In modern day cricket, bowlers face the immense challenge of not just taking wickets but also containing runs as batters look to score boundaries off almost every delivery. The evolving nature of the sport has made bowling increasingly difficult, but there was a time in cricket history when bowlers completely dominated the contest.
The Historic Spell by Bapu Nadkarni
Indian bowler Bapu Nadkarni holds a record that is considered virtually impossible to break in contemporary cricket. He bowled an astonishing 21 consecutive maiden overs in a single Test match. This memorable encounter took place in 1964 during a series between India and England. In that match, Nadkarni delivered a total of 33 overs, out of which 27 were maidens, with 21 coming consecutively back-to-back. Throughout this remarkable spell, he conceded a mere 5 runs. Despite this exceptional display of disciplined bowling, he did not manage to pick up a single wicket.
A Left Arm Spin Maestro
Bapu Nadkarni was a fine left arm spin bowler for India. Born in 1933 in Nashik, Maharashtra, he played domestic cricket for both Maharashtra and Mumbai. He made his debut for the Indian national team in 1955 against New Zealand. Apart from his accurate spin bowling, Nadkarni was widely known for his solid batting abilities.
International and Domestic Career Statistics
Representing Team India, Nadkarni appeared in 41 Test matches during his career. In these games, he claimed a total of 88 wickets with the ball. His best bowling performance in an innings was taking 6 wickets for 43 runs. In Test cricket, he took five-wicket hauls on four occasions and managed a 10-wicket match haul once. As a batter, he scored 1414 runs, which included 7 half-centuries and 1 century. Furthermore, in first-class cricket, Nadkarni took 500 wickets alongside scoring 8880 runs, notching up 14 centuries and 46 half-centuries.
