In 1983, under Kapil Dev's leadership, the Indian cricket team clinched the World Cup, steering Indian cricket in a new direction. As part of that World Cup squad, Vengsarkar also left an indelible mark. Today (April 6), Dilip Vengsarkar celebrates his 68th birthday. The former Indian captain was born on April 6, 1956, in Rajapur, Maharashtra.
Between 1987 and 1989, Vengsarkar captained India in 10 Test matches and 18 ODIs, achieving two Test wins and eight ODI victories. His international career, spanning over 16 years, was marked by many spectacular innings. His three centuries at Lords, cricket's holy grail, remain etched in the memory of Indian fans.
Vengsarkar's Dazzling Achievement...
First playing at Lords in 1979, Vengsarkar's maiden innings saw him fail to score, but he roared back in the second innings with a stunning century of 103 runs. In 1982, he followed up with two more resilient innings of 157 and 2 runs at the historic ground. And in 1986, he crafted an unbeaten 126 and 33 at Lords, becoming the first non-English batsman to score three consecutive centuries on this ground.
Source: aajtak
The last time Vengsarkar graced the field at Lords was in 1990, where he missed a century. Overall, he conquered the Lords pitches in four Test matches against England with an average of 72.57, amassing 508 runs. His achievements at Lords set a precedent for future generations of batsmen.
In an illustrious journey that began in 1976 against New Zealand in the Auckland Test, Vengsarkar debuted in international cricket. His last match took place in Perth in 1992 against Australia. In 116 Test matches, he scored 6868 runs at an average of 42.13, including 17 centuries and 35 half-centuries. In 129 ODI innings, he notched up 3508 runs at an average of 34.73, producing one century and 23 half-centuries.
The Story Behind the 'Colonel' Nickname
Dilip Vengsarkar's 'Colonel' nickname originated from his stellar 1975 performance in the Irani Trophy match playing for Bombay (now Mumbai) against Rest of India, where he scored a fantastic century. He dominated the spin duo of Bishan Singh Bedi and Erapalli Prasanna, piling on the runs. Veteran Indian cricketer Lala Amarnath compared Vengsarkar's performance to that of Colonel C.K. Nayudu during the match's commentary. The nickname stuck, and Vengsarkar became affectionately known as the 'Colonel'.
