The following gentlemen are the nominees for the Spirit of Cricket award. Vijay Hazare
India's first captain to win a Test match, Vijay Hazare was a role model for a generation. Soft-spoken and unassuming, he hid under his docile exterior an iron will that never gave in. Whether it was making two hundreds in a Test against Bradman's Invincibles, or standing tall when Fred Trueman and Alec Bedser were terrorising the rest of the batsmen, Hazare led from the front. Even when his cricketing years were long over, he was always willing to spend time with budding cricketers, instilling in them the virtues and the passion which made him a fine cricketer, and the finest of men.

Eknath Solkar
Eknath Solkar would do anything for his side: he opened both the bowling and the batting for India, and was not fazed at the prospect of standing at a hand-shaking distance away from the batsmen, from where he pulled off many spectacular catches. His spinners loved him – but then, so did all his other team-mates. It is good that he wasn't born 20 years later; in an era of individualism, this quintessential team-man would have been an anachronism.

Gundappa Viswanath
Gundappa Viswanath will be remembered as much for his exquisite batsmanship as the spirit with which he played the game. He was one of the few `walkers' and never disputed the umpire's decision. His decision to recall Bob Taylor after he had been declared out by the umpire in the Bombay Test in 1980 was typical of the man. India lost the match, but Viswanath gained plenty of admirers. In an era which saw sledging and gamesmanship on the rise, Viswanath remained unaffected. He was the perfect ambassador for Indian cricket – and for the game.

Compiled by Amit Varma and S Rajesh.

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