Aug 08, 2018
Dilip Sardesai’s 78th Birthday
This Doodle’s Key Themes
There are no Test cricket grounds approved for national matches in Goa, the former Portuguese colony on India’s western coast where Dilip Sardesai was born on August 8, 1940. Nevertheless Sardesai would go on to become a legendary batsman for India.
Considered one of the best batsmen ever to play the game, Sardesai was especially effective against spin bowling. He would play 30 Test matches for India, earning the title “Renaissance Man of Indian cricket.” Between 1961 and 1972, he scored 2,001 runs.
Sardesai's greatest feat came in 1971 when he helped defeat the mighty West Indies side in their own backyard. The Indian team had lost to Barbados and struggled against Guyana, but Sardesai became a national hero in India for his 642 runs in the series, including a score of 212 in the Test match at Kingston, Jamaica. To boost his team’s spirits, he declared the match a “Popatwadi attack”—a term he coined himself to poke fun at opponents.
“I was told he was terrific against spin,” wrote his son, journalist Rajdeep Sardesai. “He wasn’t the greatest fielder but he was always someone who was ready for a fight.” Today’s animated Doodle depicts Sardesai, whom West Indian fans nicknamed "Sardee-man," showing his skill at the crease as he sends a ball flying.
Happy 78th birthday, Dilip Sardesai!
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