Google Doodle celebrated the 78th birth anniversary of former Indian cricketer Dilip Sardesai. The legend, born on August 8, 1940, was the 'Renaissance Man' of Indian cricket. He represented India in 30 Tests between 1961 and 1972 and is best remembered for his 642 runs on the victorious tour to the West Indies. Sardesai also remains the only Goan to play Test cricket for India. He passed away in 2007, at the age of 66.
Sardesai is the only Goan to represent India in Test cricket. He was born in Margao in Portuguese- ruled Goa in 1940 and moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) as a teenager for his studies.
The Dilip Sardesai Memorial Lecture is held every year in Mumbai in his honour. The Dilip Sardesai Award is presented by the Goa Government every year to the leading sportsperson in the state. A Dilip Sardesai Award is also presented by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to the best player of any Test series between the two countries.
Sardesai made his first mark in cricket in the inter-university Rohinton Baria Trophy in 1959–60 where he made 435 runs at an average of 87. He made his first-class cricket debut for Indian Universities against the touring Pakistan team at Pune in 1960–61, scoring 87 in 194 minutes.
Sardesai's immediate success led to selection for the Board president's XI against the same team at Bangalore, where he scored 106*, and then as a standby in the final match of the Test series. He scored 202 against Madras University at about the same time, and was then selected to represent Bombay in the Ranji Trophy.
Sardesai played for Bombay in the Ranji Trophy in 13 seasons, including 10 finals, and never finished in a losing side. He scored over 1,000 first-class runs in three domestic seasons, with a career best of 1,429 runs in 1964–65, which included his highest first-class score - 222.
The legend is survived by his wife, Nandini, who is a sociologist and a member of the Indian Censor Board for motion pictures. His son Rajdeep is a prominent journalist, and his daughter, Shonali, is a senior social scientist at the World Bank in Washington DC.
