Vinoo Mankad-great contribution to India's cricket

by A.C. de Silva

CRICKET: If ever anyone sits down to write the history of Indian cricket, he cannot but record the services rendered by the great Vinoo Mankad - the fine allrounder in letters of gold. His contribution as the provider of future cricketers is as great as his career which was glorious.

Take for instance the first-ever Test between India and Pakistan in 1952 in Delhi. Mankad's performance in this first Test is something to 'crow about' as it was his medium-pace bowling that helped India to a innings and 70 runs win.

In the first series, India won two matches and Pakistan one with two matches ending in draws. The Indian captain was Lala Amarnath and Pakistan was led by A.H. Kardar.

For Vinoo Mankad, it was a match to remember for a lifetime. He had a match-bag of 13 wickets for 131 runs, taking 8 for 52 in the Pakistan first innings total of 150 and then he covered himself with glory and took 5 for 79 to have those fine match-figures.

He is also known to be a fine batsman too, having made 231 for India against New Zealand in the 1955-56 series at Madras. But, in the inaugural Test against India, it was as a bowler that Mankad came out with all his glory.

After Hazare (70), H.R. Adhikari (81 not out) and tail-ender Ghulam Ahmed (50) helped India to that sizeable score of 371, the stage was occupied by Mankad whose bowling was well directed and the Pakistanis had no answer to offer. But shortly before that, Pakistan's Amir Elahi took 4 for 134 in the Indian first innings total.

Learn the hard way

It was all not a bed of roses for Vinoo at cricket. He started just like any other cricketer. He got a century for the Varsities and then he was made 12th man. He went back to play in the Inter-Universities tourney and came back to be a reserve again for the fifth Test. Try and try again seemed to be the motto of this never-say-die Indian cricketer. For nearly two years he was not selected again owing to lack of performance. However, he got his break and made 130 not out against England at Madras in 1952 which turned out to be memorable as India achieved its first win in Tests. Thereafter, Mankad was a regular in the national team.

Vinoo Mankad in the early days could have been mistaken as a heavyweight boxer. And if he had shown the inclination to don the keater gloves in his youth, he might have been a great contemporary of Buddy D'Sousa.

But destiny led him in another direction - a direction from where he was not to knock out anybody through punches, cust and hooks, but amaze runs on the cricket arena. He would like himself to be given the tag 'the Midwicket Explorer.'

Opening stand of 413

In the events leading up to the first over series between India and Pakistan, there were many interesting moments in the life of Vinoo Mankad. He became the toast of world cricket since he achieve the 'double' (1,000 runs and 100 wickets) during Inida's tour of England in 1946.

Then the 1947-48 trips 'Down Under', only confirmed his class and mastery which culminated in his ready to reach the pinnacle of glory at Lord's in 1952, demonstrated by the fact that he was on the field for all but 190 minutes of the match. He scored 256 runs (72 and 184) and took 5 wickets in the process. Labelled as Mankad's Test, that famous encounter will live forever in history.

An allrounder of immense talent, Vinoo Mankad also had the unique distinction of being, perhaps, the only cricketer to have batted at every slot, from one to 10, in first-class cricket. Not only that, his 413 runs first-wicket stand with Pankaj Roy achieved in the 1955-56 Madras Test against New Zealand, still stands undisturbed as a world record in Tests. He captained India on the first tour of Pakistan in 1954-55.

When death laid its icy hands on him on August 21, 1978, Vinoo was imparting the finer points of the game to the aspiring youngsters at the Cricket Club of India, Bombay almost until his last days.

He was India's first professional cricketer.

INDIA IST INNINGS 
V.M. Mankad b Khan				 11
P. Roy b Khan					  7
V.S. Hazare b Amir Elahi			 70
V.L. Manjrekar c Nazar b Amir Elahi		 23
L. Amarnath c Khan b Fazal			  9
P.R. Umrigar lbw b Kardar			 25
Gul Mahmood c Hanif b Amir Elahi		 24
H.R. Adhikari not out				 81
G.S. Ramchand c and b Amtiaz b Fazal		 13
P. Sen c Nazar b Kardar				 25
Gulam Ahmed b Amir Elahi			 50
Extras						 34
Total						372

Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-26, 3-67, 4-76, 5-110, 6-180, 
7-195, 8-229, 9-263
Bowling: Khan Mohammed 20-5-52-2; Maqsood 6-1-13-0; 
Fazal 40-13-92-2; Amir Elahi 39.4-4-134-4; Kardar 34-12-53-2.

PAKISTAN 1ST INNINGS
Nazar Mohammad run out				 27
H. Mohammad c Ramchand b Mankad			 51
Israr Ali b Mankad				  1
Amitiaz Ahmed lbw b Mankad			  0
Maqsood Ahmed c Roy b Mankad			 15
A.H. Kardar c Roy b Mankad			  4
Anwar Hussain c and b Mankad			  4
Waqar Hassan lbw b Mankad			  8
Fazal Mohammad not out				 21
K. Mohammad c Ramchand b Mankad			  0
Amir Klahi c Gul Mohammed b Ghulam Ahmed	 9
Extras						 10
Total						150

Fall of wickets: 1-64, 2-65, 3-65, 4-97, 5-102, 
6-111, 7-112, 8-129, 9-129
Bowling: Ramchand 14-7-24-0; Amarnath 13-9-10-0,
 Vinoo Mankad 47-27-52-8; Ghulam Ahmed 22.3-6-51-1; 
Hazare 6-5-3-0; Gul Mahmood 2-2-0-0.

PAKISTAN 2ND INNINGS
Nazar Mohammad b Mankad				  7
Hanif Mohammad b Amarnath			  1
Israr Ali lbw b Mankad				  9
Imitiaz Ahmed lbw b Ghulam Ahmed		 41
Maqsood Ahmed					  5
A.H. Kardar not out				 43
Anwar Hussian lbw b Gulam Ahmed 		  4
Waqar Hussan c Gul Mohammad b Ghulam Ahmed	  5
F. Mahmood c and b Ghulam Ahmed			 27
Khan Mohammad st Sen b Mankad			  5
Amir Elahi c Ramchand b Mankad			  0
Extras						  5
Total:						152

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-17, 3-42, 4-48, 5-73, 
6-79, 8-121, 9-152
Bowling: Ramchand 6-1-21-0; Amarnath 5-2-12-1; 
Mankad 24.2-3-79-5; Ghulam Ahmed 23-7-35-4.