Today I learnt about - Bapu Nadkarni...

[akshayxyz]

What a bowler he was. http://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/player/31760.html

Batsmen faced with the problem of playing Bapu Nadkarni's left-arm spin had two scoring options to choose from: nil and negligible. Nadkarni was one of the game's most noted economist ever - he gave away just 1.67 runs per over over in his Test career. In the 1960-61 series against Pakistan, he returned figures of 32-24-23-0 at Kanpur followed by 34-24-24-1 at Delhi. He crowned that with Test cricket's finest display of quantity-control bowling, with 21 successive maidens in his 32-27-5-0 against England at Madras in 1964. His legendary parsimony and precision were the result of untiring research and development in the nets - he would bowl endlessly at a coin placed on a good length. Although he is mainly remembered for his bowling, Nadkarni was actually a competent allrounder. An obstinate batsman with a pronounced crouching stance, he scored 52 and 122, both not out, against England at Kanpur in 1963-64, and in his next outing, against Australia at Chennai, he came up with his Test best bowling effort: 5-31 and 6-91. And with a first-class average of more than 40, and an innings of 283 not out for Bombay v Delhi to his credit, he'd have been an automatic pick if one-day cricket had been around in his time. H Natarajan

[Sooda]

O yeah, they used to call him Bapu because he used to wear 'langotis' like Gandhi. hence Bapu. The 21 overs he bowled to Eng were largely to Ken Barrington who was the most ultimate of stonewallers. That shouldnt though take anything away from the fact that he was pretty miserly. Toward the end of his career WI came down and guys like Sobers knew they should not be tied down deliberately went after him, kinda began the decline. Then the advent of the great spinners toward the end of the 60's meant there was no place for him as they were vastly superior. Theres an article on cricinfo on a 'stodgy XI' and he is in there There are so many very good cricketers in India past who do not get nearly enough credit

[Sooda]

Got me thinking about an All time India Ltd Overs team from pre-1970, so they should not have played an ODI...Ive posted this before Im sure... Mushtaq Ali, Mankad, Umrigar, Pataudi ©, Borde, Nayudu, Kunderan, Phadkar, Nadkarni (or Gupte really it should be I guess), Amar Singh, Nissar Honorable mentions to Salim Durrani and Eknath Solkar Aggressive batsmen, quality new ball bowlers, great spinners, lots of bowling options and good fielding side. Itll be a match for any similar side from other countries...