Mumbai was always a well-known place to grow cricketers. Since that the Indian Cricket team first began playing at the international level, there has been many players from Mumbai that have played for the nation.
The city has a variety of open spaces to let kids play their favorite sport. There are also a variety of gymkhanas and academies for cricket for the development of budding cricketers. Mumbai is also known for its narrow lanes that wind between the dense buildings. Due to the narrow streets numerous Mumbai cricketers have become the top straight-lined players in the game.
So, of the numerous cricketers, let’s take a take a look at the 10 most successful to have played for the nation.
#10 Ajinkya Rahane
The Indian Vice captain of the Test team is among the most technically proficient batsmen in the Indian batsmen. In fact the captain Virat Kohli even considered him as well as Pujara as one of the best team test batsmen. Rahane made his debut in the first class in the 2007-08 season, and he recorded an astonishing 62.04 over 100 innings.
He was a key player in Mumbai winning it’s 38th Ranji title in 2008-09. Following consistent performances in the domestic circuits, he was selected for the national team. Since that time, Rahane has consistently repaid the trust that the selectors have demonstrated in him.
After losing in his debut game after a shaky start, he put in some impressive performances during Indian tour in South Africa in 2013-14. Being up against players like Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander on South African pitches is no joke for any batsman. However, Rahane performed pretty well during this match. He scored centuries in the tough environments that are typical of England and Australia in the 2014-15 tours.
Rahane has run more than 2500 times in both ODIs and tests. He also has a remarkable score of 48.14 in whites. Rahane has scored higher
#9 Rohit Sharma
The hitman, or the hitman as he’s called, is among the most talented cricketers in the world. He’s elegant and makes the batting look simple. He is simply awe-inspiring.
Rohit Sharma played the List A debut for West Zone against Central Zone in the Deodhar Trophy in the month of March 2005. He scored an unbeaten score of 142 balls against North Zone in the same event that was the foundation for his future.
Sharma was a debut international player at the early age of just 20. He quickly rose through the ranks.
He is the only batsman who has at least two centuries double in the ODI format. The MI captain holds the record for the highest single ODI scoring 264. He’s even among the top 5 runs scorers in the IPL.This skilled batsman is a player that India’s Indian team’s future depends heavily on.
Rohit Sharma recorded 1184 runs in his 20 tests with an average 37. in ODIs he scored 5435 runs over 152 innings with an average 42.5.
The right hander also has an amazing striking rate, which is 130 for T20Is.
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#8 Ajit Agarkar
Ajit Agarkar is a great right arm pacer who was able to hit the ball with a reasonable speed. Agarkar is the third highest wicket-taker in ODIs, and played a number of match-winning contributions. Agarkar was able to play some impressive knocks with bats as well. Indeed, Agarkar has one hundred test runs to his name.
In cricket at home In the domestic cricket, he became Mumbai’s most powerful bowling weapons. One of his best performances in domestic cricket was during the 2009-2010 Ranji trophy championship finals against Karnataka where he took 5 wickets in the 2nd innings, leading to that Mumbai won narrowly Mumbai. He was also captain of Mumbai to winning the Ranji trophy in 2013.
When he played for the international team was the only player to hold the record of being the fastest player to win fifty wickets for ODIs. The record, which stood for many years, was shattered by Ajantha Mendis from Sri Lanka. He played 26 Tests as well as 191 one-day internationals with India taking 288 and 58 wickets in each format, respectively.
#7 : Polly Umrigar
Polly Umrigar is another famous cricketer from Mumbai. A middle-order batsman in the profession Umrigar was also a bowler of occasional medium pacers. He was even captain of the Indian team for 8 test games.
Umrigar was a player for Bombay in the first 243 games of the class. He scored more than 16,155 runs in his initial class career, with an astonishing rate of 52.28. The runs were comprised of up to 49 centuries and more than 80 half centuries. His impressive performances in numerous informal tournaments led him to recognition at the national level.
Umrigar was a renowned batsman in his time with 12 centuries scored during Test games. He was a well-built batsman, who was particularly robust on the wicket. Umrigar also scored his first double century for the Indian during a Test match against New Zealand in Hyderabad.
He played for India during 59 of the Test matches, and finished with 3631 runs with an average 42.22.
#6 Ajit Wadekar
Wadekar was among the most talented batsmen who played for India in the 1960s and the 1970s. He was a top-of-the-line batsman as well as a superb slip fielder.
Ajit Wadekar was a part of his class debut in the year 1958. The left-handed batsman played 237 first class games and scored 15,380 at an impressive rate of 47. In addition, there are 46 First Class centuries name.
Wadekar played a key role in leading his Indian team to their famous series victories over England as well as West Indies. In recognition of his leadership, the Government of India honoured him with the Arjuna Award (1967) as well as the Padma Shri (1972), India’s fourth highest civilian honor. Famous players like Sunil Gavaskar, Farokh Engineer, Bishen Sigh Bedi, etc ., flourished under his captaincy.
Wadekar was a player for India during 37 matches of the Test series. He also had his career with more than 2000 runs.
#5 Dilip Vengsarkar
Dilip Vengsarkar is considered to be one of the best batsmen who came from Mumbai. He together alongside Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Viswanath were the core of the batting team that comprised the Indian team during the 70s and into the 80s. Actually, the trio was named the world’s top batsman. This was a title that continued to hold for 21 consecutive months.
Vengsarkar played for Bombay during 260 of the First Class games. The Bombay player scored 178,868 runs, which comprised 55 centuries.
He scored up to 300 runs at Lord’s and was the only batsman from outside to achieve this feat. In a time where helmets were not worn by batsmen, Vengsarkar scored numerous runs in the face of the relentless Windies the pace assault. Vengsarkar was given an Arjuna prize in 1981, and the Padma Shri in 1987.
He played in 116 Test matches and scored the score of 6868 at 42.13. He also played for India at 129ODI matches, and recorded 3508 runs with the rate of 33.
After retiring, Vengsarkar entered Cricket administration and held various positions.
#4 Vijay Merchant
Vijay Merchant is a widely well-known name in cricketing circles. In his few international matches, he established an impression on the world.
His first-class score of 71.64 is second highest in the history of cricket just behind Sir Don Bradman. He played 150 first-class matches with his Bombay cricket team, scoring 13470 runs with 45 centuries.
Merchant’s batting was noted for his sound technique, his aggressive temperament and a cautious approach. All players around the world were impressed by his ability to bat. Indeed, English cricketer CB Fry declared: “Let us paint him white and bring him in our team to Australia to play as opening bat.”
In his 10 appearances for India He scored 859 runs with a respectable standard of 47.72.
To pay tribute to Vijay Merchant, there’s even an entire stand at the Wankhede stadium that’s named in honor of Vijay Merchant.
3 Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri is certainly one of India’s top all-rounders. The present Indian coach began with a left hand spin bowler, but later he transformed into an all-round batting player.
At the age of 17 and 292 days old, he became the eldest cricketer to be a part of Mumbai. Shastri established a new record in Bombay in a match against Baroda in the West Zone Ranji match. His first hundred came in just 72 minutes and 80 balls, which been played with nine sixes, four fours as well.
The second was completed in just 42 minutes, and 44 balls. The 200 balls of 123 became the fastest 200-ball double in the first class history. He beat records by 7 mins, and also included 13 fours and 13 sixes.
He was a key player in the matches-winning contributions to his 1983 World Cup. He was also the Mumbaikar was also voted the Champion of Champions in World Championship of Cricket in Australia in 1985. Shastri is credited with becoming the only Indian batsman to hit six sixes within an over.
Apart from his cricketing exploits He is also famous for his fiery commentary.
Shastry played in the 80 Tests as well as 150 ODIs in India. He scored more than 6,500 and collected 280 wickets during both Tests and ODIs together.
#2 Sunil Gavaskar
One of the first players in cricket to rack up 10,000 test runs. Sunil Gavaskar was India’s best batsman prior to the rise of Sachin Tendulkar.
Gavaskar was a player for Bombay during Bombay in 348 First Class matches and scored an astounding amount of runs. Gavaskar scored 25834 runs, at the rate of 51.46 that included of 81 centuries.He was named India’s top schoolboy cricketer of the year in the year 1966. His consistently good performance for Bombay resulted in him receiving the opportunity to be a part of the national squad.
Technically , a highly skilled batsman Gavaskar was able to answer to any challenge posed by any bowler, in any condition. He scored up to 34 Test centuries throughout his playing career, an unbroken record for a long time after the end of his career (it had been broken in the course of Sachin Tendulkar). The batting legend is among India’s top, but not the only opening batsman, and is currently giving his opinions on the game as a cricket commentator.
Suni Gavaskar played 125 Test matches and 108 ODIs in India. His total was 10122 during Test matches, with the rate of 51.12.
#1 Sachin Tendulkar
It’s impossible to guess which player the first on this list is. This name requires no introduction. It’s the God of Cricket- Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. He is the most prolific player to score runs ever recorded in cricket. He is the only player to have played in 200 Test matches and have scored 100 centuries.
Born and raised and raised in Mumbai, Sachin went on to become the most renowned batsman the game has ever witnessed. Sachin played 310 first-class matches for Mumbai and scored 25,396 of them that included 81 century.
On the 11th December of 1988, at just 15 years old and 232 daysold, Tendulkar was the first player to make his debut at Bombay with a score of 100-not-out in the match, which made him one of the youngest Indian to make a century in his debut in cricket for first-class players. He was selected with the Bombay team former Bombay Captain Dilip Vengsarkar, after seeing him effortlessly negotiating India’s most formidable fast bowler of the day, Kapil Dev, in the Wankhede Stadium nets, where the Indian team was set to play the visiting New Zealand team.
It could be Shane Warne, or Shoaib Akhtar, Muralitharan or Brett Lee. The master blaster has smashed bowlers across the world , and caused them to have nightmares. He carried the dreams of a nation for two decades.