8th Annual CEAT International Cricket Rating Awards - Panel Of Judges Nominates 8 Stalwarts For The Lifetime Achievement Award

October 27, 2003 – A panel of judges, comprising test cricketers Ajit Wadekar, Sanjay Manjrekar and noted journalists Lokendra Pratap Sahi and Ayaz Memon, has nominated eight cricketers for the Ceat Lifetime Achievement Award who have handled light n’ dark, glory n’ ignominy throughout their career with equal élan!

Captain Vijay Hazare, Polly Umrigar, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Srinivas Venkataraghavan, Gundappa Vishwanath, Dilip Vengsarkar and Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi are the cricketers, in the eyes of the panel, who deserve the Ceat Lifetime Achievement Award for their ability to stand tall when it mattered most. One of these stalwarts will receive the Ceat Lifetime Achievement Award during the 8th Annual CEAT International Cricket Rating Awards ceremony to be held on October 31, 2003, at Hotel Taj Mahal, Mumbai.

Vijay Hazare was the first captain to bring Indian cricket its first ever test win, against England at Channai in the 1951-52 season. He was also the first Indian to score a century in each innings of a test match. He achieved this feat against Sir Don Bradman’s Aussies at Adelaide in 1947. He has yet another ‘First’ to his credit. He was the first Indian to score 1000 and 2000 runs in test cricket. Vijay Hazare played 30 tests and scored 2192 runs at an average of 47.65 with 7 glorious hundreds.

Palhan Ratanji Umrigar, popularly known as Pollykaka in the cricketing fraternity, too enjoys a few firsts. He was the first Indian to score 3000 runs in test cricket and was the first Indian to score more than ten hundreds in test cricket. In 1955-56 he became the first Indian to score a double century in test cricket. Polly Umrigar played 59 tests and scored 3631 runs at an average of 42.22 with 12 solid centuries. He served Indian cricket as Selector and Manager of the Indian cricket team in the 1970s and later as an Administrator.

Erapalli Prasanna, fondly referred to as the ‘cunning old fox’ by his team-mates, was an integral member of the great quartet that spun India to many a test win at home and abroad in the 60s and 70s. He reserved his best for the Aussies and the Kiwis. His 49-wicket haul from eight tests against these two in 1967-68 and 47-wicket haul against the same opponents at home two years later would have made him the CEAT International Cricketer for both years had the CEAT Cricket Rating been in existence at that time. He played 49 tests and captured 189 batsmen in his spinning web.

Bhagwat Chandrasekhar was the lone leg-spinning member of the famous Indian spinning quartet of the 60s and 70s, spun India to its first test wins on English and Australian soil. His 8 for 114 (including 6 for 38 in the second innings) against England at the Oval in 1971 set up a historic win for his team. Six years later, his 12 for 104 at Melbourne helped India beat Australia in Australia for the first time. He was the second Indian after Bishen Bedi to take 200 wickets in test cricket. Chandrasekhar played 58 tests and tricked 242 batsmen.

Srinivas Venkataraghavan was one of the most versatile individuals to grace the game and claimed 156 wickets with his off-spin in a career that stretched from 1964-65 to 1983-84. He captained India in five tests and went on to serve as Manager of the Indian team for a couple of tours in the 80s. After stints as an administrator and commentator, he went on to become an international umpire of high repute. He holds the unique distinction of captaining and umpiring a test match at Lord’s. He played 57 tests.
Gundappa Viswanath was an artist, a-la M.F.Hussain, albeit with the bat. India did not lose a single test when this graceful batsman from Karnataka reached three figure mark. He began his test career with a bang, scoring 137 in only his second innings against the visiting Australians at Kanpur in 1969-70. In 1978-79 he became the first Indian to score a test hundred against all the then test playing nations. He was the second Indian to score 6000 runs in test cricket. He played 91 tests and scored 6080 runs at an average of 41.93 with 14 centuries.

Dilip Vengsarkar is worth more than his three test hundreds at Lord’s, the Mecca of cricket, on three consecutive appearances. He cut his cricketing teeth on the maidans of Mumbai as part of a club side that included a certain Sunil Gavaskar. He was an important member of the Indian team that went from strength to strength in limited overs cricket in the mid-80s. This elegant and stylish batsman reached his peak in England in 1986 where he commenced a golden run that saw him score eight hundreds from India’s next 18 tests. He was the third Indian after Gavaskar and Kapil Dev to complete a century of test appearances. He played 116 tests and scored 6868 runs at an average of 42.13 with 17 super centuries.

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi remains the youngest captain in the history of test cricket. He was 21 when Nari Contractor’s injury on India’s tour of the Caribbean pitchforked his young deputy into the hot seat. Pataudi went on to lead India in 40 of his 46 test-career. In 1964-65 he emulated his father Iftikar Ali Khan Pataudi by scoring a century in his first test against Australia. The senior Pataudi had achieved the feat for England in the Bodyline series. The son became the first Indian captain to win a series overseas when India beat the Kiwis 3-1 in 1967-68. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi played 46 tests and scored 2793 runs at an average of 34.91 with 6 hundreds.

About CEAT Lifetime Achievement Award

CEAT Lifetime Achievement Award is a special category and was introduced in 2000-2001. The award is based on nominations by an elite panel of judges comprising veteran test cricketers and noted journalists. The panel nominates such cricketers who have toiled hard to give the game a better name and helped it grow with glow. The CEAT Lifetime Achievement Award has been won in the past by Sunil Gavaskar (2000-2001) and Bishen Singh Bedi (2001-2002). In the year 2001-2002 Kapil Dev Nikhanj was honoured for his meritorious contribution to Indian cricket with CEAT Cricketer of the Century Award.