Bapu Nadkarni: The history of bowlers in Indian cricket has also been quite exciting. Be it Anil Kumble or Kapil Dev. Kumble is the highest wicket-taker for India in Tests and is also the only Indian bowler to take 10 wickets in an innings. On the other hand, Kapil Dev is the only player in world cricket who holds the world record of taking more than 400 Test wickets and scoring more than 5 thousand runs. It is because of these players that today Indian cricket is far ahead of other countries.
Kapil Dev and Kumble are not the only Indian bowlers in Indian cricket who have world records. Apart from these, there is another bowler whose record will leave you stunned. Have you ever wondered how many overs a bowler can bowl in a Test innings while bowling continuously? If not, then let us tell you that late spinner Bapu Nadkarni was a bowler who holds the record for bowling the most number of maiden overs in an innings of a Test match. Bapu Nadkarni was no less than a magician.
Photo Credit: ICC
When did such a feat happen?
'Magician' Bapu Nadkarni had done this feat 60 years ago in 1964 against England. In the 1964 Chennai Test, Bapu Nadkarni had bowled 21 consecutive overs during the first innings of the match against England, which is a world record till date. At that time Chennai was known as Madras. In the Test against England at the Corporation Stadium in Chennai, Nadkarni displayed magic with his bowling and bowled 21 consecutive maiden overs. During England's first innings, Bapu Nadkarni bowled 32 overs and bowled a total of 27 maiden overs, out of which 21 consecutive overs were his maiden overs. He gave only 5 runs. His bowling analysis was 32-27-5-0.
Used to practice bowling by keeping coins
It is said about Bapu Nadkarni that when he used to practice bowling in the nets, he used to practice by placing a coin on the nets. Bapu, who bowls left-arm spin, bowled with an economy of 1.67 in his Test career. Nadkarni, who debuted for India in December 1955, played 41 Test matches, in which he scored 1414 runs at an average of 25.70 and took 88 wickets at an average of 29.07.
Photo Credit: BCCI on
131 dot ball, it felt like the batsman forgot to score runs (the most stingy bowler)
21 consecutive maiden overs is a record not only in Test matches but also in first-class matches. Before Bapu Nadkarni, bowler Horace Hazell, while playing for Somerset against Gloucestershire in 1949, had bowled 17 consecutive maiden overs. Apart from this, on the other hand, Hugh Tayfield had bowled 137 consecutive dot balls against England in Durban in January 1957, but in that Test match, there used to be overs of eight balls. i.e. in an over of 6 balls
Bapu Nadkarni holds the record for throwing the most number of dot balls.
Nadkarni had also performed brilliantly with the bat. He has scored seven fifties and one century. Batting at number 3 against England in Kanpur, he scored unbeaten 122 runs. He was also successful in scoring 14 centuries in first-class cricket. Indian all-rounder Nadkarni died at the age of 86.
List of Bowlers with the most consecutive maidens bowled in Test Cricket: (List of Bowlers with the most consecutive maidens bowled in Test Cricket)
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