Which Indian bowler was the first to claim 100 Test wickets? (19 June 2002)
Mulvantrai Himmatlal Mankad's parents showed amazing prescience when
they gave him his middle name. Their son's guts-and-glory approach was
to see him carve out his name as one of the most illustrious players
in cricket's long and hoary annals. It was also to become one of the
most loved names of his time.
Vinoo Mankad, as the masses and players were to know him, was
definitely one of the greatest all-rounders the game has ever seen. As
an opening batsman of the highest calibre and a left-arm spinner whom
many deemed the best of his time, Mankad was the architect of India's
first five Test wins. He also went on become the youngest cricketer to
complete the double of a 1,000 runs and 100 wickets, raising the
landmark in only 23 Tests. Subsequently Ian Botham went on to best
that record, but Mankad still remains the second fastest to the
landmark.
He also went on claim several other honours - an opening partnership
of 413 with Pankaj Roy that continues to remain a world-record 50
years on being the most notable - in a Test career that also saw him
become the first Indian bowler to claim 100 wickets. Considering the
man, it was but appropriate that his bowling effort in that match
against Pakistan at Mumbai in November 1952 was to secure India her
third win in Test cricket.
Mankad claimed eight wickets in the match - which India won by 10
wickets - to increase his tally from 96 Test wickets to 100 by the end
of the match. It was to be a little over six years before Subhash
Gupte, another Indian great and a man whom many - Sir Gary Sobers
included - rate as the greatest leg-spinner the game has seen, joined
Mankad on a summit that was temporarily his own.
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