Great batsman Sunil Gavaskar became very emotional while honoring former Indian captain Nari Contractor and his eyes became moist. This emotional moment was seen during an award ceremony organized in Mumbai. The contractor was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award (Mains) in this ceremony.
Sunil Gavaskar On giving the award to the 92 year old female contractor, he said, ‘It is a great honor for me that I am giving this award to Nari Bhai. We have learned a lot from him. Especially what courage is as an opening batsman, we learned it from Nari Bhai only.
Sunil Gavaskar also told that Nari Contractor had given him a special advice, which had a deep impact on his career. The contractor had told him that whenever you play well, write every small and big thing of that day in the diary, everything from waking up in the morning till reaching the field. According to Gavaskar, when a player goes through a bad phase, reading that diary can bring back confidence.
Sunil Gavaskar shared an anecdote from the 1959 Lord’s Test, which inspired him a lot. He told that in that match, England’s fast bowler Brian Statham’s ball had hit Nari Contractor on her chest, due to which her rib was broken. Despite this, he continued batting and scored a brilliant 81 runs.
Nari Contractor is counted among those players in the history of Indian cricket who made a mark with their courage and passion. He was born on 7 March 1934 in Godhra, Gujarat. Contractor, a left-handed opening batsman, played Test cricket for India during the period 1955-62. He played 31 Test matches for India and during this he scored 1611 runs at an average of 31.58. Contractor, a left-handed batsman, scored 1 century and 11 half-centuries in Test cricket.
When India created history under the captaincy of a contractor
Nari Contractor was one of the youngest captains of Indian cricket. He took over the captaincy of India in the 1960-61 season at the age of just 26 and led the team against Pakistan. Under his captaincy, India won 2-0 in the five-match Test series against England on their soil in 1961-62. This was India’s first Test series win against England.
During the West Indies tour in 1962, he suffered a serious injury in a tour match against Barbados. Fast bowler Charlie Griffith’s bouncer hit his head, due to which he suffered a serious head injury. This injury was so dangerous that his career almost came to a halt. However, after recovering from this life-threatening injury, he later played first-class cricket again.
The first class career of the female contractor was also very brilliant. Contractor scored 8611 runs in 138 matches at an average of 39.86, which included 22 centuries. He also captained the Gujarat team in the 1970–71 Ranji Trophy.
Ribs broken, but remained at the crease
One of Nari Contractor’s most memorable innings came against England at Lord’s Cricket Ground. In that match, she was hit by fast bowler Brian Statham’s ball and broke two ribs. Despite this, he continued batting and scored 81 runs, which is a great example of his passion and courage.
Nari Contractor currently lives in Mumbai and coaches young players in the Academy of Cricket Club of India. He was also awarded the Colonel CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 for his contribution to Indian cricket. Contractor’s story is not just about cricket, but also a story of courage, dedication and stubbornness, which earned him a special place in the history of Indian cricket.
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