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Dattu Phadkar

Dattatraya Gajanan "Dattu" Phadkar was an Indian Test cricketer who represented India in the years following independence. A right-handed middle-order batsman and right-arm medium-fast bowler, he was one of the early genuine all-rounders to play for India and was a regular member of the national side through the late 1940s and 1950s.

Full name Dattatraya Gajanan Phadkar
Born 1925
Died 1985
Nationality Indian
Role All-rounder
Batting Right-handed
Bowling Right-arm medium-fast
Format Test cricket, first-class cricket
National side India

Background

Phadkar emerged in Indian domestic cricket in the 1940s, a period when the Ranji Trophy had become the principal first-class competition in the country. He played his domestic cricket in India and earned selection for the national side soon after the partition of British India in 1947.

International career

Phadkar made his Test debut for India in the 1947–48 series in Australia, the first overseas tour undertaken by India after independence, against the Donald Bradman–led Australian team. He went on to play in series against the West Indies, England and Pakistan, contributing both with the bat in the middle order and as a new-ball or first-change bowler.

He was part of India's Test side during a formative phase in the country's cricket history, when the team was establishing itself in international competition. His ability to bowl with pace and to score substantial runs in the middle order made him a valuable component of the Indian XI of his era.

Style and significance

Phadkar is remembered as one of the leading Indian all-rounders of the immediate post-independence period, alongside contemporaries such as Vinoo Mankad and Vijay Hazare. In an era when Indian cricket relied largely on spin bowling, his medium-fast bowling provided the side with a seam option, and his batting added depth to the lower-middle order.

Later life

After retiring from active cricket, Phadkar remained associated with the game in India. He died in 1985.

References