A. L. WADEKAR


🏏🏏
A. L. WADEKAR
(1 Apr 1941 - 15 Aug 2018)

Having played at a time when cricket used to still be the gentleman's game, Bombay southpaw Ajit Laxman Wadekar was one of India's most reliable one drop batsmen, endowed with one of the safest pair of hands in the slip positions...

Beginning his first class career for Bombay in the 1958–59 season, Wadekar made his Test debut perhaps a bit late, against the West Indies at Brabourne Stadium in December 1966, and ODI debut in 1974 against England at Headingley...

In an international career from 1966 to 1974 Wadekar played 37 Tests and 2 ODIs, captaining India from 1971 till he called it quits in 1974. He scored 2113 runs @31.07 with a topscore of 143, a hundred and 14 fifties and 46 catches...

Making cricketing history by leading India to her sensational first-ever Test series win against Garry Sobers's mighty West Indies in 1971, followed by another big triumph over Ray Illingworth's England in the same season, Wadekar became a household name and the nation's popular icon...

However, the loss to Mike Denness's England (of 42 all out fame), and the unfortunate Sudhir Naik incident in 1974 probably put paid to his cricketing career...

With an extremely impressive domestic record - 15380 runs with 36 hundreds and 84 fifties and 271 catches - Wadekar's only Test hundred (143) was against New Zealand, 1968, it being instrumental in India's first overseas series win. Which would rather make one feel that he failed to realize his full potential with the bat that he was capable of...

The recipient of the Arjuna award in 1967 and the Padmashri in 1972, Wadekar, along with Lala Amarnath and Chandu Borde are the only three cricketers to have served as captain, manager, and selector in Tests...

Wadekar passed away this day, 2018, in Mumbai. He was 77...

🙏🙏🌹💐   🇮🇳

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