[Picture] KBC poses difficult cricket-related question on former Indian captains
One of the most renowned TV quiz shows, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), recently put forth a strenuous question related to cricket to one of its contestants.
The contestant was given the unenviable task of deep-diving memory lane as the answer dated back over 70 years. He was asked to name a former Indian captain who scored twin centuries in their first-class debut.
Host Amitabh Bachchan asked:
"Whcih former Indian cricket captain was the second person to score two centuries on their first-class debut?"
The options for the multiple-choice questions were Pankaj Roy, Vinoo Mankad, Nari Contractor, and Polly Umrigar.
The correct answer was Nari Contractor, who scored 152 and 102* for Gujarat against Baroda in 1952-53.
The first cricketer to achieve this incredible feat was former Australian opener Arthur Morris, who scored 148 and 111 for New South Wales against Queensland in 1940-41. Former Pakistan batter Aamer Malik also replicated the other two by scoring 132* and 110 on first-class debut for Lahore A against Railways in 1979-80.
A look at the four former Indian cricketers
All four former players did their bit in taking Indian cricket forward before it eventually became the powerhouse of the sport.
Pankaj Roy and Vinoo Mankad are famous for their world-record opening partnership of 413 against New Zealand in Chennai in 1956. The record stood for over 50 years before Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith broke it with an opening partnership of 415 against Bangladesh in 2008.
Pankaj was a former Indian captain who played 43 Tests and scored 2,442 runs at an average of 32.56, with five centuries and nine half-centuries. The right-handed batter also piled up close to 12,000 runs in his first-class career at a 42/38 average with an incredible 33 centuries.
Meanwhile, Mankad, who is sadly remembered more for running out a batter at the non-striker's end, was a great batter in his own right. The batting all-rounder played 44 Tests for India, scoring 2,109 runs and picking up 162 wickets.
The former national captain was one of the nation's first great all-rounders, as he scored five centuries and picked up eight five-wicket hauls in his Test career.
Nari Contractor was a left-handed batter who rose to fame in the 1950s, like Pankaj Roy and Vinoo Mankad, playing 31 Tests for India. He scored over 1,600 runs at an average of 31.58 with a century and 11 half-centuries.
Finally, Polly Umrigar, undeniably the best batter of the lot, made his debut in 1948. He captained India in eight Tests and was the most capped Indian player with the most runs and centuries among Indian cricketers when he retired in 1962.
The right-hander scored 3,631 runs at an impressive average of 42.22 with 12 centuries and picked up 35 wickets with two five-wicket hauls.