The bowler who bowled 131 balls without giving any runs, used to bowl by keeping a coin on the pitch; Know their story

Bapu Nadkarni Birthday: There are some names in the history of Indian cricket, whose greatness is more reflected in their style and influence than in their statistics. Bapu Nadkarni was one of those few players who gave a new definition to cricket with his game. Bapu Nadkarni was one such player who performed brilliantly for Team India with both bat and ball in the Test format at a time when the Indian cricket team was considered a young team.

Bapu Nadkarni was born on 4 April 1933 in Nashik. His full name is Rameshchandra Gangaram ‘Bapu’ It was Nadkarni. Nadkarni liked cricket since childhood. He was originally a bowler, but due to hard work he also made a mark in domestic and international cricket with his batting. His hard work can be gauged from the fact that during nets practice, he used to bowl by placing a coin on the pitch and tried to bowl every ball on it. This practice became the foundation of his amazing line-length and accuracy.

Made debut for India in 1955

Bapu Nadkarni played his first Test match against New Zealand in Delhi in December (16 to 21 December) 1955. He played his last Test against New Zealand in 1968 in Auckland (from 7 to 12 March). Nadkarni, who batted with the left hand and bowled spin, played 41 Tests for India in a career spanning 13 years. In 67 innings, he has 1,414 runs and 88 wickets in his name with the help of 1 century and 7 half-centuries.

His biggest recognition came on 12 January 1964 in Madras (now Chennai). That historic spell played against the England cricket team, in which he bowled 21.5 consecutive overs (131 balls) without giving any runs. This record is still remembered in cricket history as an example of discipline and control. In domestic cricket, he represented Mumbai cricket team and Maharashtra cricket team, scoring 8,880 runs and 500 wickets in 191 first-class matches.

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Was the mentor of Sunil Gavaskar Bapu Nadkarni

Bapu Nadkarni’s influence was not limited to the field only. He was also the mentor of the great Indian cricket batsman Sunil Gavaskar. Gavaskar, upon his death, said that Nadkarni’s favorite saying was “Don’t quit”, which meant never give up while playing for India.

On 17 January 2020 Bapu Nadkarni passed away

He died on 17 January 2020 in Pune, but his legacy still inspires every player who wants to make a mark in cricket on the basis of hard work, discipline and dedication.