who held many records to his credit.

His awesome looks at the batting crease impressed many lovers. He was typically elegant and stylish when he played the shots all around the ground. At times people think that he was a born cricketer of the game.

He powered the balls with a kind of elegance and timing that one could see in his batting career. He was a game-changer too. The timing of shots is an added feature of his extraordinary batting style. His footwork is amazing.