Dilip Sardesai

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Dilip Sardesai India (IND)

Batting style	Right-hand bat (RHB)
Bowling type	Right arm bowler
	Tests	First-class
Matches	30	179
Runs scored	2001	10,230
Batting average	39.23	41.75
100s/50s	5/9	25/55
Top score	212	222
Balls bowled	59	791
Wickets	0	8
Bowling average	-	69.00
5 wickets in innings	-	0
10 wickets in match	-	0
Best bowling	-	2/15
Catches/stumpings	4	85
Test debut: 1 December 1961 Last Test: 20 December 1972 Source: [1]

Dilip Narayan Sardesai pronunciation (help·info) (born August 8, 1940, Margao, Goa) is a former Indian Test cricketer. He is the only Goan-born cricketer to play for India.

Sardesai made his first mark in cricket in the interuniversity Rohinton Baria trophy in 1959-60 where he made 435 runs at an average of 87. Picked for the Indian Universities against the touring Pakistan team he scored 87 in 194 minutes on his debut. That led to the selection for the Board President's XI against the same team where he scored 106*, and the selection as a standby in the final Test of the series. He scored 202 against the Madras university at about the same time. It was after all this that he was selected to represent Bombay in the Ranji Trophy.

Sardesai had little to show in first class cricket in 1961-62, except for a 281 against Gujarat in a university match, but made his Test debut against England at Kanpur. He toured West Indies later in the season and was the batsman at the other end when Nari Contractor was seriously injured by Charlie Griffith in match against Barbados. Contractor's injury created a place for Sardesai in the team. He scored 31 and 60 in the Test at Bridgetown but was sacked after a pair in the following match. Sardesai scored 449 runs in the five Test series against England in 1963-64 with 79 and 87 in the final Test as the most notable performances.

Against New Zealand in 1964-65, Sardesai scored a double century at Bombay and a very fast hundred that set up a win at Delhi. New Zealand had forced India to follow on at Bombay, but Sardesai's 200* nearly won the match for India. Touring England in 1967, he injured himself on a staircase in the pavilion at Lord's. He recovered to appear in the second Test at the same ground but a hand injury during the match ended his tour. He was dropped after two Tests in Australia in 1967-68 due to injury and a series of failures.

Sardesai's career had seemed over when he was picked for the Indian tour of West Indies in 1971-72. In the first Test at Kingston India lost the first five wickets for 75, before Sardesai hit 212 runs and took the total to 387. His 112 in the next Test at Port of Spain led to India's first victory over West Indies. He hit 150 in the fourth Test after India were 70 for 6. His 642 runs in the series was Indian record for five days before Sunil Gavaskar went past it. It was India's first victory over West Indies in a series and Vijay Merchant, the chairman of selectors, called Sardesai the 'renaissance man of Indian cricket'. Sardesai scored 54 and 40 in the Indian win over England at the Oval in 1971, which led to another series win. His career ended one Test later.

Sardesai played for Bombay for 13 seasons and never finished in a losing side. He scored 199 against Rajasthan in the 1967 final. In the semifinal against the same team two years later, he was Mankaded by Kailash Ghattani. Sardesai's final first class match was the famous Ranji final against Madras in 1972-73 which ended on the first ball of the third day.[2]

Sardesai splits his time between his flat in Bombay and house in Goa. His wife, Nandini, is a sociologist and a member of the Indian Censor Board (for motion pictures). His son Rajdeep earned a blue for Oxford University in cricket. He is now the CEO of the channel CNN-IBN. His daughter, Shonali, works on conflict related issues at the World Bank in Washington DC.

[edit] Miscellaneous

In West Indies, Sardesai was popularly known as 'Sardee-man'. During his successful 1970-71 tour there, Sardesai was asked at the airport whether he had anything to declare. 'I have come here with runs', he replied, 'and I'll go back with more'. ↑