R. G. NADKARNI

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R. G. NADKARNI
(4 Apr 1933 – 17 Jan 2020)

Rameshchandra Gangaram "Bapu" Nadkarni was an accomplished left-handed slow orthodox bowling allrounder, with an uncanny knack of keeping the batsmen on a tight leash...

Originally from Nashik, Nadkarni's debut and final Tests were against New Zealand, in December 1955 at Delhi and in March 1968 at Auckland respectively...

Nadkarni who excelled in badminton, table tennis, kabaddi and kho-kho as well was spotted by Prof. D. B. Deodhar who persuaded him to stick to cricket, convincing him that his footwork on the badminton court would be more effective between the 22 yards strip... 

Playing 41 Tests for India, Nadkarni scored 1414 runs @25.70, with one century (122*) as his highest, 7 fifties, 22 catches, 88 wickets @29.07 with a best of 6/43, five wickets in an innings 4 times and ten in a match once...

Representing Maharashtra in the domestic circuit from 1951-52 to 1959-60 and Bombay thereafter till 1967-68, Nadkarni's first class record was equally impressive. He scored 8880 runs from 191 matches @40.36 with 283* highest, 14 hundreds and 46 fifties, 140 catches, 500 wickets @21.37 with best 6/17, 5 wickets in an innings 19 times and 10 in a match once... 

Nadkarni is more known for his impeccable bowling in the Madras Test against England in 1963-64, in a large measure to Ken Barrington and Brian Bolus. His innings figures read 32-27-5-0, bowling a record twenty one consecutive maiden overs (131 dot balls in a row) in a 114-minute bowling spell. His match figures were 38-31-11-2, in a drawn match where all Indian players except the wicketkeeper (Kunderan) rolled their arms over. English media, not amused, were of the opinion  that  'Bolus and Barrington blocked, blocked and blocked, and Nadkarni bowled, bowled and bowled.' Nadkarni's only hundred (122*) in Test cricket came in this series itself, in the final Test at Kanpur... 

Entering the cricketing arena via the Rohinton Baria tournament for Pune University, Nadkarni made his first-class debut for Maharashtra in the 1951/52 season. His first hundred (103*) came against Bombay at the Brabourne Stadium, adding 103 runs for the last wicket with Sadashiv Patil... 

Nadkarni got the Test break when Vinoo Mankad sat out of the 3rd Test against New Zealand at Delhi. Bowling 57 overs in the match without taking a wicket and scoring 68*, he gave way to Mankad for the 4th Test. He got the recall in the 1958-59 home series against the West Indies, and continued being in and out of the eleven till the away tour to New Zealand in 1968, after which Nadkarni decided to end his international career, in a smooth handing over of the baton to Bishen Singh Bedi... 

After his retirement from first-class cricket, Nadkarni continued to play in the Lancashire League until 1972. He also served as a coach, manager and national selector, in addition to being Sunil Gavaskar's mentor, and playing a role in appointing Dilip Vengsarkar as the India skipper...

Nadkarni breathed his last this day, four years ago, due to age-related ailments, at his daughter's residence in Mumbai. He was 86...

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