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| Full name | Hemchandra Ramachandra Adhikari | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1919-07-31)31 July 1919 Pune,Bombay Presidency,British India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 25 October 2003(2003-10-25) (aged 84) Mumbai,Maharashtra, India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-armleg spin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 36) | 28 November 1947 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 11 February 1959 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:ESPNcricinfo,15 November 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ColonelHemchandra"Hemu" Ramachandra Adhikaripronunciationⓘ (31 July 1919 – 25 October 2003) was an Indiancricketer, representing his country both as a player and a coach in a career that spanned three decades. He received theC. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998, the highest honour bestowed by theBCCI on a former player.[1]
A talented right-handed batsman and occasional leg spin bowler, Adhikari made hisfirst-class cricket debut as a teenager before the outbreak ofWorld War II in the 1936/37 domestic season. He immediately demonstrated his abilities on the local stage but due to the war, and his role in the Indian armed forces, his career was interrupted.
Adhikari made hisTest debut as a 28-year-old in1947 on India's tour of Australia and immediately established himself as an important member of the squad, although his continued official role in the army restricted his availability for the team.
Very good at playingspin bowling and courageous againstfast bowling, Adhikari had some fine moments playing for India, including a national record 109-run last wicket partnership withGhulam Ahmed in a Test against regional rivalsPakistan. He captained India in one Test as he neared his fortieth birthday, scoring 63 and 40 while batting and taking three important wickets in a drawn game againstthe West Indies.
Adhikari took to coaching after retiring from first-class cricket – with a very goodbatting average of 41.74 – and was in charge of the Indian team as they established themselves on the world stage. He helped guide India to their first series win in England in 1971 and was a major reason behind the development of such outstanding cricketers asSunil Gavaskar,Kapil Dev andRavi Shastri. Some felt his history with military helped him as a coach, with former national team spin bowlerBapu Nadkarni saying "Adhikari was a disciplined man. Being a military man, he would not bother about what anybody else thought." Col Hemu Adhikari was the mentor of another military man & famous cricket coach from Hyderabad Mirza Rehmat Ullah Baig (M.R Baig), who was a Ranji Cricketer from Services and served as an assistant coach under the mentorship of Col Hemu Adhikari.
After his death in October 2003, at age 84, tributes flooded in for the popular Indian, with Indian cricket writerSuresh Menon saying "Adhikari was not a big man yet he was a presence. He will be remembered for his role in Indian cricket's self-confidence movement that began with that series win in 1971."
Test Debut: vsAustralia,Brisbane, 1947/48
Last Test: vs West Indies,Delhi, 1958/59
| Preceded by | Indian National Test Cricket Captain 1958/59(1 Test Match) | Succeeded by |