| Personal information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batting style | Right-hand bat | |||
| Bowling style | Right arm off-break, Right-arm medium pace | |||
| International information | ||||
| National side | Indian | |||
| Career statistics | ||||
| Competition | Tests | First-class | ||
| Matches | 2 | 58 | ||
| Runs scored | 3 | 419 | ||
| Batting average | 3.00 | 7.22 | ||
| 100s/50s | 0/0 | 0/1 | ||
| Top score | 3* | 50* | ||
| Balls bowled | 516 | 8,993 | ||
| Wickets | 1 | 200 | ||
| Bowling average | 205 | 25.14 | ||
| 5 wickets in innings | - | 10 | ||
| 10 wickets in match | - | 2 | ||
| Best bowling | 1/130 | 7/79 | ||
| Catches/stumpings | 0/- | 22/- | ||
| Source: CricketArchive, | ||||
Nirode Ranjan "Putu" Chowdhury (May 23, 1923, Jamshedpur, India - December 14, 1979, Durgapur, India) was an Indian cricketer.
A medium pace bowler, Putu Chowdhury had an outstanding start to his career when he took 11, 9 and 10 wickets in his first three matches. In 1944-45, he took a hat-trick against Bengal Governor's XI in Eden Gardens which included the wickets of Vinoo Mankad, Mushtaq Ali and Lala Amarnath. He started his career with Bihar, moved to Bengal where he played most of his cricket and returned to Bihar towards the end of his career.
He made his Test debut against the West Indies at Madras in 1948/49. He took only one wicket but brilliantly ran out Everton Weekes who had scored hundreds in his five previous innings, and had reached 90 here [1]. Weekes cut Vinoo Mankad to gully, started to run and was sent back. Chowdhury sent the throw to wicket keeper Probir Sen who ran Weekes out.
In 1951, he spent some time in Alf Gover's cricket school in England. He subsequently played a Test against England at home without success and toured England in 1952 without playing in a Test.
He was allotted a benefit match which could not be played. He was a coach in the Durgapur steel plant in the later years. His bowling average of 205.00 is the second worst for India, after Sunil Gavaskar's 206.00.