India domestic legend, who picked up 589 first-class wickets, passes away at 84

Former Mumbai left-arm spinner Padmakar Shivalkar, regarded as one of the finest cricketers to have never played for India, passed away at the age of 84 on Monday, March 3. The former cricketer died in Mumbai and is survived by his wife, son and daughter.

In a decorated first-class career, Shivalkar played 124 matches and picked up 589 wickets at an excellent average of 19.69. He claimed as many as 42 five-fers in his first-class career to go with 13 10-wicket match hauls. Shivalkar, along with Haryana left-arm spinner Rajinder Goel, the highest wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy, is considered extremely unlucky as his career coincided with that of Bishan Bedi.

Incidentally, both Shivalkar and Goel were conferred with the Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2017.

"The BCCI mourns the unfortunate demise of Shri Padmakar Shivalkar, one of India’s finest spinners ever. In a career spanning two decades, Shri Shivalkar played 124 first-class matches, claiming an impressive 589 wickets at an outstanding average of 19.69. For his exceptional contribution to the game, he was honored with Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017," the BCCI wrote on X, while condoling the death of Shivalkar.

Shivalkar was present at the special ceremony organized by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to mark the 50th anniversary of Wankhede Stadium last month. The Mumbai legend was felicitated for his contribution to the game at the function, which marked his last public appearance.

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"He deserved the India cap far more than some others" - Sunil Gavaskar pays tribute to Padmakar Shivalkar

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has termed not being able to convince the national selectors to pick Shivalkar in the Test team as one of his regrets. According to Gavaskar, the late cricketer was far more deserving of the India cap than some of the others who got it. Speaking to Sportstar, he said:

“One of my regrets as India captain is not being able to convince the national selectors to include ‘Paddy’ in the Test team. He deserved the India cap far more than some others who got it. That's fate.

“This is very sad news indeed. Within a short time Mumbai cricket has lost two of its stalwarts Milind (Rege) and now Padmakar, who were the architect of many a victory,” the 75-year-old went on to add.

Apart from his heroics in first-class cricket, Shivalkar also featured in 12 List A matches and claimed 16 wickets at an average of 30.93 and an economy rate of 3.32, with a best of 3-35.