A fast bowler India might have had

Yet barely 38 overs later (17 of which were bowled by Salgaoncar), South had been skittled for 97 runs and West won the match outright by ten wickets shortly after tea. Salgaoncar ran through South's line-up like a freight train crashing through a picket fence, timber flying all over the place. He picked up another five-for, this time for 56 runs, to make it ten for the match. Watching from behind the bowler's arm, it was obvious that he was seriously quick; besides, I had never seen Engineer stand that far behind the stumps to any Indian bowler ever.

Two memories stand out from that spell. The first was the sight of Vishy's stumps cartwheeling through the air - beaten for pace and clean-bowled for a nought. The other is that of Engineer exultantly throwing the ball high up in the air after catching Kenia Jayantilal and the Nawab off Salgaoncar. As the shocked Chepauk crowd dispersed, our partisan disappointment at losing the match to West Zone was greatly tempered by the thought that maybe, just maybe, we had finally unearthed a genuine fast bowler.

Less than a week later, Salgaoncar was at it again. In the Duleep final he grabbed 7 for 72 in the first innings as Central Zone careened to an innings defeat. You would have thought all this might have earned Salgaoncar at least a place in the reserves for the first Test against the visiting MCC, beginning December 20th, if not in the actual XI. But you would have been wrong: Salgaoncar was nowhere in the picture. India's new-ball "attack" plumbed the depths by the third Test, at Chepauk, when Eknath Solkar and Sunil Gavaskar took the shining cherry in the first innings, and (dispensing any pretense at all) Bishan Bedi joined Solkar to open the bowling in the second.

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:Pandurang Salgoancar was killed by Bombay politics. He was from Maharashtra and once Gavaskar - who was playing the Windies hustlers said "Not many are faster than Salgoancar today" soon after Kapil dev and Barun Burman arrived on the scene, and Salgoancar disappeared.

Kris wrote:

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:Pandurang Salgoancar was killed by Bombay politics. He was from Maharashtra and once Gavaskar - who was playing the Windies hustlers said "Not many are faster than Salgoancar today" soon after Kapil dev and Barun Burman arrived on the scene, and Salgoancar disappeared.

>>I remember this name very vaguely. The Bombay favoritism used to be my brother's gripe from what I remember (he hated merchant, probably still does),  but wouldn't the name have worked in his favor? Or was it just that we were so heavily invested in spinners at that time and his timing was off?

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:

Kris wrote:

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:Pandurang Salgoancar was killed by Bombay politics. He was from Maharashtra and once Gavaskar - who was playing the Windies hustlers said "Not many are faster than Salgoancar today" soon after Kapil dev and Barun Burman arrived on the scene, and Salgoancar disappeared.

>>I remember this name very vaguely. The Bombay favoritism used to be my brother's gripe from what I remember (he hated merchant, probably still does),  but wouldn't the name have worked in his favor? Or was it just that we were so heavily invested in spinners at that time and his timing was off?

1. India knew its spin-quartet will take care f the bowling on turning tracks in India. They were sure Indian quickies would never succeed overseas. so there was no encouragement for fast bowlers. When a Sagoancar shows up rarely, the politics would takw care of it. remember even Kapil Dev succeeded only when the quartet left the scene.

Kris wrote:

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:

Kris wrote:

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:Pandurang Salgoancar was killed by Bombay politics. He was from Maharashtra and once Gavaskar - who was playing the Windies hustlers said "Not many are faster than Salgoancar today" soon after Kapil dev and Barun Burman arrived on the scene, and Salgoancar disappeared.

>>I remember this name very vaguely. The Bombay favoritism used to be my brother's gripe from what I remember (he hated merchant, probably still does),  but wouldn't the name have worked in his favor? Or was it just that we were so heavily invested in spinners at that time and his timing was off?

1. India knew its spin-quartet will take care f the bowling on turning tracks in India. They were sure Indian quickies would never succeed overseas. so there was no encouragement for fast bowlers. When a Sagoancar shows up rarely, the politics would takw care of it. remember even Kapil Dev succeeded only when the quartet left the scene.

>>>>You mean they didn't develop this at all? That is scary. I thought it was just a smug belief in the spinners which seems weird after experiencing foreign pitches.