Vithal Palwankar (1884 or 1886 – 26 November 1971) was an Indian

cricketer 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 ...

and a captain of the Hindus team. Vithal led the team to victories over the Mohammedan and European teams, where his captaincy and personal performance were praised. His four-year tenure (1923 to 1926) as captain was filled with similar successes and culminated with the Hindus winning the Quadrangular trophy. He was the younger brother of the Indian

spin bowler Spin bowling is a bowling technique in cricket, in which the ball is delivered slowly but with the potential to deviate sharply after bouncing. The bowler is referred to as a spinner. Purpose The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ...

and social reformer

Palwankar Baloo Palwankar Baloo was an Indian cricketer and political activist. In 1896, he was selected by Parmanandas Jivandas Hindu Gymkhana and played in the Bombay Quadrangular tournaments. He was employed by the Bombay Berar and Central Indian Railways, a ...

; his other brothers

Palwankar Shivram Babaji Palwankar Shivram (6 March 1878 – 28 December 1941) was an Indian cricketer who was one of the most successful players for the Hindus cricket team in the Bombay Quadrangular competition. Early years Babaji Palwankar Shivram was born ...

and Palwankar Ganpat were also cricketers.

Early years

Vithal was introduced to cricket by his elder brother Palwankar Baloo, who later sent him to attend the

Elphinstone College Elphinstone College is one of the constituent colleges of Dr. Homi Bhabha State University, a state cluster university. Established in 1823, it is one of the oldest colleges in Mumbai. It played a major role in shaping and developing the ed ...

High School in

Mumbai 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- ...

(then Bombay), where he began playing cricket seriously. He is credited with being the first

Chamar Chamar is a Dalit community classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of affirmative action. Historically subject to untouchability, they were traditionally outside the Hindu ritual ranking system of castes known as varna. ...

caste

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

s cricket team in the

Bombay Quadrangular The Bombay Quadrangular was an influential cricket tournament held in Bombay, British India between 1892–93 and 1945–46. At other times it was known variously as the Presidency Match, Bombay Triangular, and the Bombay Pentangular. Presidency ...

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 ...

competition.

Prominence as a cricketer

In the following years, Vithal rose in the ranks of Indian cricketers as a stylish and skilled

batsman In cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the ball with a bat to score runs and prevent the loss of one's wicket. Any player who is currently batting is, since September 2021, officially referred to as a batter (historically, the ...

, even as his elder brother Baloo enjoyed legendary status as a successful spin bowler. Despite the controversy over Baloo being passed over for the captaincy of the Hindu team, which was attributed by many to politics and caste discrimination, Vithal's career continued to progress. With his elder brothers ageing and approaching retirement, Vithal emerged as the future of the Palwankar family in cricket as well as one of the best talents in Indian cricket. In 1920, he and several other players protested the appointment of a

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

D. B. Deodhar Dinkar Balwant Deodhar (14 January 1892 – 24 August 1993) was an Indian cricketer. He played first-class cricket from 1911 to 1948. Cricket career Deodhar was born in Poona (now Pune), British India. He was a professor of Sanskrit at Pune ...

, as captain following the illness of the incumbent, M. D. Pai; with Baloo being dropped, most considered Shivram and Vithal to be the most senior players and leading candidates for the job. Critics attributed Deodhar's appointment to caste discrimination, and both Palwankar brothers, along with other rank-and-file cricketers withdrew from the team after publishing a letter making their protest public and criticising the selection committee for the "unsportsmanlike" decision. Supporters, rallied by the ongoing campaign against untouchability led by

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

and other political leaders, raised money for the Palwankar brothers and petitioned for their inclusion in the team. When the recovered Pai returned to captaincy, both brothers were reinstated and Baloo selected to join the team as well. The brothers protested again when they were by-passed for the captaincy for the 1922 competition that was held in

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 ...

.Dilip K. Menon, ''Cultural History of Modern India'', chapter 1 Ramachandra Guha: ''The Heroic Struggles of the Palwankar Brothers''. pgs 1-32. 2007, Bergahn Books.

Captaincy

With the campaign against caste discrimination gaining nationwide support, the selection committee for the 1923 Quadrangular made history by appointing Vithal as the captain of the Hindus team, making him the first lower-caste Hindu to lead the team. Vithal led the team to thrilling victories over the

Mohammedan ''Mohammedan'' (also spelled ''Muhammadan'', ''Mahommedan'', ''Mahomedan'' or ''Mahometan'') is a term for a follower of Muhammad, the Islamic prophet. It is used as both a noun and an adjective, meaning belonging or relating to, either Muham ...

and European teams, where his captaincy and personal performance were praised. His four-year tenure (1923 to 1926) as captain was filled with similar successes and culminated with the Hindus winning the Quadrangular trophy. Being dropped in favour of younger players in 1929, Vithal continued playing for clubs before retiring from first-class cricket in 1932; his nephew Y. B. Palwankar also played first-class cricket.Cricket Archive
/ref> He left the Hindus two years before the formation of the first

Indian national cricket team The India men's national cricket team, also known as Team India or the Men in Blue, represents India in men's international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is a Full Member of the International ...

. After his retirement he continued with his job at the Greater Indian Peninsular Railway, which he had joined after leaving school, while his eldest brother, Palwankar Baloo rose in Indian politics. Vithal died in Bombay on 26 November 1971.

Vijay Merchant's views

Ramchandra Guha Ramachandra "Ram" Guha (born 29 April 1958) is an Indian historian, environmentalist, writer and public intellectual whose research interests include social, political, contemporary, environmental and cricket history, and the field of economics ...

writes that

Vijay Merchant Vijay Singh Madhavji Merchant , real name Vijay Madhav Thackersey (12 October 1911 – 27 October 1987) was an Indian cricketer. A right-hand batter and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler, Merchant played first-class cricket for Bombay c ...

, as a young boy, considered Vithal as his "hero and role model". He quotes Merchant writing: On his death Merchant wrote to the Palwankar's son; "Very few of his generation , with the handicap that he suffered from (so called "low-caste"), would have risen to such heights but for great determination and outstanding talent."

References

External links