D. B. Deodhar

Dinkar Balwant Deodhar (14 January 1892 – 24 August 1993) was an Indian cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1911 to 1948.

Dinkar Balwant Deodhar

Deodhar on a 1996 stamp of India
Personal information
Born	14 January 1892 Pune, British India
Died	24 August 1993 (aged 101) Pune, India
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Legbreak
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 81 Runs scored 4522 Batting average 39.32 100s/50s 9/27 Top score 246 Balls bowled 970 Wickets 11 Bowling average 53.27 5 wickets in innings 0 10 wickets in match 0 Best bowling 2/24 Catches/stumpings 70/0
Source: CricketArchive, 7 July 2019

Cricket career

Deodhar was born in Poona (now Pune), British India. He was a professor of Sanskrit at Pune College.[1]

Popularly known as the Grand Old Man of Indian Cricket, Deodhar was an aggressive right-hand batsman and a leg-break bowler. He captained Maharashtra in Ranji Trophy matches from 1939 to 1941. In his first-class career, he played 81 matches, scoring 4,522 runs at an average of 39.32 with a highest score of 246.[2]

Deodhar was Vice-President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the President of the Maharashtra Cricket Association, and also a national team selector. The Deodhar Trophy, a limited overs inter-zonal cricket tournament played in India since 1973, is named after him. In 1996, India Post issued a commemorative stamp in his honour. A statue of Deodhar was unveiled at Pune's Sahara cricket stadium in 2012.

Like Bill Ashdown, Deodhar is one of the few people known to have played first-class cricket both before the First World War and after the Second World War, having played in the Bombay Triangular in 1911 and the Ranji Trophy in 1946.[3] In a Ranji Trophy game against Nawanagar in 1944, he scored centuries in both innings, helping his team win.[4] He was aged 53 during that time.[5]

He was awarded the Padma Shri award in 1965 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991 by the Indian Government.[6] He was the first Indian first-class cricketer known to have lived to 100. Vasant Raiji became the second in 2020.[7]

Personal life

India's former National Badminton Champions Tara Deodhar, Sunder Deodhar, and Suman Deodhar are his daughters.

References

1. Krishnan, Sankhya (24 August 2000). "Deodhar: Professor Emeritus of Indian cricket". Cricinfo. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
2. "D. B. Deodhar". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
3. Coverdale, Brydon (11 March 2017). "It takes a rare cricketer to reach a century, not just make one". Cricinfo. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
4. [https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/17/17444.html Maharashtra v Nawanagar Ranji Trophy 1944/45 (West Zone)] at CricketArchive (subscription required)
5. Bamzai, Sandeep (15 July 1990). "98 Not Out !". The Indian Express. p. 23.
6. "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
7. https://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/player/33480.html

External links

• D. B. Deodhar at ESPNcricinfo
• D. B. Deodhar at CricketArchive (subscription required)