Bapu Nadkarni: The coin-toss master who bowled 131 dot balls in a row

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Cricket has always valued players who possess the power to turn matches in their team's favor with their batting and bowling. Bapu Nadkarni was one such player, who performed brilliantly with both bat and ball in the Test format for the Indian team during a time when the Indian cricket team was still considered a young team.

Bapu Nadkarni was born on April 4, 1933, in Nashik. His full name was Rameshchandra Gangaram "Bapu" Nadkarni. Nadkarni loved cricket from childhood. He was originally a bowler, but through hard work, he also made a mark in domestic and international cricket with his batting. It is said that when he practiced in the nets, he would place a coin on the pitch and try to hit the coin with every ball.

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 Auckland (7 to 12 March) 1968. In a career spanning 13 years, Nadkarni, a left-handed batsman and spin bowler, played 41 Tests for India. He scored 1,414 runs and took 88 wickets in 67 innings with the help of 1 century and 7 half-centuries. Nadkarni bowled 21.5 consecutive overs (131 balls) without conceding a run against England in Madras on 12 January 1964, which is a record.

Nadkarni, who played domestic cricket for Mumbai and Maharashtra, scored 8,880 runs in 191 first-class matches, including 14 centuries and 46 half-centuries, and took 500 wickets. Nadkarni passed away on January 17, 2020, in Pune, Maharashtra. Nadkarni was a mentor to legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar.

After his death, Gavaskar said that his favourite words were "Don't give up." It meant you were playing for India. "Have courage and move on."