A stroke of good fortune: When Nari Contractor stepped into Vinoo Mankad's shoes & made his India debut
Contractor's first match was against New Zealand in 1955.
By Rohan Abraham, ET Bureau | Updated:
Agencies
Former India captain Nari Contractor is a man shaped by fate. A stroke of good fortune landed him his India debut — he was called in to replace Vinoo Mankad in a Test match against New Zealand in 1955. Seven years to the day he made his bow, Contractor, then India captain, was laid low after being struck on the head by West Indies pacer Charlie Griffith.
He never played international cricket again. “For many years, I walked with a bat in hand, now it is this walking stick,” Contractor said at an event commemorating Mankad’s 102nd birth anniversary. “Not many know that Vinoo started his career as a pacer,” he said. Mankad’s fortuitous transition to spin bowling came under the tutelage of former Sussex cricketer Albert Wensley. The Englishman was in the employ of the Jam Sahib, the ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Nawanagar. “Wensley taught Vinoo the art of flighting the ball, a skill that would go on to define his career,” said Contractor.
After practising his craft on dusty pitches in India, Mankad stepped up his game in 1952 to become the first player to score a hundred and bag a five-wicket haul in the same Test at Lord’s. Queen Elizabeth, who was then in the first year of her reign, personally congratulated him.
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He never played international cricket again. “For many years, I walked with a bat in hand, now it is this walking stick,” Contractor said at an event commemorating Mankad’s 102nd birth anniversary. “Not many know that Vinoo started his career as a pacer,” he said. Mankad’s fortuitous transition to spin bowling came under the tutelage of former Sussex cricketer Albert Wensley. The Englishman was in the employ of the Jam Sahib, the ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Nawanagar. “Wensley taught Vinoo the art of flighting the ball, a skill that would go on to define his career,” said Contractor.
After practising his craft on dusty pitches in India, Mankad stepped up his game in 1952 to become the first player to score a hundred and bag a five-wicket haul in the same Test at Lord’s. Queen Elizabeth, who was then in the first year of her reign, personally congratulated him.
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