Vijay Merchant

Vijay Madhavji Thakersey was a cricketer who played Test cricket for India between1933 to 1951. Though, he missed out some years of cricket due to World War  but made his name in the domestic circuit scoring runs at an average of 72.64.

1.     His batting average of 71.64 is the second highest first class average in history, behind only that of Don Bradman.

2.    He is regarded as the founder of the Bombay School of Batsmanship, that placed more importance on right technique, steely temperament, and conservative approach rather than free flow of the bat, a tradition broken and remoulded only after the arrival of Sachin Tendulkar.

3.    His international career included two tours of England upon which he scored over 800 runs. English cricketer CB Fry exclaimed "Let us paint him white and take him with us to Australia as an opener."

4.    . He played for Sydenham and in 1931 he set the record in Bombay inter-collegiate cricket by scoring 504 runs and taking 29 wickets.

5.    He went on to become a cricket administrator, broadcaster, writer and national selector, and charitable advocate of the handicapped.

6.    "Cricket with Vijay Merchant" was a radio programme hosted by Indian cricketer Vijay Merchant It was broadcast on Sunday afternoons, on Vividh Bharati, Anu D. Aggarwal quotes a survey, which revealed that it was one of the most listened to sponsored programmes.

7.    Merchant was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1937.