Ramakant Desai
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 India (IND) |
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| Batting style | Right-hand bat (RHB) | |
| Bowling type | Right-arm fast-medium | |
| Tests | First-class | |
| Matches | 28 | 150 |
| Runs scored | 418 | 2,384 |
| Batting average | 13.48 | 18.19 |
| 100s/50s | 0/1 | 1/9 |
| Top score | 85 | 107 |
| Balls bowled | 5,597 | 23,906 |
| Wickets | 74 | 468 |
| Bowling average | 37.31 | 24.10 |
| 5 wickets in innings | 2 | 22 |
| 10 wickets in match | - | 2 |
| Best bowling | 6/56 | 7/46 |
| Catches/stumpings | 9 | 50 |
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Test debut: 6 February 1959 |
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Ramakant Bhikaji Desai pronunciation (born June 20, 1939, Bombay - died April 28, 1998, Mumbai) represented India in Test cricket as fast bowler.
Ramakant Desai was unusually fast for a bowler who stood less than 5 feet 6 inches. His size earned him the nickname 'Tiny'. As the only bowler of pace in the Indian team, he was perennially overworked. He made his Test debut against West Indies in 1958/59 took 4/169 in 49 overs. He troubled the batsmen with bouncers, which was unusual for an Indian bowler at the time.
He toured England in 1959, West Indies in 1961/62 and Australia and New Zealand in 1967/68. Against Pakistan in 1960/61, he took 21 wickets in the series. At Bombay, he scored a quick 85 batting at No.10, an Indian record, and added a record 149 for the ninth wicket with Nana Joshi. His best bowling performance in Tests was 6 for 56 against New Zealand in 1964/65. At Dunedin his jaw was fractured by Dick Motz, despite which he added 57 runs for the last wicket Bishen Bedi [2].
In his first year in Ranji Trophy, he took 50 wickets in 7 matches at an average. It is still a record for Bombay. In his 11 years in the Bombay team (1958/59 - 1968/69), he never finished in a losing side.
Desai was the chairman of selectors from 1996/97. He resigned the post a month before his death. He died four days after being admitted in a hospital for a cardiac arrest.
[edit] References
- Obituary in Indian Cricket 1998
- Christopher Martin-Jenkins, The Complete Who's Who of Test Cricketers
