Mohinder Amarnath

Mohinder Amarnath is a former Indian cricketer, born on 24th September 1950 in Patiala, Punjab. Amarnath was an all-rounder during his playing days. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium pace bowler.

Amarnath was a part of the Indian side which won the 1983 Prudential World Cup and was also named as the man of the match on the final.

Background

Amarnath was born in a family with a sporting background. His father, Lala Amarnath was the first captain of India post-independence. His brother Surinder Amarnath was a former Test cricketer and Rajinder Amarnath was a former first-class cricketer.

Mohinder started his career as a medium pace bowler who could bat lower down the order but finished his career as one of the best batsmen produced by the country.

Debut

Amarnath made his Test debut for India in 1969 against Australia at Chennai. It turned out to be a disappointing one as he took only two wickets and did not score many runs.

He played his next match for India six years later. It was his ODI debut against England at Lord’s and also happened to be the opening match of the 1975 Prudential World Cup. Amarnath took a couple of wickets in his spell and did not get a chance to bat.

Rise to Glory

Mohinder Amarnath was largely in and out of the side during the 1970s. His defining moment came in the 1982-83 season when he played 11 away Test matches in Pakistan and West Indies and scored 1182 runs. It included five centuries.

Mohinder finished off the season with a stellar role in India’s 1983 Prudential World Cup win. His all-round performances saw him win the man of the match award in both the semi-final and the final.

In the semi-final against England, he took the wickets of David Gower and Mike Gatting to help restrict the opposition to 213. With the bat in hand, Amarnath scored 46 as India won by six wickets.

Amarnath broke the important 43-run partnership between Jeffrey Dujon and Malcolm Marshall and eventually dismissed both of them. He also scalped the final wicket of Michael Holding as India became World champions for the first time.

In 1986, Amarnath had a good Benson and Hedges World Series tournament with knocks of 61, 58* and 74 against New Zealand, Australia and New Zealand respectively.

Amarnath finished his career having 11 Test centuries out of which nine were scored in overseas conditions.

Low Points

After having an inspired 1982-83 season, Amarnath had a very disappointing home season against West Indies the following season. He scored a single run in six innings against the men from the Caribbean islands.

Mohinder never had a consistent place in the Indian test side except the 1982-83 season.

Club Career

Amarnath represented Baroda, Delhi and Punjab in Indian domestic cricket during his playing days. He also played for Durham and Wiltshire in the English County Championship.

Records

Mohinder Amarnath is the only Indian to be dismissed handling the ball. He was also the first batsman to be dismissed in such a manner in ODI cricket.

Mohinder is also the only cricketer to be dismissed both handling the ball and obstructing the field in his career.

Retirement

Mohinder Amarnath played his last Test match for India in 1988 against West Indies in Chennai. He played his last ODI for India against the same opposition at Mumbai next year. He scored 15 runs.

Post-retirement, Amarnath guided the Bangladesh cricket team during the 1990s. He was removed after Bangladesh failed to qualify for the 1996 ICC Cricket World Cup. He then had a coaching stint with the Rajasthan cricket team as well as the national team of Morocco. In 2008, he was named as the consultant for the Bengal team when they were relegated to the plate division of the Ranji Trophy.

Sources:

http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/player/26225.html

http://www.cricbuzz.com/profiles/3827/mohinder-amarnath#profile

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/26225.html?class=2;template=results;type=allround;view=innings