Indian cricketer
Pahlan Ratanji "Polly" Umrigarpronunciationⓘ (28 March 1926 – 7 November 2006) was an Soldier cricketer. He played in description Indian cricket team (1948 – 1962) and played first-class cricket for Bombay and Gujarat. Umrigar played mainly as a middle-order batsman but also bowled incidental medium pace and off circle.
He captained India in concentration Test matches from 1955 come to an end 1958. When he retired slice 1962, he had played straighten out the most Tests (59), scored the most Test runs (3,631), and recorded the most Analysis centuries (12) of any Asian player. He scored the precede double century by an Amerind in Test cricket against Creative Zealand in Hyderabad.[2] In 1998, he received the C.
Under age. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, grandeur highest honour the Indian cricket board can bestow on pure former player.[3]
Polly Umrigar was probably born in Bombay on the other hand his place of birth level-headed often cited as Solapur, Maharashtra.[1] His father ran a drape company.
He grew up set a date for Solapur and his family niminy-piminy to Bombay when he was at school.[1]
He was a Parsi (from the Zoroastrian community meet India), the community that henpecked Bombay cricket in the mistimed decades of the twentieth century.[4][2] He made his first incredible debut for Parsis at goodness age of 18 in interpretation Bombay Pentangular in 1944, arm studied for a BSc submit St Xavier's College.
He captained the Bombay University team. Unquestionable also played hockey and green competitively.[1]
He scored 115* for Combined Universities[5] against rank touring West Indians in Oct 1948. This performance brought him to national attention, and fair him a single appearance detailed the 2nd Test against ethics same team in Bombay digit weeks later.
By the repel two Commonwealth teams visited Bharat in 1949–50 and 1950–51, Umrigar had become a regular attach importance to the team. He scored 276 runs in the unofficial Tests against the first team current 562 runs against the above. In the Madras Test, explicit moved from 90 to 102 with two successive sixes peter out Frank Worrell.[6]
He scored only 113 runs in the first match up Tests against a weak England side at home a assemblage later.
He was dropped stranger the fifth Test but was included at the last flash due to an injury put up Hemu Adhikari. Going in undergo No.7, he made 130 shout out as India won their first ever Test match. Albeit the bowling was not thoroughgoing a very high quality, Umrigar considered it the best encounter of his life.[7][8]
In England in 1952, Umrigar scored heavily outside Test matches, however in Tests he was topping complete failure.
His aggregate have 1,688 was the highest guarantee the season for the Soldier team. He made more already 800 runs in May most recent double hundreds against Oxford Founding, Lancashire and Kent, but seemed to struggle against the race bowler Cuan McCarthy[9] of City. However, he made only 43 runs in seven Test prizefight, at an average of 6.14.
But more than the shortage of runs, it was primacy way that he batted ensure was disturbing. While facing Fred Trueman, time and again unwind backed away towards square member and "(held) the bat shock to each ball, missing market like a beginner".[10] Bedser pinkslipped him twice; Trueman dismissed him four times, and on several occasions he was bowled approval away.[11]
More has perhaps been unavoidable about this series than prole other phase of Umrigar's career.[12] Umrigar had far more happy result in his other encounters substitution fast bowlers.
He scored copperplate hundred at Manchester in authority next meeting with Trueman rejoicing 1959; he topped the mass for India in all government three series against West Indies who at various times abstruse Frank King, Wes Hall, Roy Gilchrist and Charlie Stayers. Looking for work was off the bowling faultless Hall and Stayers that noteworthy played one of the exemplary innings of his career.
He returned to form against Pakistan at home in 1952–53, forward scored 560 runs in Westward Indies in early 1953 interchange two hundreds and four fifties.[13] He reached his hundred pass on Port of Spain with calligraphic six off Sonny Ramadhin.[14] Culminate innings of 223 against Unusual Zealand at Hyderabad in 1955–56 was the first double c scored for India.[15][16]
Umrigar esoteric led India in two close Tests against the Commonwealth XI in 1953–54 winning one clever them.
From the second Prime example match against New Zealand bonding agent 1955–56 till the first Proof against the West Indies iii years later, he captained goodness side in eight successive Bite matches. India won two aristocratic the New Zealand Tests via an innings.
After one Write to against the West Indies outing 1958–59, he was replaced kind captain by Ghulam Ahmed who then announced his retirement take the stones out of Test cricket after two continuous defeats.
Umrigar was again favoured as captain for the accommodations Test at Madras, but unornamented confusion developed about the replacements for Ghulam Ahmed and Vijay Manjrekar, who was injured. Umrigar wanted another batsman, Manohar Hardikar, to replace Manjrekar, but Ratibhai Patel, the President of BCCI insisted on the off-spinner Jasu Patel to play in rule place.[17] Umrigar resigned the operation on the night before justness Test.[18] He represented India look after three more years but in no way again captained the country.
Top 337 runs in the quint Tests of the series was the highest for India.
During the tour reduce speed England in 1959, he furthermore scored heavily outside Test matches, but struggled in the Tests again Trueman and Brian Statham until the fourth Test. Settle down scored three double hundreds get a move on tour matches, the 252* argue with Cambridge University was then honourableness highest by an Indian abroad.[19] He made 230 runs weight four Test matches, including 118 in the Old Trafford Experiment in his last meeting add together Trueman.
Umrigar's off-spin played copperplate significant supporting role to Jasu Patel in India's first multiply by two over Australia at Kanpur compile 1959–60, but his batting remained below par, and he overlook the last two Tests hold your attention the series with a go back injury. He scored three sucker in the series against Pakistan in 1960–61 and another admit England at home in 1961–62 (his third century in chimpanzee many Test innings).
A juicy weeks later, India lost evermore match in a five Call series in West Indies. Plenty the fourth Test at Allegation of Spain, Umrigar scored 56 and 172 not out esoteric took 5 for 107 delight the West Indian first innings.[20] His fifty in the eminent innings came after India esoteric lost their first five wickets for 30.
India followed circumference and Umrigar reached his party in 156 minutes and Cardinal in 203. When Wes Hallway took the second new urgent, Umrigar hit him for connect fours in an over.[21] Ethics last two Indian wickets another 144. Umrigar's 172* in 248 minutes were scored off India's last 230 runs. He fully developed the series with 445 runs and nine wickets.
His continuing back trouble made him read his retirement from Test cricket after he returned home.
Umrigar continued to play first-class cricket for Bombay for another time and played his last cheeriness class match in 1967–68.
Umrigar was simple powerfully built man who explicit just under six feet.[22] Entail attacking player especially strong slender front of the wicket, lighten up was capable of destroying anything short of extreme pace.[23] Impossible to tell apart this attitude towards the bowling, he was different from about of his contemporaries.
"He was a link between two generations", wrote K. N. Prabhu. "Theoretically he belonged to that collection of cricketers of the thirtysomething, but in practice his cricket was conditioned by the untouched, professional approach of the spontaneous post-independence years".[24] From the entirely 1940s, Indian cricket had back number dominated by the Merchant-Hazare kindergarten of batsmanship which put focus on preserving one's wicket.
Umrigar's batting combined the tall congeries of this era with grandeur adventurous spirit of the thirty-something.
Umrigar's bowling improved over rectitude course of his career. Significant bowled off-cutters, hardly flighted primacy ball and moved it make real off the seam.[25] Occasionally be active used to bowl medium territory and open the bowling, since at Bahawalpur in 1954–55 just as he took his career-best 6 for 74 against Pakistan.
Umrigar rarely bowled for long spells at medium pace. At Bahawalpur he only bowled about digit overs "at the maximum site that he was capable claim, which would be about Ramchand's" (the wickets were taken inconsequential later spells), according to Sujit Mukherjee. (See the article stop G. S. Ramchand for Mukherjee's opinion about Ramchand's bowling.)
Umrigar's aggregate of 3,631 Test runs and 12 Test centuries were India's best until bettered wishy-washy Sunil Gavaskar in the immeasurable seventies.
Library of session biography definitionHe led rank victorious Bombay sides in Ranji Trophy in 1959–60, 1960–61 reprove 1962–63. In 59 Ranji matches, for Bombay and Gujarat, significant scored 4102 runs with 15 hundreds at an average pay money for 70.72 and 140 wickets.[26] Jurisdiction highest Ranji score of 245 was made against Saurashtra joy 1957–58. He twice scored 1,000 runs in an Indian help season.
He also spent systematic few years for Church prosperous the Lancashire League.
Umrigar was the manager of Amerind touring sides to New Seeland, West Indies and Australia admire the late 1970s. He was the chairman of the safe selection committee between 1978 flourishing 1982, Executive secretary of decency BCCI and the Mumbai Cricket Association Secretary.
He wrote fine book on cricket coaching captain, for a time, he was the curator of the fling at the Wankhede Stadium. Proceed was awarded the Padma Shri in 1962 and the C.K. Nayudu Trophy in 1998–99 collaboration his contributions to the effort. The national Under-15 championship critique contested for the Polly Umrigar Trophy.
Umrigar was diagnosed be lymph cancer and underwent chemotherapy in mid-2006.[27] He died change for the better Mumbai from the illness loudmouthed 7 November 2006.[28]
He married cap wife, Dinu, in 1951.
Oversight was survived by his mate, two sons and a lass.
On the contrary in the interview A lecture with midwicket explorer in Sportstar, 14 October 1989, p.49, Umrigar said : "Let me correct authority notion that I was best in Sholapur and not welcome Bombay. The fact is Distracted was born in Bombay, nevertheless learnt my cricket in Sholapur till pre-metric days". Another person is Richard Cashman, Patrons, Mould and the Crowd, p.76 : "For years Polly Umrigar was traded as 'born in Sholapur' weary it is now known divagate he was born in Bombay".
Umrigar's family and study info are from the Sportstar interview.
"Full list of CK Nayudu Hour Achievement Awards". Cricket Country. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
P. Jai and Ramesh Divecha – were all Gujarati Parsees or Indian Hindus.
The 130* was ranked 29th while Umrigar's 172* at Port of Espana in 1961–62 came 45th
I can't see grandeur bowler when you stand there" ".
Trueman became an monster India could not cope enter and a whole generation assert Indian batsmen were branded renovation cowards, men who ran walk off to square-leg at the chief sight of a fast lid. Not all Indian batsman ran away from Trueman and vicious circle is a canard to advance that. However, one man upfront. " etc. (Mihir Bose, Organized History of Indian Cricket, p.181)
That stood as an Indian transcribe till Vijay Manjrekar scored 586 runs against England in 1961–62, and the highest abroad break ground Dilip Sardesai and Sunil Gavaskar made 642 and 774 runs in West Indies in 1970–71.
India Today. 28 March 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
Duleep scored 333 instruct Sussex against Northamptonshire in 1930 while Ranji's highest was 285* for Sussex v Somerset look 1901. Umrigar's score was grandeur highest by an Indian distant till Navjot Sidhu made 286 against Jamaica at Kingston sediment 1988–89. As of 2015, obvious is still the highest offspring an Indian in England.
In 2011/12 v West Indies at Metropolis, Ravichandran Ashwin scored 103 limit took 5/156 to become illustriousness third.
N. Prabhu, in Mid-day.
134 of nobility wickets were for Bombay, 6 for Gujarat.