Jasu Patel

Infobox Historic Cricketer


nationality = Indian
country = India
country abbrev = IND
name = Jasu Patel
picture = Cricket_no_pic.pngbatting style = Right-hand bat (RHB)
bowling style = Right-arm off-break
tests = 7
test runs = 25
test bat avg = 2.77
test 100s/50s = 0/0
test top score = 12
test balls = 1725
test wickets = 29
test bowl avg = 21.96
test 5s = 2
test 10s = 1
test best bowling = 9/69
test catches/stumpings = 2
FCs = 68
FC runs = 780
FC bat avg = 12.78
FC 100s/50s = 1/3
FC top score = 152
FC balls = 5,382
FC wickets = 248
FC bowl avg = 21.70
FC 5s = 19
FC 10s = 5
FC best bowling = 9/69
FC catches/stumpings = 26
debut date = 26 February
debut year = 1955
last date = 23 January
last year = 1960
source = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1007/1007.html

Jasubhai Motibhai Patel audio|Jasu_Patel.ogg|pronunciation (born November 26, 1924, Ahmedabad, Gujarat - died December 12, 1992, Ahmedabad ) was an off-spinner who played Test cricket for Indian cricket team. His fame lies entirely on a single match against Australia where he took 14 wickets.

Early days

At the age of ten, he broke his arm falling from a tree. Because of this injury he had a jerky bowling action, which some considered suspicious. He bowled off-cutters more than conventional off breaks. He was particularly dangerous on matting wickets where he got prodigious turn.

He took 35 wickets at the average of 10 in the tour of Pakistan in 1954-55 but played in only one Test. In the first five years of his career he played only four Tests in which he took ten wickets. He was already thirty five and on the verge of retirement when he enjoyed his one great success against Australia at Kanpur in 1959-60.

Australia came to India on the back of convincing wins over England and Pakistan. For India, the loss in the first Test of the series was their fifth innings defeat of the year. Kanpur had a newly laid pitch. Patel was picked as a gamble, on the insistence of the chairman of selectors, Lala Amarnath.

"Patel's Test"

India was out for 152 before close on the first day. Patel got his first wicket on the second morning when he caught Gavin Stevens left handed off an attempted big hit. At lunch, Australia were well on top at 128 for 1. Till that point of time, Patel had bowled from the city end, where had not been able to exploit the footmarks created by the left arm bowlers Davidson and Ian Meckiff. Amarnath presumably had a word with captain Ramchand during the lunch. Patel switched to the pavilion end after the break.

Patel's first ball after lunch went between the bat and pad to bowl Colin McDonald. Norman O'Neill who replaced him was all at sea and offered an easy chance to Bapu Nadkarni at midwicket, who missed it. This was to deprive Patel of a chance to take all the ten wickets. Neil Harvey completed fifty before he was bowled. Patel pitched one well outside left handed Harvey's off-stump. Harvey raised the bat and left it but the ball to cut back and hit the stumps.

Once Harvey was out, the others followed quickly. Alan Davidson hit out at the end to take the score to 219. O'Neill, bowled by a full-toss from Chandu Borde, was the only wicket that Patel missed. His figures were 9 for 69.

India batted much better in the second innings to set Australia 225 to win in 400 minutes. Patel dismissed Stevens and Polly Umrigar took the important wicket of Harvey before close of the fourth day. Umrigar took two more wickets on the final morning to reduce Australia to 61 for 4. Patel took 4 of the remaining five wickets, Gordon Rorke being unable to bat. Australia was allout for 105 and India won by 119 runs. It was India's first win over Australia.

Patel's 14 for 124 were the best bowling figures by an Indian bowler. It remained so for nearly thirty years before it was bettered another one-Test wonder, Narendra Hirwani.

Remaining career

The Kanpur Test stayed as the lone bright spot in Patel's career. He played two more Tests in the series for five wickets. These were his last Test matches. He played two more years of first class cricket and ended up with 140 wickets for Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy. He and Vijay Hazare were the first cricketers to be honoured with the Padma Shri.

References

* Partab Ramchand, "Great Feats of Indian Cricket"
* Mihir Bose, "A History of Indian Cricket"
* [http://content.cricinfo.com/india/content/player/32236.html Cricinfo Profile]
* [http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1007/1007.html Cricketarchive Profile]
* [http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/23/23863.html Scorecard of the Kanpur Test]