He made 5 centuries and 6 half-centuries in his tally of 2109 Test runs at an average of 31. Away average 30.
In winning matches, averaged 113 with the bat and 13 with the ball (5 matches).
In matches India lost, his bowling average was 37 .
Opened the batting in 40 of his 72 innings. Averaged 41. Scored all his 5 hundreds (and 4 half-centuries) here.
In England, averaged 40 with the bat and 34 with the ball (6 Tests).
Captained India in 6 matches (lost 1, drew 5). Averaged 9 with the bat and 31 with the ball as captain. In his first class career (1935-1962), in 233 matches, averaged 35 with the bat and 25 with the ball.
For a man who batted in every position from no.1 to no. 11, Vinoo Mankad was incredibly sure about his game. Decades later, two great players would echo his playing style in different ways- Kapil Dev and Sehwag. Like Kapil Dev, Mankad was a great all-rounder, capable of holding his place in the side with either bat or ball. Like Sehwag, Mankad opened the innings (often with a bang) and bowled spin. Unlike Sehwag, Mankad was one of the great (left arm) slow bowlers of his time. Unlike Kapil, concentration and defence were Mankad's strengths as a batsman. But most significantly like both, he was a great natural talent who could change matches single-handedly. He came into international cricket after the War with a fearsome reputation built on his performances against touring English teams (batting average 63, bowling average 15 in a set of unofficial tests in 1937-38). A fifty in his first Test and a five wicket haul in the second (in England) established him firmly in the Indian side. A century in Australia in just his sixth Test (against Lindwall and Miller) marked him out as a special talent. There were many sparkling performances but the most staggering ones were where India won (just 5 in his entire career) - he dominated superhumanly with both bat and ball (averaging 113 and 13 respectively). As a confident natural talent he was fearless in his approach and in his very first tour of Australia became famous for running the non-striker out for backing up - the dismissal would be christened after him ('Mankaded'). Deemed unsporting by many at that time, Mankad still had Bradman supporting his decision. Despite so much going for him, Mankad's overall career record does not take him to stratospheric heights. He was perhaps unfortunate (like Kapil Dev later) to be a main wicket-taker and also the stock bowler - and therefore over-used. As a batsman, despite having proven attacking credentials, sometimes he got overly defensive and bogged down. The politics and intrigues that plagued Indian cricket teams in the past must have also had its part to play, despite Mankad being amongst the strongest personalities in the team. His averages of 29 and 42 with bat and ball in losing matches also dispel the "lone hand" angle. But all said, it is rare to have cricketers with dual talents of such high standards with such expression. For that itself, Mankad remains an all-time great.
| One of Mankad's most noteworthy features was his habit of transforming himself into 11 players at once, or so it seemed. India hadn't ever won a Test before, so doing it while playing away against a strong English team at Lord's seemed like something you wouldn't want to put your life's savings on. But apparently, Mankad didn't know that. Batting first, he started forcefully, in a | Sehwag-like fashion, hitting a straight six over the bowlers head within the first 30 minutes of the game. He scored a powerful 74 and was the first man out at 106 (again very Sehwag-like). India was soon all out, for 235. Unperturbed, he came in to bowl, and bowled a dogged spell of 73 overs for 5 wickets at under 3 an over. England still got a 300 plus lead. Now, perhaps even more | charged up (there is little explanation otherwise), Mankad came in and scored 184 in an innings where the next highest was 49. He was third out at 270 (184 in four and a half hours of batting, with 19 fours and a six) but India could add only 108 runs more. It was, of course, not enough and India lost. Still, this is the greatest all-round performance by any Indian till date. |
| Most firsts have to be qualified; first win against x team at home, first win in y conditions, and so on. The really special firsts are those that need no such qualification, and are deeply significant with no 'conditions apply' tag. On that count, it probably does not get more special than your country's first Test victory ever. England came in 1-0 up, and India went in with half the side | dropped. Whether it was complacence or plain incompetence is not clear, but it was a match in which England just folded up. The visitors started well reaching 71 for 1 before Mankad stepped in and proceeded to ambush the Englishmen, bowling them out for 266 (Mankad 8-55 in 39 overs on a unhelpful pitch), his bowling inspiring the fielders to do better than ever | before. Buoyed by this collapse, the Indian batsmen put up a lead of 191. The pitch was wearing, and this time Mankad got much more help than in the first innings, as did Ghulam Ahmed; together they snared 4 each, and England were dismissed for 183. India won its first test after 24 games (by an innings!). Just out of curiosity, how many are Bangladesh at? |
| This Mankad knock was perhaps overshadowed by its more glamorous, record-breaking cousin 2 weeks later, but remains one of the most understated yet forceful instances of one man setting the tone of a game by his own force. Opening the batting, Mankad dominated the bowling as if it were a school game to score 223. On | the other end, there was a completely different match going on, against a different side on a different wicket. As Mankad took India to 421, his team-mates floundered and fumbled, with the second highest score of the innings being 63. Single-handedly, Mankad put India almost completely out of the reach of the Kiwis. From then | on, perhaps inspired by his heroics, the bowlers decided to turn up for the game after all, and bowled New Zealand out for 258 and 136 (Mankad himself taking 4-86) to give India a massive win by an innings and 27 runs. Again, it is difficult to not draw comparisons with Sehwag and his 201 against Sri Lanka 53 years later. |
| India was facing the old enemy, or in this case, the new enemy. Pakistan had just been given Test status, and was playing its first Test. And it turned to be a test in every sense of the word. The Pakistani team wasn't a weak one - they had the likes of Hanif Mohammad, AH Kardar and Fazal Mahmood who were internationally recognized players having displayed their wares for various | different teams at different points in time. Looking to overcome India's 372, Pakistan got off to a good start when they reached 64 for no loss. From then on came a derailment that would leave its echo for many, many decades to come. Mankad came in with his slow left arm spin bowling and proceeded to destroy the Pakistanis single-handedly - 8-52 in 47 overs! They were | dismissed for 150 and had to follow on. The psychologically jarring prospect of facing another round of such wizardry in their first Test was perhaps too much for the Pakistanis, who folded up for 152 in their second. Mankad took 5-79 this time, allowing his team-mates to get a share of the spoils too. |
| If this had been a list of cricketers with the most vociferous appetite for cricketing success, Mankad would no doubt have ranked higher. Having ravaged New Zealand a few days back (with 223 and 4 wickets), he proceeded to try and put the fear of God in them by thrashing them all over again. India won the toss and chose to bat and bat, and bat, and bat. Together with Pankaj Roy, Mankad put up an incredible 413 | run opening partnership, till Roy finally fell. This was a record that stood for nearly half a century before it took another insatiable run glutton, Graeme Smith, to come along and play a part in cracking it. Declaring at 537 for 3 (Mankad 231 in almost 9 hours of batting; the highest individual innings score by an Indian at that time - ironically, this would also be Mankad's last 50-plus innings for India), Mankad | stood back and let others have a bit of fun, as Gupte and gang bowled New Zealand out for 209. But you obviously could not keep Mankad out of the action for too long, as he came back when New Zealand followed on and took 4 top order wickets for 65 runs, leaving a bruised and battered New Zealand wondering if international cricket really was worth all this trouble? |
HONOURABLE MENTION:
| Mankad's 6th Test overall and first tour of Australia - who are 1-0 up before the third test. Australia bat first and put on 394 (Bradman's 132 leading the way; Mankad 4-135). Mankad opens the batting with Sarwate and they put on 124 for the opening wicket, keeping Lindwall, Miller and Johnston at bay. But a familiar collapse ensues and Mankad himself is fifth out at 198 but | not before completing the first century by an Indian in Australia (a magnificent 116 off 187 balls; 13 fours). India manage 262-6 till close on the third day. It rains overnight, and the pitch is difficult to bat on the next day. Lala Amarnath, the Indian captain, declares at 291-9 so that he can have a shot at the Australians before the wicket dries up. Bradman sends his tail-enders | to bat first and Australia is soon 32-4 when Bradman joins Morris. But the pitch gradually dries up and the match completely changes character. They put on 223 runs in just three hours, Bradman scoring his second hundred, and declare. India collapse for 125 and lose by 233 runs. Status quo reigns. |
