Dilip Sardesai

Dilip Narayan Sardesai (; 8 August 1940 – 2 July 2007) was an Indian international cricketer. He played Tests for the Indian national team as a batsman, the first Goa-born cricketer to play for India, and was often regarded as one of India's best batsmen against spin, although Indian batsmen have been known to play better against spin.

Early life and career

Sardesai grew up in a Gaud Saraswat Brahmin family of Margão, a town in the erstwhile Portuguese India (in the present-day Indian State of Goa). He studied in the New Era high school there. The region had no cricketing infrastructure during his growing days in the early 1950s. His family moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1957, when Sardesai was 17. He attended the city's Wilson College where his cricketing talent was spotted by coach 'Manya' Naik. He also studied at the Siddharth College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Fort, Mumbai.

Sardesai made his first mark in cricket in the inter-university Rohinton Baria Trophy in 1959–60 where he made 435 runs at an average of 87. He would later recall that he was called up for the trials for the Combined Universities team that was to play the touring Pakistan side in 1960–61. Impressed by his technique, Lala Amarnath, the chairman of selectors, drafted him into the team. Sardesai made the playing XI, thus making his first-class debut, against Pakistan in Pune in November 1960. Sardesai went on to make 87 in 194 minutes in his only innings of the match, while also taking Hanif Mohammad's catch with his fielding. In his next game, playing for Board President's XI against the same Pakistan side prior to the Fourth Test of the tour, he scored an unbeaten century (106 in 260 minutes), putting together a 134-run stand with Vijay Mehra for the third wicket.