P. R. UMRIGAR & E. S. MAKA


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Today marks the death anniversary of two cricketers who represented India over half a century ago - the well-known Polly Umrigar, and the lesser-known E. S. Maka...

P. R. UMRIGAR
(28 Mar 1926 - 7 Nov 2006)



One of the all time greats of Indian cricket, the Solapur born burly right handed middle-order batsman Pahlan Ratanji "Polly" Umrigar was the first Indian to score a double century in Tests. Representing Parsees, Bombay and Gujarat in the domestic circuit, he was also an effective right arm medium pacer and an off-spinner. He captained India in eight Test matches from 1955 to 1958...

Umrigar's debut and final Tests were against the West Indies, Bombay 1948 and Kingston 1962 respectively. In 59 Tests he scored 3,631 runs @42.22 with 12 tons and 14 fifties, 223 highest (against New Zealand, 1955-56), 35 wickets @42.08 and 33 catches...

He amassed 16155 runs @52.28 from 243 first class games, 252 highest, 49 tons and 80 fifties, 325 wickets @25.68 and 217 catches...

Post retirement Umrigar held posts of manager, chairman of the national selection committee, executive secretary of BCCI and BCA, and the pitch curator at the Wankhede Stadium for a while. He authored a book on cricket coaching. Recipient of the Padma Shri in 1962 and the C.K. Nayudu Trophy in 1998–99 for his contributions to the game, the national Under-15 championship is contested for the Polly Umrigar Trophy...

Umrigar lost his battle against Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, and passed away in sleep on 7 November 2006 in Mumbai, at the age of 80...

🙏🙏🌹💐    🇮🇳
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E. S. MAKA
(5 Mar 1922 – 7 Nov 1994)



The first Test cricketer from Portuguese territory, the agile and deft stumper Ebrahim Suleman Maka from Daman arrived on the cricketing scene at a time when there were too many of his likes around...

He fought economic issues in his early days to rise through the ranks, but still found quite a few hurdles which limited his international career to just two Tests - WW II, batting rabbit, too many stumpers and playing for a weak Gujarat team...

He played a Test each against Pakistan, at home, and away in the West Indies in 1952-53. With a finger injury during his second Test Vijay Manjrekar substituted for him behind the stumps, and Maka never got another chance. He effected 2 catches and a stumping and 2 runs in the two Tests that he played for India...

Playing for Gujarat and Bombay, Maka scored 607 runs with 66 as highest and finished with 58 catches and 27 stumpings in 34 domestic games...

He passed away in Daman this day, 1994, aged 72...

🙏🙏🌹💐    🇮🇳

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