The Gujarat Brigade

Parthiv Patel, who made his Test debut against England today, is only thesixth Gujarat player to represent India in the heavyweight division of cricket.Only five "original" Gujarat players have donned the national coloursso far. Interestingly, as many as four of them were left-handers and by aremarkable coincidence Parthiv, too, is a southpaw. Other players from thisparticular state who made it to the Indian team were either from Saurashtra orVadodara.

The first ever Gujarat player to play for the country was Roshan HarshadlalShodhan. Born in Ahmedabad on October 18, 1928, and known as Deepak Shodhan, hewas a competent left-hand batsman and a useful medium-pacer. There was a lazyelegance to Shodhan at the crease and also that romantic aroma.

How good a bat he was could be imagined from the fact that he scored amagnificent century (110) under trying circumstances on his maiden appearance atKolkata against Pakistan in 1952-53. He was expected to have a long anddistinguished career after such a rollicking start.

But his success proved as transient as it was dazzling to begin with. Thoughhe toured the West Indies a few months later, he failed to offer even glimpsesof his class that was so evident at Eden Gardens. He ended up playing only threeTests for the country, scoring 181 runs at 60.33.

In a first-class career spanning 17 years, Shodhan made only 1821 runs at31.94, including 4 centuries, and took 73 wickets at 34.05.

Right arm offspinner Jasu Moti Patel was the next man to earn laurels forGujarat. Born in Ahmedabad on November 26, 1924, he was a handful on a mattingwicket and his fame rests chiefly on just one performance. But what aperformance it was!

He literally made the Kangaroos hop and dance at Kanpur in 1959-60 by taking14 wickets (9 for 69 and 5 for 55) and won the Test for India. The irony wasthat Patel was not in the original Test team. He was sent an SOS by LalaAmarnath, the chairman of selectors, after he studied the newly-laid Green Parkwicket and felt that only a bowler of Patel's calibre could devastate RichieBenaud's star-studded Australian team on such a pitch.

In all, Patel played 7 Tests and took 29 wickets at 21.96. In a first-classcareer, which began in 1943 and ended in 1964, he claimed 248 wickets at 21.83.Though an average batsman down the order, Patel had one first-class hundred tohis credit. He passed away in 1992.

Then came Nariman Jehangirji Contractor, who made 152 and 102 not out on hisRanji Trophy debut (equalling Arthur Morris' debut record) for Gujarat againstVadodara. Born at Godhra on April 7, 1934, he was a brilliant left-hand openingbatsman and intelligent leader of men whose flourishing international career wascut short after he was knocked unconscious by an express delivery from CharlieGriffith on India's tour of the West Indies in 1958-59.

Though he recovered, Contractor never appeared in Test cricket again. Hispremature exit from the scene paved the way for Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi tobecome the youngest Test captain in the history of cricket. But for the injury,Contractor would have played more than the 31 Tests in which he scored 1611 runsat 31.58 and hit one hundred (108).

Contractor, who later represented Railways, scored 8611 runs at 39.86 in afirst-class career that lasted 19 years.

Mercurial all rounder Rusi Framroz Surti, born in Surat on May 25, 1936, wasthe fourth Gujarat player to don the India blazer. He was a forceful batsman,shrewd medium-pacer and brilliant cover fieldsman. He, too, was a southpaw toboot.

Although he made some telling contributions with bat and ball during hischequered Test career, it was as a fielder that Surti is still remembered. Itwas quite a sight to see him patrol the cover, often picking up the ballarrogantly and hitting the wicket with an unerring throw.

As a batsman, Surti's finest hour came probably in the 1967-68 Auckland Testagainst New Zealand. He was dropped twice on 99 but was still caught one shortof the magic three-figure. It remained his highest score in a career of 26 Testswhich fetched him1263 runs at 28.70 and 42 wickets at 46.71 26 in addition to 26catches.

Living in Australia now, Surti was such a fine all rounder that thesestatistics do not portray his real genius. Surti represented Gujarat, Rajasthanand Queensland in first-class cricket and scored 8066 runs at 30-90 and took 284wickets at 37.07.

Dhiraj Devshi Parsana, the fifth Gujarat player in this list, was born atRajkot in Saurashtra on December 2, 1947. But since he had been playing forGujarat when called for national duty against the West Indies at Chennai andDelhi in 1978-79, he is included in this exclusive club of Gujarat cricketers.

An accurate left-arm seamer, capable of slipping into the role of a spinnertoo, Parsana was a handy bat down the order. He was more suited to one-daycricket but that version had not flourished when he was at the peak of hisprowess. His career ended with only 2 Tests in which he scored 1 run at 0.50 andtook 1 wicket at 50.00.

Parsana, who represented Saurashtra, Gujarat, Railways and Durham, took 320wickets at 22.26 and scored 2943 runs at 26.51, including 2 centuries. He iscurrently on the two-man Pitches and Grounds committee constituted by the BCCI.