 | This article possibly contains original research. (October 2022) |
 Vijay Merchant in 1936 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Vijay Singh Madhavji Merchant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 12 October 1911 Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 27 October 1987 (aged 76) Bombay, Maharashtra, India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 15) | 15 December 1933 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 2 November 1951 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1929–1951 | Bombay | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 21 March 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vijay Singh Madhavji Merchant , (born Vijay Madhavji Thackersey;[1][2] 12 October 1911 – 27 October 1987) was an Indian cricketer. A right-hand batsman and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler, Merchant played first-class cricket for Bombay cricket team as well as 10 Test matches for India between 1929 and 1951. Behind his limited Test appearances, he dominated Indian domestic cricket – his batting average of 71.64 is the second highest first-class average in history, behind only that of Don Bradman.[3] He is regarded as the founder of the Bombay School of Batsmanship,[4] that placed more importance on right technique, steely temperament, and conservative approach rather than free flow of the bat.[citation needed]
His international career included two tours of England upon which he scored over 800 runs. English cricketer C. B. Fry exclaimed "Let us paint him white and take him with us to Australia as an opener."[3] His brother, Uday, also played first-class cricket.
Besides cricket, he was also associated with the Hindoostan Spinning & Weaving Mills (Thackersey Group) and was the Sheriff of Bombay in 1970.[citation needed]
- ^ Chaturvedi, Ravi (1 January 2009). Legendary Indian Cricketers. Prabhat Prakashan. p. 51. ISBN 978-81-8430-075-8.
- ^ Bose, Mihir (18 April 2006). The Magic of Indian Cricket: Cricket and Society in India. Routledge. p. 116. ISBN 978-1-134-24924-4.
Perhaps the most emphatic illustration of the old-money attitude to Indian cricket is provided by Vijay Merchant and his family firm of Thackersey of Mumbai. This is one of the old established mill-owning families of Bombay, part of the Gujarati textile owners who shaped the city. Merchant's name should have been Vijay Thackersey. But when he was trying to explain his name to his English principal, he took so long and got so involved in the intricacies of the Gujarati family, that the principal decided that, since Vijay clearly belonged to the merchant class, he would have the surname Merchant.
- ^ a b "Vijay Merchant". Cricinfo. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ^ Guha, Ramachandra (24 November 2016). A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport. Random House. ISBN 978-93-5118-693-9.