Sandeep Madhusudan Patil is a former Indian cricketer, coach, and cricket administrator. A right-handed middle-order batsman known for his attacking style, he represented India in Test and One Day International cricket during the late 1970s and 1980s. He was a member of the Indian squad that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup under Kapil Dev. After retirement, he served as head coach of the Indian and Kenyan national teams and later chaired the senior selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
| Full name | Sandeep Madhusudan Patil |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 August 1956, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra |
| Batting style | Right-handed |
| Bowling style | Right-arm medium |
| Role | Top/middle-order batsman |
| Test debut | 1980, vs Australia |
| ODI debut | 1980 |
| Domestic team | Bombay (Mumbai) |
| Major honour | Member, 1983 World Cup–winning squad |
| Father | Madhusudan Patil, former Ranji Trophy cricketer |
Sandeep Patil was born in Bombay into a sporting family. His father, Madhusudan Patil, played first-class cricket for Maharashtra and Bombay. He came up through Mumbai's club and school cricket system and made his first-class debut for Bombay in the Ranji Trophy, soon establishing himself as a hard-hitting middle-order batsman.
Patil broke into the Indian Test side during the 1979–80 season. He drew widespread attention during the 1980–81 tour of Australia, where he scored 174 at the Adelaide Oval, an innings notable for its counter-attacking strokeplay after he had been hit on the head earlier in the series.
On the tour of England in 1982, Patil scored 129 not out at Old Trafford, Manchester, an innings that included six boundaries in a single over from Bob Willis (one ball was a no-ball). The innings is widely regarded as one of the most aggressive Test centuries by an Indian batsman of that era.
Patil was a key middle-order batsman in India's victorious campaign at the 1983 Prudential Cup in England. He played an important half-century in the semi-final against England at Old Trafford, helping India reach the final at Lord's, where they defeated the West Indies.
He played his last Test in 1984. His international career, though relatively short, included 29 Tests and 45 ODIs, with four Test centuries.
Patil represented Bombay in the Ranji Trophy and Madhya Pradesh later in his domestic career. He was part of Bombay sides that contested the Ranji Trophy in a strong era for the team.
In the mid-1980s, Patil acted in the Hindi film Kabhi Ajnabi The (1985). He has also worked extensively as a cricket commentator and columnist.
Patil was appointed chairman of the BCCI senior men's selection committee in 2012 and held the position until 2016. His tenure included selection responsibilities during major ICC events such as the 2015 Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Patil is regarded as one of the early proponents of an aggressive, stroke-filled approach to batting in Indian cricket, at a time when the side's middle order was largely built on accumulators. His role in the 1983 World Cup, his attacking centuries against Australia and England, and his later contributions as coach and selector make him an influential figure across multiple eras of Indian cricket. His coaching of Kenya in 2003 is also seen as a notable contribution to the development of cricket in associate nations.
His son, Chirag Patil, played first-class cricket and has also worked in Hindi cinema, including a portrayal of his father in the film 83 (2021), which dramatised India's 1983 World Cup triumph.