Narendra Hirwani
Encyclopedia
Narendra Deepchand Hirwani (born October 18, 1968) is a leg spin
bowler who played for India
. He is mainly remembered for his outstanding success on his Test
debut.
in his teenage where he stayed in a room near the ground and trained under the guidance of the Madhya Pradesh cricketer Sanjay Jagdale
.
Hirwani made his first class debut for Madhya Pradesh
at the age of 16 and took five wickets on his debut. He did much better in the following seasons and took 23 wickets in an under-19 three Test series against Australia.
His big break came for India U-25 against the touring West Indians in 1987–88. He failed in the first innings but took all the six wickets to fall in the second. This got him selected to the Test team.
. The wicket was underprepared. India won an important toss and made 382. Hirwani took three of the five West Indian wickets to fall on the second day. On the third morning, Hirwani clean-bowled Vivian Richards with a googly
which the batsman failed to pick, and dismissed the remaining four batsmen to finish with 8 for 61. This made him only the fourth bowler to take eight wickets in an innings on debut.
Set 416 to win in the second innings West Indies were dismissed in about 40 overs. The batsmen tried to hit out, the result of which was five stumpings for the wicket-keeper
Kiran More
. Hirwani took 8 for 75, for match figures of 16 for 136. This bettered the record of Bob Massie
who had taken 16 for 137 on his debut in 1972, and is still a record . Hirwani won the man of the series in a three nation tournament in Sharjah a few months later, capturing 10 wickets in three matches.
More success followed in the home series against New Zealand
the next year. The pitches afforded spin; Hirwani took 20 wickets in three Tests, and his partner Arshad Ayub
21. In his first four Tests he had taken 36 wickets, the most by any bowler at this stage of their career.
where the wicket helped spinners, he could do little.
Thereafter he had little success in his international career. Hirwani was too slow in the air to cause trouble, except on wickets which turned sharply. One of the few memorable performances was in the last league match of the 1991–92 World Series Cup
. India needed to beat West Indies to qualify for the final. Picked unexpectedly, Hirwani played an important part with a spell in which he had Brian Lara
stumped off a flipper and Richie Richardson
leg before wicket
on the backfoot with a leg break
. This was not sufficient to find him a place in the team for the World Cup that followed.
His next chance came in a Test against New Zealand four years later. On a rain affected match, he took 6 for 59. He toured England in 1996 and played two more Tests against South Africa at home. In 2001, he was picked in the fourteen for play Australia at home, but he never made the final eleven. After the series, he went to the press, criticising Indian captain Sourav Ganguly
for not choosing him.
Narendra Hirwani continued to be a prominent bowler in domestic cricket. He took over 400 wickets for Madhya Pradesh in Ranji trophy and retired from first-class cricket at the end of the 2005–06 season.
Leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that...
bowler who played for India
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....
. He is mainly remembered for his outstanding success on his Test
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...
debut.
Early days
Hirwani came from a well-off family in Gorakhpur. His father owned a brick factory. Hirwani moved to IndoreIndore
Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...
in his teenage where he stayed in a room near the ground and trained under the guidance of the Madhya Pradesh cricketer Sanjay Jagdale
Sanjay Jagdale
Sanjay Madansingh Jagdale is a former Indian cricketer and a former member of the Selection Committee. He is the son of former Indian national team selector Madhavsinh Madhavrao Jagdale...
.
Hirwani made his first class debut for Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
at the age of 16 and took five wickets on his debut. He did much better in the following seasons and took 23 wickets in an under-19 three Test series against Australia.
His big break came for India U-25 against the touring West Indians in 1987–88. He failed in the first innings but took all the six wickets to fall in the second. This got him selected to the Test team.
Success in Tests
Hirwani's debut was in the final Test of the series at MadrasM. 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...
. The wicket was underprepared. India won an important toss and made 382. Hirwani took three of the five West Indian wickets to fall on the second day. On the third morning, Hirwani clean-bowled Vivian Richards with a googly
Googly
In cricket, a googly is a type of delivery bowled by a right-arm leg spin bowler. It is occasionally referred to as a Bosie , an eponym in honour of its inventor Bernard Bosanquet.- Explanation :...
which the batsman failed to pick, and dismissed the remaining four batsmen to finish with 8 for 61. This made him only the fourth bowler to take eight wickets in an innings on debut.
Set 416 to win in the second innings West Indies were dismissed in about 40 overs. The batsmen tried to hit out, the result of which was five stumpings for the wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
Kiran More
Kiran More
Kiran Shankar Murat More was the wicket-keeper for the Indian cricket team from 1984 to 1993. He was the Chairman of the Selection Committee of the BCCI till Dilip Vengsarkar took over the job in 2006. He is presently working with Indian Cricket League.-Early career:More played for the India...
. Hirwani took 8 for 75, for match figures of 16 for 136. This bettered the record of Bob Massie
Bob Massie
Robert Arnold Lockyer Massie is a former Australian cricketer who played in 6 Tests and 3 ODIs from 1972 to 1973.A swing bowler, he had a relatively short international career but is remembered for a Test debut in 1972 at Lord's where he took eight wickets in each innings, with figures of 16/137...
who had taken 16 for 137 on his debut in 1972, and is still a record . Hirwani won the man of the series in a three nation tournament in Sharjah a few months later, capturing 10 wickets in three matches.
More success followed in the home series against New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
the next year. The pitches afforded spin; Hirwani took 20 wickets in three Tests, and his partner Arshad Ayub
Arshad Ayub
Arshad Ayub is a former Indian cricketer who played in 13 Tests and 32 ODIs from 1987 to 1990. As of January 2010, he became the manager for the Indian Cricket team for the ODI's and Test-series held in Bangladesh. He is also the president of HCA....
21. In his first four Tests he had taken 36 wickets, the most by any bowler at this stage of their career.
Later career
His career took a turn for the worse in the tour of West Indies in 1989–90. The batsmen deliberately attacked his bowling and even at Port of SpainQueen's Park Oval
Queen's Park Oval, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, is currently the largest capacity cricket ground in the West Indies and has hosted more Test matches than any other ground in the Caribbean. It also hosted a number of matches in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. It is privately owned by the...
where the wicket helped spinners, he could do little.
Thereafter he had little success in his international career. Hirwani was too slow in the air to cause trouble, except on wickets which turned sharply. One of the few memorable performances was in the last league match of the 1991–92 World Series Cup
World Series Cup
The World Series Cup was the name of the One Day International cricket tournament that took place in Australia every season between Australia and two touring teams from 1979-80 to 1995-96. The tournament was renamed the World Series from 1990-1. This was the very first of the One Day International ...
. India needed to beat West Indies to qualify for the final. Picked unexpectedly, Hirwani played an important part with a spell in which he had Brian Lara
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, TC, OCC, AM is a former West Indian international cricket player. Lara is generally regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time...
stumped off a flipper and Richie Richardson
Richie Richardson
Richard Benjamin Richardson is a retired West Indies cricketer and a former captain of the West Indian cricket team.Richardson was born in Five Islands Village, Antigua. He began his career with the Leewards Islands in 1982 as an opener and after his second season he was called up by the West...
leg before wicket
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
on the backfoot with a leg break
Leg break
A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of...
. This was not sufficient to find him a place in the team for the World Cup that followed.
His next chance came in a Test against New Zealand four years later. On a rain affected match, he took 6 for 59. He toured England in 1996 and played two more Tests against South Africa at home. In 2001, he was picked in the fourteen for play Australia at home, but he never made the final eleven. After the series, he went to the press, criticising Indian captain Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly is a former Indian cricketer, and captain of the Indian national team. Born into an affluent family, Ganguly was introduced into the world of cricket by his elder brother Snehasish. He is regarded as one of India's most successful captains in modern times. He started his...
for not choosing him.
Narendra Hirwani continued to be a prominent bowler in domestic cricket. He took over 400 wickets for Madhya Pradesh in Ranji trophy and retired from first-class cricket at the end of the 2005–06 season.