25 Facts About Vinoo Mankad

Mulvantrai Himmatlal "Vinoo" Mankad was a former Captain of Indian cricket team and appeared in 44 Test matches for India between 1946 and 1959.

Vinoo Mankad was best known for his world record setting opening partnership of 413 runs with Pankaj Roy in 1956, a record that stood for 52 years, and for running out a batsman "backing up" at the non-striker's end.

Vinoo Mankad was born on Thursday, 12 April 1917 in Jamnagar, in the erstwhile princely state of Nawangar.

Vinoo Mankad learnt how to bowl from cricketers Albert Wensley and KS Duleepsinhji, nephew of the legendary batsman Ranjitsinhji.

Vinoo Mankad took 162 wickets at an average of 32.32, including eight five-wicket hauls.

Vinoo Mankad is one of three cricketers to have batted in every position during his Test career.

Vinoo Mankad was the first Indian to score 1000 Test runs and to take 100 test wickets.

Vinoo Mankad completed the double of 1000 Test runs and 100 Test wickets in just 23 test matches, which was a then world record and stood nearly for quarter of a century before being surpassed by Ian Botham.

Vinoo Mankad made his debut at the Lord's opening the batting for India before being bowled out for 14 by England spinner Doug Wright.

However, Wisden wrote in praise of Vinoo Mankad calling him a "valuable all-round player" alongside teammates Lala Amarnath and Vijay Hazare.

Vinoo Mankad contributed 42 with the bat and picked two wickets in a drawn cause in the final Test at the Oval.

Vinoo Mankad completed the tour with a double of a thousand runs and hundred wickets, the first tourist to achieve the feat since Learie Constantine of the West Indies in 1928.

Vinoo Mankad finished with 1,120 runs at 28.00 and 129 wickets at 20.76 apiece.

Vinoo Mankad picked four wickets in the second game against South Australia including that of Don Bradman, while making an unbeaten 116 with the bat.

Vinoo Mankad had a poor start to the Test series, and was dismissed by Australia's pacer Ray Lindwall for 0 and 7 at Brisbane, and 5 and 5 at Sydney.

Vinoo Mankad subsequently modified his back-lift of the bat from high to low for the remainder of the series after being advised by Lindwall himself and went on to score centuries at the Third and Fifth Tests in Melbourne.

In reply to Australia's 394 in the Third Test, Vinoo Mankad put on 124 runs for the first wicket with Chandu Sarwate, and reached his debut century in 139 minutes in the first innings.

Vinoo Mankad finished the tour with 889 first-class runs at 38.65 which included a total of three centuries, while claiming 61 wickets with the ball, the most for India.

Vinoo Mankad was the first player in more than 30 years to score a 100 and take five wickets in the same Test and the first Indian to achieve this feat.

Vinoo Mankad's score was a Test record for India at the time and would remain so until it was broken in 1983 by Sunil Gavaskar.

Vinoo Mankad paused during the delivery stride of his bowling run-up and broke the wicket while Brown was out of his crease backing up the striker in the accepted manner.

Vinoo Mankad had done the same thing to Brown in the game against an Australian XI earlier on the tour, but his running out of Brown infuriated the Australian media, and running someone out in this way is referred to around the world as "Mankading".

Vinoo Mankad himself had warned Brown before dismissing him in this fashion in the earlier game.

An under 19 domestic tournament in India organized by the BCCI, the Vinoo Mankad Trophy, has been named in his honour.

Vinoo Mankad was one of the ten inductees in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame ahead of the 2021 ICC World Test Championship final.