Sportskeeda's Top 50 Indian Test cricketers of all-time (30-21)

#23 Vijay Hazare

Vijay Hazare played a key role in defining India's rich batting legacy

If Fazal Mahmood paved the way for Pakistan's enviable culture of pace bowling, India's illustrious legacy of producing world-class batsmen began with Vijay Samuel Hazare. During an ignominious mismatch of epic proportions between Sir Don Bradman's invincible Australian team and an inexperienced Indian outfit in Adelaide during the 1947/48 series, Hazare salvaged his country's dignity by scoring a century in each innings.

Having risen through the ranks with an unorthodox batting technique, Hazare was spurred on by the iconic Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett who also served as coach during his formative years. When Trueman made a mockery of India's batting lineup with a sensational new-ball spell, he led from the front and offered steadfast resistance in the face of menacing pace bowling. Although his skills with the ball in hand were quite modest, Hazare can lay claim to something only very few bowlers could manage - clean bowl Bradman not once but twice in the same series.

Career Span: 1946-1953

Statistics: 2192 runs from 30 matches at an average of 47.65 with 7 centuries and 9 fifties