by Arunabha Sengupta
As a kid he had posters of Kevin Keegan on his wall. Barry Richards or Morne du Plessis meant nothing. When the All Blacks toured in 1976 he did not notice.
The dream was to get his uncle, living in Kent, to arrange trials with major clubs. He would storm the English football scene.
Later all his enthusiasm was devoted on hockey.
And then there was his condition.
At five, while climbing trees, he was suddenly struck on the head and lost consciousness. The diagnosis was reflexive epilepsy. He would be knocked unconscious by a blow to the head, but not be prone to seizures. No rugby. Ever.
On 31 December 1990, he was batting for Natal when he struck the young Free State fast bowler past point for four. And soon the lightning fast quick was charging in round the wicket, aiming for his head. Struck on the back of the helmet, he lost consciousness. In hospital for a night.
Later he joked, “Allan Donald put me in hospital in 1990, and I didn’t come out until 1991.”
At Natal he was touched by the approach of Kim Hughes, the former Australian skipper. Positive, attacking, zest for the game.
Later, two cricketers nearing the end of their careers joined the team. Clive Rice and Malcolm Marshall. He picked up plenty of tricks from them.
And then suddenly he was on his way to the World Cup. One first-class century. For the first time a team had supposedly chosen a fielder who could bat a bit. “If Jonty Rhodes is a better cricketer than Cook or Rice, I know nothing about the game,” said Graeme Pollock.
First game against Australia. Boon cuts powerfully. A dive at point. No run. Marsh pushes the ball and calls for the usual quick single, Boon sends him back as Rhodes is already flicking the ball to Richardson. Towards the end, Whitney appears to get it past point. A scamper, a dive, a throw. McDermott is out by a metre. Australia manage just 170. A supreme victory in the first match.
Then Rhodes catches Lara off a full-blooded cut, inches from the turf. And he flies through the air to break the stumps as Inzamam tries to scurry home. Perhaps there is Bucknor’s hand in the dismissal, at least a finger. But the image is transfixing.
Stewart produces a stinging square drive. A dive to the left and a back flick to the stumps. Pringle does the rest.
Cold professionalism of Wessels, eager, electric enthusiasm of Rhodes. The South African combination of 1992 till done in by the rain rule.
When the team flew back to the Jan Smuts airport, a welcoming banner read “Jonty For President.”
And then his Test debut.
Rhodes caught bat pad off Kumble 41. Questionable decision. Father Digby Rhodes sat in front of the Press box. As Rhodes walked back, his dad shouted “Did you touch it?” “No, never touched it,” Jonty shouted back.
The next day unscrupulous headlines announced, “I never touched it, says Jonty.”
Needless controversy.
But then India bat. 19-year-old Sachin Tendulkar pushes past point and starts for a comfortable single. Rhodes swoops on the ball, and Shastri says no. Hudson, moving in from short leg, takes the throw and breaks the wicket. Cyril Mitchley refers, and Karl Liebenberg gives the first ever third umpire decision.
However, Rhodes was more than just a fielder. And I am not speaking of his batting, which was decent enough for two Test hundreds.
August 1998. South Africa were cruising to a series win in England when they were stopped in the fourth Test and humiliated in the fifth. The series was lost.
A moment when generally the team’s assistant fielding coach has to be dragged out of the locker for the press conference.
However, it was Rhodes who went up in front of the microphones.
“It’s disappointing but England played well and we’re pleased for them. They’ve had tough times. We gave everything we had. It won’t help to make excuses. We lost a cricket match.”
He smiled through the seven minutes.
Rhodes was born with a spirit of enthusiasm. And it was honed by his embracing of the Holy Spirit. But ask him about religion, he’ll reply, “Don’t waste your time, it’s nonsense, outdated and caused more trouble than good.” Ask him about building a real relationship with God, he will smile and ask you to try it.
Rhodes was brought up in the utterly sheltered Pietermaritzburg. “The government was telling people what was going on. In 17 years, I had almost no interaction with black South Africans. It is frightening to look back and realise it.”
Now he realises much more: “I certainly benefited from the fact that I wasn’t really competing with 50% of the population. I literally was competing only with the white players. You talk about white privilege and it raises a lot of heat and debate on social media but it is the case. I’m very aware of that. My cricketing statistics as a player were very average when I was selected.”
Of course he mixes modesty with the truth. The greatest fielder of modern times, he perhaps should have made the team anyway.
But it shows that Rhodes is a genuine human being. Quite a rare gem.
Jonty Rhodes was born on 27 July 1969.
