R. D. PARKAR



🏏🏏
R. D. PARKAR
(31 Oct 1946 - 11 Aug 1999)

A player who was perhaps not allowed to bloom to his full potential in Tests for want of opportunities which he fully deserved, diminutive right handed Ramnath Dhondu Parkar did yeoman service to Bombay as it's near perfect opener...

Tutored by the illustrious Vinoo Mankad and later by Ramakant Achrekar, Parkar made his domestic debut for Vazir Sultan Tobacco Colts XI in the 1964-65 season, followed by the Bombay cap in the 1970-71 season...

A trifle unfortunate to have represented India in just two Tests, in the home series against Tony Lewis's England in 1972, Parkar managed just 80 runs, 35 being his topscore...

A captain's dream with an adaptability to bat and field at any position, Parkar standing at 5'3" was a quality willow-wielder and an outstanding fielder who served Bombay exemplarily when it's regular players were away...

Having had all possible copybook shots in his repertoire to be comfortable against both pace and spin, using his feet to near perfection, Parkar in Gavaskar's words was "the best opening batsman of my career."...

A team-man to the core, Parkar had a decent first class record scoring 4,455 runs in 85 matches runs with 8 hundreds, 21 fifties, 197 as his highest, and 64 catches...

Retiring from first class cricket after the 1980-81 season Parkar shifted job from State Bank to Tata Chemicals, became a coach at the Elf-Vengsarkar Cricket Academy, and played for Dadar Union for a couple of seasons...

Tragedy struck Parkar on New Year's eve, 31 December 1995, as he was thrown off his bike in a vehicular accident, with consequential head injury. Despite the best of efforts including two surgical interventions at Jaslok Hospital, Parkar remained comatose for 43 months, losing his fight this day, 1999, at Lokmanya Tilak Memorial General Hospital, Mumbai. He was just 52...

🙏🙏🌹💐   🇮🇳

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