Yeshwant Sidhaye (10 April 1932 – 24 November 2002), better known as Baba Sidhaye, was an Indian first-class

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 who played for

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

, Bombay and

Railways Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

. A deaf and mute cricketer, Sidhaye is recognized by the '' Limca Book of Records'' for his efforts. He is regarded as the "first deaf and mute cricketer to have taken the field" and one of the best fielders in India during his playing career.

Early life

Sidhaye was born on 10 April 1932 and hails from a village called Konshi near Sawantwadi in

. He was deaf and mute by birth. He later moved to Pune to play cricket.

Career

Sidhaye made his first-class debut for Maharashtra at the age of 20 and went on to appear in 51 matches. He played most of his cricket for Maharashtra and Railways, and made a few appearances for Bombay, Indian Universities and West Zone. His only first-class hundred of 135 runs came while playing for Maharashtra against Baroda at the

1956–57 Ranji Trophy The 1956–57 Ranji Trophy was the 23rd season of the Ranji Trophy. Bombay won the title defeating Services Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, th ...

during which he shared a 238-run partnership with captain

Bapu Nadkarni Rameshchandra Gangaram "Bapu" Nadkarni (4 April 1933 – 17 January 2020) was an Indian international cricketer, mainly known for being an economical bowler. The chances of scoring against him was either nil, or negligible. Nadkarni bow ...

. Although Sidhaye did not play international cricket, he appeared in first-class matches against the visiting New Zealand, West Indian, Australian and Ceylonese teams during various points of his career. Sidhaye also played for the Hindu Gymkhana in the Kanga League and, in 1972, hit a 59-minute century in a match, which was then a world record. Sidhaye also coached cricketers after his playing career. He was the coach of the

Bombay Cricket Association The Mumbai Cricket Association (formerly Bombay Cricket Association) is the governing body for cricket in Mumbai and surrounding regions such as Thane and Navi Mumbai. Its headquarter is situated at Cricket centre in Churchgate, Mumbai. It g ...

and is said to have trained over 50 first-class cricketers. He spotted

Balwinder Sandhu Balwinder Singh Sandhu (born 3 August 1956) is a former Indian Test cricketer. He represented India in eight Test matches as a medium pace bowler who could swing the ball and was a useful batsman. Career A late starter in cricket, Sandhu' ...

at a summer coaching camp and trained him, before Sandhu went on to play for India.

Playing style

Sidhaye was as a hard-hitting middle-order batsman and part-time leg spinner. He was known as an agile fielder in the covers and earned the nickname "Panther" due to his swift movement while fielding.

, who was the captain of Sidhaye at Maharashtra and Hindu Gymkhana, recalls, "He was a wonderfully gifted player. Under my captaincy, he scored three centuries, each one being a gem. And what a fielder! He and Ravi Bhadbhade in the covers were simply brilliant. Getting the ball past them was impossible. Baba enjoyed his cricket and didn't bother about anything."

Personal life

Sidhaye and his wife Pramodini Sidhaye had a son and two daughters; their son Pravin Sidhaye also played cricket. Baba Sidhaye died on 24 November 2002 after a prolonged illness. In 2011, Sidhaye was recognized by the '' Limca Book of Records'' for having "excelled in the field of cricket" despite being "differently-abled".

References

External links