North India Statesman
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News India Live, Digital Desk: Vijay Merchant India’s Don Bradman: There are some names in Indian cricket history, which have become immortal. One of these is Vijay Merchant, often called ‘Don Bradman’ of India. Today’s cricket lovers may not know much about them, but he was also an inspiration and hero for veterans like Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar. Let’s know about this great cricketer, who gave Indian cricket a new identity.
Vijay Merchant’s full name Vijay Singh Madhavji was a merchant. He was born on 12 October 1911 in Mumbai. Seeing his batting style and figures, he is counted among India’s all -time great batsmen. His figures in first class cricket are surprising. He scored 13,470 runs in 150 first class matches at an incredible average of 71.64, including 45 centuries. This average was the second best average after Don Bradman! For this reason, he was called ‘Bradman of India’.
However, his Test career figures do not look as effective as he played only 10 Test matches. A major reason for this was World War II, which took away the golden years of his career. India did not get a chance to play international cricket for a long time due to the war. Despite this, he scored 859 runs in these 10 Tests at an average of 47.76.
Vijay Merchant was not only a batsman, but a complete cricketer. He was also a good fielder and sometimes also bowled leg-break. His biggest feature of his batting was his patient approach, strong defense and brilliant timing. They knew to last long and make big scores on the pitch.
Even after retiring from cricket, he contributed to Indian cricket. He was also active as a cricket commentator and administrator. Great batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar have described Vijay Merchant many times as their inspiration and ideal. Looking at his figures and the circumstances of his era, he was really a star who brought Indian cricket to new heights.
Even today his name is recorded in golden letters in the history of Indian cricket, as a player who left his mark despite less international occasions and set an example for the coming generations.
