 B. B. Nimbalkar signing autographs in 1946 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bhausaheb Babasaheb Nimbalkar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 12 December 1919 Kolhapur,Bombay Presidency,British India | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 11 December 2012 (aged 92) Kolhapur,Maharashtra,India | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-armfast-medium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman Occasionalwicket-keeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | R. B. Nimbalkar (brother), S. B. Nimbalkar (son) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1939/40 | Baroda | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1941/42–1950/51 | Maharashtra | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1942/43–1957/58 | Holkar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1955/56 | Madhya Bharat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1956/57–1957/58 | Rajasthan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1958/59–1963/64 | Railways | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source:CricketArchive(subscription required),11 December 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bhausaheb Babasaheb Nimbalkar (12 December 1919 – 11 December 2012) was an Indianfirst-class cricketer who is remembered for hisinnings of 443not out in the1948–49 Ranji Trophy match betweenMaharashtra andKathiawar. At the time, it was the second-highest score in the history of first-class cricket. It remains the Indian record and is also the highest score by a batsman who never played inTest cricket. Nimbalkar was a right-handed batsman whose career spanned the seasons from 1939/40 to 1963/64. He played for six first-class teams:Baroda, Maharashtra,Holkar,Madhya Bharat,Rajasthan, andRailways. He was an occasionalwicket-keeper and a right-armfast-medium bowler.
Nimbalkar was born inKolhapur.[1] He had his early education at the Model School in Kolhapur, and captained the school team at the age of 15.[citation needed]
Nimbalkar joinedBaroda and, aged 19, made hisfirst-class andRanji Trophy debut on 18–20 November 1939 againstGujarat at Baroda's Police Gymkhana Ground.[a] Baroda won the match by 52 runs. They scored 127 and 166; Gujarat replied with 100 and 141. Batting in the lower middle order, Nimbalkar scored 6 and 27. He opened the bowling withEdulji Gai and took 3/16 and 1/36.[3] His older brother, wicket-keeperRaosaheb Nimbalkar, was also playing that match and the two often appeared alongside each other.[4]
Nimbalkar moved toMaharashtra and played for them until 1950/51. During the1948–49 Ranji Trophy, in the match againstKathiawar on thePoona Club Ground, Nimbalkar scored 443not out.[5] At the time, Nimbalkar's innings was second only toDon Bradman's 452 not out (in 1929/30) as the world record for the highest individual innings in first-class cricket. Currently, the innings is the fourth-highest of all time, having been surpassed by those of Pakistani batting greatHanif Mohammad (499 in 1958/59) and the greatest West IndianBrian Lara (501* in 1994).
He was unable to break the record because, with the total standing at 826 for 4 at the lunch interval, the opposing captain, theThakore Saheb of Rajkot, conceded the match to prevent embarrassment on the part of his team. Bradman sent a personal note to Nimbalkar saying that he considered Nimbalkar's innings better than his own.[6][7][8][9]
Despite an impressivebatting average of 56.72 inRanji Trophy matches, and his additional abilities as a wicket-keeper and a fast-medium bowler, Nimbalkar never playedTest cricket during a first-class career that stretched from 1939–40 to 1963–64.[1] He was named the Indian Cricketer of the Year in 1952/53.[1]
Between 1976/77 and 1982/83, Nimbalkar's son, Suryaji Nimbalkar, played in twelve first-class matches for Railways and Maharashtra.[10] Nimbalkar received theC. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002,[1] the highest honour bestowed on a former player by theBoard of Control for Cricket in India.[11] He died in Kolhapur on 11 December 2012, the day before his 93rd birthday.[1][12]