Vijay Hazare

Vijay Samuel Hazare (11 March 1915 – 18 December 2004) was an Indian cricketer who captained the Indian Test team and is regarded as one of India's finest batsmen of the immediate pre- and post-Independence era. A right-handed middle-order batsman and a useful right-arm medium-pace bowler, Hazare became the first Indian to score a Test century against every Test-playing nation of his time and led India to its first ever Test victory.

Key facts

Background and early life

Hazare was born on 11 March 1915 in Sangli, in the Bombay Presidency, into a Maharashtrian Christian family. He was the seventh of eight children. He took up cricket at a young age and came under the early influence of the Australian coach Clarrie Grimmett, the noted leg-spinner, whose tutelage helped refine his batting technique and concentration.

In his early career he was associated with the princely state of Sangli, and later played for Dewas and Baroda, where he came under the patronage of the Maharaja of Baroda. He served in the Maharaja's establishment and made Baroda his cricketing home for the bulk of his career.

Domestic career

Hazare's first-class career, which began in the mid-1930s and extended into the late 1950s, was marked by enormous run-scoring feats in the Ranji Trophy. He played for Maharashtra and Baroda, winning the Ranji Trophy with both. Notable performances include:

• 316 not out for Maharashtra against Baroda in 1939–40.
• 309 for The Rest against the Hindus in the Bombay Pentangular in 1943–44, an innings out of a team total in which he and his brother Vivek added a celebrated last-wicket partnership.
• 288 for Baroda against Holkar in the 1946–47 Ranji Trophy final at Vadodara, in a match in which both teams scored heavily.

His record-breaking partnership of 577 with Gul Mohammad for the fourth wicket for Baroda against Holkar in that 1946–47 final stood as the world record first-class partnership for any wicket for several decades.

Test career

Hazare made his Test debut against England at Lord's in 1946, on India's first post-war tour. His major Test achievements include:

• Twin centuries (116 and 145) against Australia at Adelaide in 1947–48, against the Don Bradman-led side, becoming the first Indian to score two centuries in the same Test.
• A century (134 not out) at Bombay against the West Indies in 1948–49, part of a series in which he was India's leading run-scorer.
• Captaining India to its first ever Test victory, against England at Madras in February 1952, in the fifth and final Test of the home series.
• Leading India to a maiden Test series win the same year, 1952–53, against Pakistan, India's first Test series victory.

In 30 Tests he scored 2,192 runs at an average of around 47, with 7 centuries. As captain he led India in 14 Tests between 1951 and 1953, including tours to England (1952) and the West Indies (1952–53).

Captaincy and later years

Hazare captained India during a difficult period that included the heavy defeat at Headingley in 1952, where India famously slipped to 0 for 4 in the second innings against Fred Trueman. He was succeeded as captain by Vinoo Mankad and later by Lala Amarnath and Ghulam Ahmed.

After retirement from international cricket in the mid-1950s, Hazare continued in first-class cricket for a few more seasons and later served as a national selector. He settled in Vadodara, Gujarat, and remained associated with the game in administrative and advisory roles. He died in Vadodara on 18 December 2004, aged 89.

Honours and legacy

• Awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1960 for his contribution to sport.
• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named its premier domestic List A (50-over) tournament the Vijay Hazare Trophy in his honour. The competition is contested annually by the Ranji Trophy state teams.
• Recognised, along with contemporaries such as Vijay Merchant, Lala Amarnath and Vinoo Mankad, as one of the architects of Indian batsmanship in the 1940s and early 1950s.

Significance

Hazare's career bridges the colonial and post-Independence eras of Indian cricket. He gave Indian batting a new sense of technical solidity and big-innings appetite at a time when the team was establishing itself in international cricket. His captaincy delivered India's first Test win and first Test series win, milestones that mark him as a foundational figure in the country's cricketing history. The annual List A tournament bearing his name keeps his legacy in active circulation in Indian domestic cricket.

Related topics

• Vijay Hazare Trophy
• Ranji Trophy
• India national cricket team
• Vijay Merchant
• Vinoo Mankad
• Lala Amarnath
• Baroda cricket team
• Maharashtra cricket team
• Bombay Pentangular
• Padma Shri

References

• Hazare, Vijay. Cricket Replayed (autobiography).
• Hazare, Vijay. A Long Innings (autobiography).
• Bose, Mihir. A History of Indian Cricket.
• Board of Control for Cricket in India – domestic tournaments archive.
• Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, obituaries and tour reports, 1946–1953 editions.