Bhausaheb Babasaheb Nimbalkar (12 December 1919 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er, best known for his score of 443

not out In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress. Occurrence At least one batter is not out at t ...

during the 1948–49 Ranji Trophy, which remains the highest score, and the only quadruple century, in Indian first-class cricket. His score remains the highest by a cricketer not to have played in

Test Cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last fo ...

. His son, Suryaji Nimbalkar, also played for both Railways and Maharashtra.

Early life

Nimbalkar was born in

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is kn ...

. He had his early education at the Model School in Kolhapur, and captained the school team at the age of 15. He made his Ranji Trophy debut in 1939 against Baroda. His older brother, Raosaheb Nimbalkar, also regularly played first-class cricket, and often appeared alongside him in matches.

Career

During the 1948–49

Ranji Trophy The Ranji Trophy (also known as Mastercard Ranji Trophy for sponsorship reasons) is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations. Board of Control for Cr ...

, playing for Maharashtra against

Kathiawar Kathiawar () is a peninsula, near the far north of India's west coast, of about bordering the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the Gulf of Khambhat (Gulf of Cambay) in the east. In the northeast, it is ...

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

, Nimbalkar made 443 not out, at the time second only to

Don Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has bee ...

's 452 not out as the record first-class innings and currently fourth-highest of all-time. He was unable to break the record because, with the total standing at 826 for 4 at the lunch interval, the opposing captain, the

Thakore Saheb of Rajkot Thakore Saheb of Rajkot is an Indian princely title, in existence since 1620. Notable people holding the title include: * Lakhajirajsinhji II Bavajirajsinhji (1885–1930), 12th Thakore Saheb, Indian nobleman and cricketer * Pradyumansinhji Lak ...

, conceded the match to prevent embarrassment on the part of his team. However, Bradman sent a personal note to Nimbalkar saying that he considered Nimbalkar's innings better than his own. Despite an impressive

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

of 56.72 in

matches, and his additional abilities as a wicket-keeper and a fast-medium bowler, Nimbalkar never played

Test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last fo ...

during a first-class career that stretched from 1939–40 to 1964–65.

Later years and death

Nimbalkar died in December 2012, aged 92.Former India first-class player Nimbalkar dies
nbsp;– ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 11 December 2012.

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nimbalkar, B. B. 1919 births 2012 deaths Baroda cricketers Holkar cricketers Indian cricketers Madhya Bharat cricketers Maharashtra cricketers People from Kolhapur Railways cricketers Rajasthan cricketers East Zone cricketers Central Zone cricketers West Zone cricketers Indian Starlets cricketers Wicket-keepers