Rusi Framroze Surti ( 25 May 1936 – 13 January 2013) 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 str ...

er who played in 26 Tests from 1960 to 1969. He was a left-arm medium pace and left-arm spin bowler and a lower-order batsman. Surti was also a popular professional for

Haslingden Haslingden is a town in Rossendale, Lancashire, England. It is north of Manchester. The name means 'valley of the hazels' or 'valley growing with hazels'. At the time of the 2011 census the town (including Helmshore) had a population of 15,96 ...

in the Lancashire League in 1959. After an uneventful Test debut against

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

, Surti impressed in his second Test match with an innings of 64 at

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

. He had been promoted up the order to number 3. India toured the West Indies in 1962 and Surti made 246 runs in the series. In 1967/68 they toured Australia and New Zealand, and after various first-class fixtures and the Tests, he made 967 runs at 37.19 and took 42 wickets. In the Tests, he made 688 runs at an average of 45.50 with 22 wickets. At

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, he was dismissed for his highest Test score of 99. He was the first Indian player to score a fifty and take five wickets in the same Test match against Australia. In the Ranji Trophy, he played for

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

and

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

, with his highest score being 246 not out for Rajasthan against

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

in 1959/60. Surti later played for

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

in the

Sheffield Shield The Sheffield Shield (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Marsh Sheffield Shield) is the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Sheffield Shi ...

, Australia's domestic first-class competition. He became the first and only Indian Test player to play in the Sheffield Shield. When he retired, Surti decided to become an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

and stayed in Queensland, working as a cricket coach for another 35 years. In 2013, while on a routine trip to Mumbai, Surti had a stroke and Indian cricket's original braveheart died, aged 76.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Surti, Rusi 1936 births 2013 deaths Gujarat cricketers Indian cricketers India Test cricketers Parsi people Cricketers from Surat Queensland cricketers Rajasthan cricketers Central Zone cricketers West Zone cricketers