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Full name Ajit Laxman Wadekar
Born April 1, 1941, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra
Current age 67 years 151 days
Major teams India,Mumbai
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Left-arm medium, Slow left-arm orthodox
Other Referee
Batting and fielding averages
Mat
Inns
NO
Runs
HS
Ave
BF
SR
100
50
4s
6s
Ct
St
Tests
37
71
3
2113
143
31.07
1
14
2
46
0
ODIs
2
2
0
73
67
36.50
90
81.11
0
1
11
0
1
0
First-class
237
360
33
15380
323
47.03
36
84
271
0
List A
5
4
1
193
87
64.33
0
2
3
0
Bowling averages
Mat
Inns
Balls
Runs
Wkts
BBI
BBM
Ave
Econ
SR
4w
5w
10
Tests
37
7
61
55
0
-
-
-
5.40
-
0
0
0
ODIs
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
First-class
237
1622
908
21
2/0
43.23
3.35
77.2
0
0
List A
5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Career statistics
Test debut
India v West Indies at Mumbai (BS), Dec 13-18, 1966 scorecard
Last Test
England v India at Birmingham, Jul 4-8, 1974 scorecard
England v India at The Oval, Jul 15-16, 1974 scorecard
ODI statistics
First-class span
1958/59 - 1974/75
List A span
1973/74 - 1974
Profile
An aggressive left-hand batsman who became slightly bogged down by responsibility, Ajit Wadekar's name will forever be linked with 1971 when he led the Indian team to historic triumphs in the West Indies and England. Wadekar made his first-class debut in 1958-59 but had to wait eight years before playing for India in 1966-67, despite a string of big scores around the domestic circuit. But he took little time to establish himself in the Indian team and was a tower of strength to the Indian batting for seven years, playing scintillating or valuable knocks depending upon the state of the game. He was one of the best No. 3 batsmen in the history of Indian cricket and one of the finest slip fielders.
Vijay Merchant's casting vote as chairman of the selection committee ended MAK Pataudi's long reign as Indian captain and handed over the leadership to Wadekar in January 1971. He proved himself to be a capable captain, if not a shrewd tactician, and a combination of circumstances, and a fair share of good fortune, led to India beating West Indies and then England. A third successive series triumph over England, this time at home, followed in 1972-73 and Wadekar was at his peak as batsman and captain when he led India to England in 1974. What followed was anti climax. All three Tests were lost by margins that brooked no argument in what went down as the inglorious `Summer of 42'. Made a scapegoat, Wadekar was forced to retire, although a reluctance to spend time away from his young family would probably have led to him standing down whatever the outcome of the tour. Almost three decades later he renewed his association with
Indian cricket as a successful manager of victorious Indian teams, striking a particularly good working relationship with Mohammad Azharuddin.
Partab Ramchand
