SK Flashback: Remembering the life and times of Vijay Hazare on his birthday

Tryst with international cricket – Tour to England and Australia

The Indian Test team that toured England in 1946

Consistent performances at the domestic level caught the eye of the selectors and soon enough Hazare was picked to tour England in 1946 and immediately stamped his authority on the international scenario.

In his debut match, Hazare contributed 65 runs to India’s total but managed to pick only two wickets in the match, ending with a modest debut. However, the rest of the series witnessed a rejuvenated Hazare who struck decent form with the bat and managed to deliver his cunning leg-cutters with precision.

Although he did not enjoy the best of debuts, he managed to gather 1,344 runs from 33 matches at an average of 49.77 and 56 wickets at a bowling average of 24.75. The stats were not the greatest by his standards, he managed to grab a few eyeballs and was in the headlines for his magnificent skill.

After the England series, India toured Australia in 1947-48 and Vijay Hazare had donned the vice-captain's role for this series. India went into the series knowing that the matches ahead would be difficult and were given the task of defeating the ‘Invincible’ Aussies led by the prolific Don Bradman.

Hazare enjoyed a rather successful tour, collecting 429 runs from the tour and also inked his name in the records books - the first Indian to score a century in both innings of a test match when six of the eleven batsmen had failed to even get off the mark. Apart from his batting, Hazare charmed the pundits with a remarkable feat – he managed to breach the defence of the great Don Bradman twice with his medium-pace deliveries.