Dilip Vengsarkar

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Dilip Vengsarkar was one of the key batters of the Indian Cricket team during the 1970s and early 80s alongside Gundappa Vishwanath and Sunil Gavaskar. He is known for his upright stance and his ability to play elegant drives.He made his mark in cricket when he scored 110 runs for Bombay against the Rest Of India (ROI) side during the Irani Trophy match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) in Nagpur (Maharashtra). ROI was star-studded with the bowlers like Bishan Singh Bedi and Erapalli Prasanna. These bowlers were in their prime form during that stage. Dilip replaced the injured Eknath Solkar who got injured at the last moment before the match. Initially, it was decided to play him as an opening batter but the experiment didnt turn well as he could only score with an average of 13.75.Soon, he made his international debut in 1975 where he played the role of the opening batter alongside his captain Sunil Gavaskar. Though, he could not have much success at that time. But it was in 1977-78 when he established himself as a permanent member of the squad for the next fifteen years. He remained the number three batter for many years and played the role of the anchor in the Indian batting line-up for over a decade. Dilip during his innings of 103 runs against England during the second test at Lords on 7 August 1979.In 1978-79, he held a partnership of 300 runs with Sunil Gavaskar at Eden Gardens (Kolkata) against the West Indies. Both the batsmen ended their innings with a century. During the late 1970s and 80s, he was among the best batsmen in the country.One of his most memorable innings came against the Pakistan team in 1979 at Feroz Shah Kotla (now Arun Jaitley Stadium) in Delhi. The Pakistan team was led by Asif Iqbal. India required 390 runs on the final day of that test match. The team lost the key wickets of Yashpal Sharma, Kapil Dev, and Roger Binny But Dilip remained unbeaten on 146 runs and took the score close to 364 runs. Actually, Dilip was running out of partners so he decided to play defensively and prevent his side from a defeat by losing six wickets.In 1981, Dilip got married to his girlfriend Manali in Mumbai. They both met in the Mumbai airport when Manali was traveling with her mother in her 20s. Manali got completely captivated with Dilip there and during an interview, she recalls, [13]DNA India In those days I used to wear a rope of tiny wooden and ivory beads wrapped around my throat. Ya! I was totally sold out on everything about him those beads, his dimples, his shirt, his wrist everything! It was just him. She further adds, Im still crazy about you after all these years. Theres still the same excitement when you come home and the same longing when youre away. Dilip Vengsarkar with his wife.His next best inning came against England in 1982, wherein in reply to Englands first-inning score of 433 runs, India was all out on 128 runs. The game was all in Englands hand when in the second inning, Dilip scored 157 runs combined with Kapil Devs 89 could manage to decrease the gap in terms of runs but couldnt prevent his side from a jaw of defeat. England won the match by seven wickets.Recalling that inning, he told, I was on the way to score a double hundred, more than that. We were shot out early in the first innings (128 all out), so we were trying to save the match. Its all ifs and buts. It was a slow bouncer from (Bob) Willis, edged it, and was caught at deep fine leg. That was an enjoyable inning. The wicket was good. Sunshine throughout the day, wicket became a beauty. That one delivery I played badly. Call it complacency, overconfidence. Dilip Vengsarkar during an inning against England at Lords.He was then included in the Indian squad for the 1983 Cricket World Cup that went on to win the World Cup trophy, thus becoming the first team apart from West Indies to grab that coveted title.His best season was in 1985 till 1987 where he scored centuries against some of the top cricket sides in the world comprising of Australia, England, Pakistan, West Indies, and Sri Lanka. Out of these centuries, few have come in consecutive games. He scored eight centuries in 16 test matches during that period. Dilip Vengsarkar in the Sports Magazine cover page.