Dato Dr Amarjit: Malaysia's invincible master tactician

FROM being shot at by communist guerrillas to bowling to feared batsmen, Dato' Dr Amarjit Singh Gill has seen his fair share of blood and glory.

Widely acclaimed as the national team's most successful captain and the longest-serving until he was surpassed by Suresh Navaratnam, Dr Amarjit's astute leadership saw Malaysia dominate the Saudara Cup series in the 1980s with an unprecedented five wins in a row.

Dato Dr Amarjit also led Malaysia to a famous victory over Bangladesh in the 1986 ICC Trophy tournament in England with the captain taking the wicket of top Bangladeshi batsman Athar Ali Khan.

As national team skipper from 1982 to 1989, Dr Amarjit never lost an international match on home soil.

Born in Sentul, Dr Amarjit went to Methodist Boys Sentul and Victoria Institution before undertaking his medical studies at the University of Bombay in 1967.

Ironically, Dr Amarjit's first love was hockey and he would have been a dual international had he not set the sport aside to focus on his medical career. That was to cricket's benefit, though, as Dr Amarjit felt batting and bowling was a better fit for his schedule than a hockey stick.

Still, Dr Amarjit excelled at hockey, winning the 1976 Razak Cup with the Malaysian Armed Forces. He also represented Bombay University at Hockey from 1969 to 1971.

"I was only the second foreigner to ever captain the Bombay University hockey team in 1971," said Dr Amarjit, 71.

"In 1970, I was also selected to the Bombay Varsity cricket squad which was captained by Sunil Gavaskar. It was that season when I took seven wickets for one run and six for four in the second innings, in a Bombay Varsity intercollegiate quarterfinal match.

"When I returned to Malaysia in 1975 to start work, I could only play on weekends which was when I switched to cricket. In Malaysia, I am known for cricket but in Bombay, they know me as a hockey player. "

Dr Amarjit professed to have no regrets in choosing cricket over hockey.

"You take one day at a time and I thank the almighty that I remained fit and was able to play until I was almost 40 when I called it a day," he said. "It was better to go when you're still wanted rather than be booted out.

"Perhaps, the only regret is missing out on being a double international." 

SERVING THE NATION

Before being able to focus fully on cricket, Dr Amarjit served the nation in a different capacity.

His stint with the Armed Forces coincided with a secondment to the services as a medical officer where he was posted to the Malaysian-Thai border on special operations against communist insurgents in 1976.

"On one occasion, while we were winching up a booby-trapped soldier our helicopter was shot. We all survived to tell the tale, thanks to the grace of God," recalled Dr Amarjit, who was recommended for the "Panglima Gagah Berani" award for his exploits on the frontier.

For his contribution to the country, Dr Amarjit was conferred a Datukship by His Royal Highness, the Sultan of Pahang, in 2001 and the "Pingat Jasa Malaysia" medal by the Malaysian Armed Forces in 2015.

SAUDARA RIVALRY

Dr Amarjit's national team legacy is irrevocably linked with the Saudara Cup, where, as a medium pace swing and seam bowler with his immaculate line and length, he was very economical and had returns of 17 wickets in 10 consecutive appearances in the Saudara Cup from 1979 to 1988.

Dr Amarjit succeeded Zainon Mat as captain in 1982. Up to that point, Malaysia had only won the Cup outright once in 12 editions - in 1971. After a run of five consecutive draws, Singapore took hold of the Saudara Cup in 1977 and held on to it for five years during which they won three times.

Having just been installed as the national captain, Dr Amarjit was bequeathed an under-strength team missing the likes of stalwarts Hector Durairatnam, Karu Selvaratnam, Zainon Mat, Harris Abu Baker, K. Kamalanathan and Ranjit Singh. Confidence was low following defeat to Singapore just two months earlier at the ICC Trophy in England.

"The press reported that Dr Amarjit was leading a schoolboy team and we had not beaten Singapore in the Saudara Cup for 10 years but I was determined to give it my best shot," said Dr Amarjit, as Johor's exciting Jalil brothers - Saat and Sham - and K. Sekar were blooded into the side. 

"The rest is history as we went on to beat Singapore for five years in a row." 

Malaysia snatched a one-wicket victory in 1982 and registered emphatic wins by 10 wickets, three wickets, eight wickets, and 127 runs in the next four editions.

Heading into the 1986 Saudara Cup clash, Dr Amarjit suffered a blow when Banerji Nair, Balakrishnan Nair and Harris Abu Baker withdrew from the squad on the day before their scheduled departure for Singapore. Asgari Stephens and V. Vijayalingam had pulled out earlier, leaving the Malaysian team weakened in its bid for a fifth consecutive victory.

To compensate for the trio's sudden absence Dr Amarjit knew he had to get a tried and tested spinner as a replacement.

He managed to convince Dr Vythinathan, the team manager, to get Dr Jagdev Singh, then 55, to come out of retirement, nine years after playing his last international match for Malaysia at the 1977 Saudara Cup. Also called up were rookies Rakesh Chander and Iqbal Ali.

Malaysia was reeling at 65-5 in the first innings before Dr Amarjit sparked a lower-order recovery with a 35. Dr Amarjit's surprising but astute selection of Dr Jagdev was rewarded with a five-wicket haul by the latter in the first innings as Malaysia won by 127 runs on Merdeka Day.

The unbeaten run came to an end in 1988 when Singapore regained the Saudara Cup after the Malaysian batsmen were given out leg-before an incredible seven times in a 51-run defeat.

ASTUTE LEADERSHIP

Dr Amarjit's other memorable moments leading Malaysia were the victories over Bangladesh, Argentina and East Africa at the 1986 ICC Trophy when the national team threatened to upset the order before later defeats to Kenya and Zimbabwe.

Part of the national team's success was due to Dr Amarjit's leadership and cricketing philosophy, which stressed the importance of getting the team's batting, bowling and fielding balance right and playing to your strengths.

Described as a "master tactician", Dr Amarjit was a shrewd exponent of the game. He was able to suss his opponents quickly, then motivate and inspire his teammates to respond accordingly. 

"It's a game of ball versus bat," he said.

"The team management generally agreed to my suggestions and we were able to come up with a very good playing XI when on tour.

"When playing at home or in Singapore, I generally had no say in the selection of the team. However, there was one occasion in 1983 when I was consulted by the chief selector Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar and I was able to get a player of my choice Steven Bell into the playing XI

"I always stressed on one thing. If you can't field then you shouldn’t be on the team. Fielding is of paramount importance. There is no excuse for letting the ball go through your legs. And then there is the old saying that catches win matches. 

"That was how some of the younger players like Yazid Imran, Desmond John and Lim Ju Heing made their way into the playing XI in 1986 ICC Tournament and performed extremely well.

His exploits on the cricket field saw Dr Amarjit named Malaysian Cricketer of the Year in 1983 and 1984, nominated for the National Sportsman of the Year award in 1983 and 1984, and inducted into the Olympic Council of Malaysia Hall of Fame in 2017 as well as the MCA Hall of Fame in 2016.

Dr Amarjit's career-best figures in an international match came in an Interport match against Hong Kong at the Royal Selangor Club Padang in 1983.

"The first innings was restricted to 75 overs," he said. "I opened the bowling from the Church End and had to bowl continuously for three hours as our bowlers were unable to stem the flow of runs from the other end.

"For my effort, I was rewarded with figures of 22 overs, 23 runs and four wickets, which ironically turned out to be my best figures in an international match."

PUTTING AWAY BAT AND BALL

Amidst a hectic schedule combining work and cricket, Dr Amarjit continued with his post-graduate studies and obtained Advanced Diplomas in Sports Medicine in 1988 and Genito-Urinary Medicine in 1989. He also served as an independent, non-executive director of Mieco Chipboard Bhd for 19 years.

After retiring as a cricket player in 1989, Dr Amarjit turned his attention to establishing his private practice before returning to serve the Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) as executive committee member, vice-president (2001-2009) and deputy president.

After one term as deputy president, Dr Amarjit left MCA in 2010 but continues to run courses for the International Cricket Council and Asian Cricket Council while keeping in contact with current MCA office bearers. 

Dr Amarjit won multiple MCA Inter-State Championships with Federal Territory and once with Penang in 1978. 

He was also involved in other sports. Besides being the national cricket team doctor, Dr Amarjit also served as the Medical Director at the Jonah Jones Rugby Tournament and the chief tournament physician of the WTA Malaysian Tennis Open for many years. Dr Amarjit has also served as President of the Malaysian Association of Sports Medicine and Chairman of the Society of Sports Medicine, MMA.

Dr Amarjit's passion for sports rubbed off on his three daughters with wife Datin Sylvia - Ashvina, Sabrina and Shareena - who all excelled at tennis and represented the Federal Territories. The youngest, Shareena, also represented the country at junior level, including at the 2007 ITF 14 and Under World Junior Championships in New Delhi.

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