Don Bradman Of India !

The Fact Reveals His Real Class And Cadre
{ On India Opening Batting Maestro Vijay Merchant’s Test Hundred At The Age Of 40 }

The present generation knows only the craze yeah not knows what is the class in the royal game of cricket . In batting technique concerned when it is talked about the textual batting then the name of Vijay Merchant comes at the front slot. He was a master batsman whose class was admired by the generation of his time and by the cricket fraternity. He was perfectionist of batting art and skill and flawless batter in the all kinds of strokes and had emphatic controlled over his all strokes that seemed like divine gift . There was the time and trend that the strokes must be landed or grounded yeah not to play in the air. And if you play stroke in the air then the ball must be over the boundary rope as for the six run. Yeah since the emergence of wonderboy Sachin Tendulkar the conservative trend was broken and before it Navjot Siddhu also overlooked his coaching guru’s warning or advice that not to play any uncricketing shot in the air. Mr Vijay Merchant’s statistics at the domestic level are very high or bradmansque . Yeah in the Highest Indian Domestic Format -Ranji Trophy his average is 98.75 and in it he slammed record 11 double hundred that remained history until Cheteshwar Pujara broken V Merchant’s record by making 12 double hundreds. And in the FC his batting average is also huge yeah 71.64 yeah the 2nd highest batting average still in the cricket world after iconic Sir Don Bradman. Yea on the land of England he showed his huge talent and occurred out big average by amassing big total. CB Fry one of the famous cricketer and contemporary to Vijay Merchant impressed a lot and said ,”Let whitewashed Vijay and bring him to Australia to represent our side as the opener and it was great praise for the batting maestro of India . Yeah due to World War Second and personal poor health issue Vijay Merchant couldn’t play maximum Test Matches . Yeah he was a great patriotic spirited fellow and was the real advocator,seeker and desirous of the nation’s freedom who ruled out or denied to play the 1st ever Test series of India as the Test playing nation there in the land of England against the host England. Thus he lost a big opportunity of playing at the highest level and also missed the history to be the member of the maiden Test’s squad when he was at his pick but for the nation’s sake he didn’t prefer cricket and rejected the inclusion for the tour. Yeah later he got opportunity to play Test match but only 10 Test (though his cricket career spanned for 18 years but partly due to different kinds of obstacles) and at the age of 40 he slammed a magnificent century against the formidable opponent team England and his that record is still alive from Indian cricket field on his worthy name. He played only 10 Test during that period of 18 years in which he scored over 859 run and hit out 3 hundreds and 3 half hundreds . In England he impressed his contemporary greats and
British cricket fraternity with his solid crafted batting and patience . For the nation he sacrificed his great game because indian freedom fighters and heroes Gandhiji and others would be imprisoned by the British government and mr Vijay Merchant couldn’t bear that deed of Britishers and in the reaction knocked out his favourite most play in which he was a giant . Yes he proved his
giant ‘s cadre by playing the First Class Cricket. And he played only 10 Test Matches but showed good performance. Yeah he maintained 47 plus batting average that can’t be said lower or poor because there are very few batsmen in the world whose career as the Test batsman ended to have 47 plus batting average. If he would play greater Test Matches then it was sure his batting average would rest higher like the FC cadre and class but alas the World War Second interrupted his splendid career and ill health affected his sparking classic cricket career or say the ill health played role like eczima in leprosy and once he himself separated from the game voluntarily by ruled out to play the patriotic spirit high for the high nation’s freedom. And during that time the series scheduled were held in less number due to lack of travel facility and lack of bilateral

treaty.
Yeah his big batting rivalry the then from his native soil mate and his contemporary cricketer mate Vijay Hazare remained in great buzz or in the news. Yeah Vijay Hazare too finished his great career with 47 plus batting average by playing 30 Test and the 47 plus batting average remained highest up to 1990 in the longevity Test term and tally and in 1990 Sunil Gavaskar finished his great cricket career with 51 plus batting average. Yes three batters Madhav Apte, Cotah Ramaswami and Deepak Shodhan’s batting average remained greater than these two greats but these 3 batsmen played Test in least number yeah Madhav Apte played 7 Test only ,scored 542 runs, 161 n.o. highest individual score , 49.27 batting average ; Cotah Ramaswami played Test 2 Runs 170 HIS 60 batting average 56.66 ; Deepak Shoshan played 3 test, 181 runs, 110 highest ,60.33 batting average. So to have less Test and runs tally than these two biggies i overlooked these three batsmen’s stats. And so it is cleared when Sunil Gavaskar one of the chief disciple of Vijay Merchant who finished his great career with 51 plus batting average who is also considered one of the greatest opening batsmen of the Test cricket arena rested highest after two famous Vs of India . So Vijay Merchant and Vijay Hazare (47.72 and 47.65 batting average) remained unbroken or unassailable for 48 years . And amazing there was no batsman from india who could come nearer to that batting average. Ultimately I do say the class of Vijay Merchant was so high that despite age of 40 he plays and scores century(154 run) and proves that he was really a great batsman and if the time would assist him his performance would be nearer to Don Bradman also in the Test arena . Such as due to political and social calamity players like Graham Pollock ,Berry Richards , Mike Procter, Garth le Roux ,Clive Rice’s international action was missed . Yeah due to world war 1st and 2nd many cricketers career affected and destroyed .Yeah it was apartheid that barred South Africa and affected their great cricketing career. Yeah despite played less Test cricket Vijay Merchant’s height in the world cricket is very tall yes to have his paramount First Class statistics and. above it his real class and impact on the batting crease.
At the age 40 his 154 run against England in the Delhi Test is itself the proof of his greatness till the end or at the sun set . Yeah England’s Dr WG Grace Test debut came in 1880 while the Test status was begun in 1877 but due to personal reason couldn’t tour Australia and missed the history but later he played Test Cricket at the age of 32 and in his beginning 4th Test made a brilliant Test century (152 vs Australia) and at the age of 38 and 6 month WG Grace played his highest individual Test innings of 170 against arch rival Australia and became the oldest cricketer who slammed Test hundred . Yeah after 42 years’ long span his countryman and world’s one of the prime batsmen of World cricket Sir Jack Hobbs slammed a hundred at the age of 46 years and 82 days and still holds the record as the oldest aged Test centurion of Test arena. Yeah 5 other Test cricketers in this regard who sammed Test hundred at the oldest age yeah they are of 20 th century cricketers while Misbah ul Haque of Pakistan is the lone customer from 21st century who sammed Test century in the historic Lords yeah also as the captain . When Misbah performed this feat his age was read or registered
42 years and 47 days. Yeah
stalwarts of twentieth century are Patsy Hendren 45 years and 151days ,
Warren Bardsley 43 years and 202 days , Dave Nourse 42 years and
291 days ,Frank
Woolley 42 years 61days. But from India Vijay Merchant is still frontier in this concerned yeah the oldest Test centurion . Yeah ultimately I do say it is the destiny of the man that plays its good as well as bad role time by time and if you are destined for it then it is sure you would meet that feat and if not destined for it then despite talent and capable the ill luck would slip that from your way. The world history is fulfilled with such examples of good luck and evil luck.
*NK Sanatan