Mohinder Amarnath Bhardwaj |
Mohinder Amarnath BhardwajBorn: 24 September 1950, Patiala, PunjabMajor Teams: Punjab, Delhi, Baroda, Durham, Wiltshire, India. Known As: Mohinder Amarnath Batting Style: Right Hand Bat Bowling Style: Right Arm Medium Profile:The comeback man of Indian cricket, Mohinder Amarnath scored centuries on a recall to the Indian side on no less than 3 occasions. Playing his first Test as a genuine allrounder in 1969-70, he resurfaced as a batsman who bowled a bit, in the West Indies in 1975-76. He capped a good series with a heroic 60 at Kingston, in an innings in which 5 Indians were unable to bat. Inconsistent Test performances and occasional trouble with the hook led to him being in and out of the team over the next few years. A string of big scores in domestic cricket (which led Delhi and North Zone to various titles in the late '70s and early '80s) led to his recall against Pakistan in 1982-83.An amazing 12 months followed. In Pakistan, he proved to be the only Indian batsman other than Gavaskar who could hold his end up, while Imran Khan clinically demolished the Indian line-up. A new, square-on stance, though somewhat inelegant, gave him greater assurance against fast bowlers, and he headed the Indian averages in that series. In the West Indies a few months later, he played their feared pace attack as well as anyone else had in the '80s. Innings of 91 and 80 at Barbados, where he repeatedly hooked the pacers despite taking a few blows on his body, confirmed both his determination and his skill. In the midst of the Indian World Cup win in 1983, he won the man-of-the-match award in both the semi-finals and the finals. Then, the West Indies came to India in 1983-84, and the wheels fell apart. A solitary run in 6 Test innings nearly erased memories of his magical year. He answered with
a century on his recall to the Indian side against Pakistan in 1984-85.
Thereafter, he was a mainstay of the Indian batting, proving to be arguably
India's best batsman of the '80s. He had a sound technique, despite his
somewhat unorthodox square-on stance. His batting was characterized by
complete fearlessness and fierce determination. He is perhaps best remembered
for his hooks, which, in the '80s, he played more often and better than
any other Indian batsman. Though he continued to bowl a few overs here
and there, his bowling was essentially a prelude to the spinners. His gentle
medium pacers proved useful sometimes, as in the World Cup in England in
1983
Test Debut: India
v Australia at Madras, 5th Test, 1969/70
ODI Debut: India
v England at Lord's, World Cup, 1975
Wisden Cricketer
of the Year 1984
Career Statistics:TESTS(career) M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St Batting & Fielding 69 113 10 4378 138 42.50 11 24 47 0
Balls M R W
Ave BBI 5 10 SR Econ
ONE-DAY
INTERNATIONALS
Balls M R W
Ave BBI 4w 5w SR Econ
FIRST-CLASS
Balls R W Ave
BBI 5 10 SR Econ
LIST
A LIMITED OVERS
Balls R W Ave
BBI 4w 5w SR Econ
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