Naoomal Jeoomal
Encyclopedia
Naoomal Jeoomal Makhija (April 17, 1904, Karachi
- July 28, 1980, Bombay
) was India's
first opening batsman in Test cricket
.
Naoomal Jeoomal scored 33 and 25 opening India's innings in their first ever Test at Lord's in 1932. He also shared stands of 39 and 41 with his opening partner Janardan Navle
in the two innings. Naoomal was a dimunitive, defensive batsman whose strong point was the cut. He made 1,297 runs in the tour, playing in all the 26 first class matches, a decent performance considering that he had played only on matting wickets till then. Wisden
even commented on Jeoomal's fielding abilities.
When England
returned the visit in 1933-34, Jeoomal missed the first Test. He scored 2 and 43 at Calcutta
, but in Madras
, he was hit on the face by Nobby Clark
. The ball left a deep half-inch cut across the left eye. The injury ended his innings and he did not play another Test. In his first match in the Ranji Trophy
, for Sind against Western India in 1934-35, he scored 63 and 53, despite being hit by Amar Singh
and Ladha Ramji
, and took 5/78 and 3/52 in bowling. He played in the Sind Pentangular matches from 1922 till 1946, scoring 1,993 runs (average 47) with six hundreds.
His highest score in first class cricket was a 203* scored in four and a half hours for Sind against Nawanagar in 1938-39 http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/16/16861.html. The Sind total of 326 was at the time the second highest completed first class innings to include a double hundred.
He coached Pakistan in the late 1950s and became national selector from 1957. He moved to India
in 1971.
Jeoomal was the oldest Indian Test cricketer to attend the Golden Jubilee Test in 1980, which marked the fiftieth year of the founding of BCCI
. The oldest living cricketer Cota Ramaswami was absent.
Note : Jeoomal's obituaries in Wisden Almanack
and Wisden Cricket Monthly
both give his date of death as July 18.
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
- July 28, 1980, Bombay
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
) was India's
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
first opening batsman in Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
.
Naoomal Jeoomal scored 33 and 25 opening India's innings in their first ever Test at Lord's in 1932. He also shared stands of 39 and 41 with his opening partner Janardan Navle
Janardan Navle
Janardan Gyanoba Navle was an early Indian Test cricketer.-Career:...
in the two innings. Naoomal was a dimunitive, defensive batsman whose strong point was the cut. He made 1,297 runs in the tour, playing in all the 26 first class matches, a decent performance considering that he had played only on matting wickets till then. Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
even commented on Jeoomal's fielding abilities.
When England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
returned the visit in 1933-34, Jeoomal missed the first Test. He scored 2 and 43 at Calcutta
Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata , India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a Test and One Day International ground. It is the largest cricket stadium in India by seating capacity...
, but in Madras
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium
The M. A. Chidambaram Stadium is a cricket stadium in Chennai , India, named after M. A. Chidambaram, the former President of BCCI and the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. The stadium was formerly known as Madras Cricket Club Ground or Chepauk Stadium. Commonly known as Chepauk, its first match was...
, he was hit on the face by Nobby Clark
Nobby Clark
Nobby is the diminutive form of the name Norbert. It is also a nickname most commonly used in English for those with the surname Clark or Clarke.-Nobby Clark:...
. The ball left a deep half-inch cut across the left eye. The injury ended his innings and he did not play another Test. In his first match in the Ranji Trophy
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia...
, for Sind against Western India in 1934-35, he scored 63 and 53, despite being hit by Amar Singh
Amar Singh (cricketer)
Ladhabhai Nakum Amar Singh Lodha was an Indian Test cricketer.A right-arm fast-medium bowler and effective lower-order batsman, Amar Singh Lodha played in seven Tests for India before World War II. He took 28 wickets in these matches. He was the first Indian Fast bowler and All-rounder, and the...
and Ladha Ramji
Ladha Ramji
Ramji Ladha Nakum was an Indian cricketer who played in one Test in 1933....
, and took 5/78 and 3/52 in bowling. He played in the Sind Pentangular matches from 1922 till 1946, scoring 1,993 runs (average 47) with six hundreds.
His highest score in first class cricket was a 203* scored in four and a half hours for Sind against Nawanagar in 1938-39 http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/16/16861.html. The Sind total of 326 was at the time the second highest completed first class innings to include a double hundred.
He coached Pakistan in the late 1950s and became national selector from 1957. He moved to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1971.
Jeoomal was the oldest Indian Test cricketer to attend the Golden Jubilee Test in 1980, which marked the fiftieth year of the founding of BCCI
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered at Mumbai, is the national governing body for all cricket in India. It's not the apex governing body in India. The board was formed in December 1928 as BCCI replaced Calcutta Cricket Club. BCCI is a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu...
. The oldest living cricketer Cota Ramaswami was absent.
Note : Jeoomal's obituaries in Wisden Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
and Wisden Cricket Monthly
Wisden Cricket Monthly
Wisden Cricket Monthly was a cricket magazine that ran from June 1979 to September 2003.The driving force behind the creation of WCM was its first editor, David Frith, formerly an editor of its rival, The Cricketer. At first, it operated under the Wisden name using license from John Wisden & Co;...
both give his date of death as July 18.