Madhav Mantri, also known as Madhav Krishnaji Mantri, was an
Indian cricket player who played as a right-handed opening batsman and specialist wicket-keeper. He was born on 1st September 1921 in
Nashik,
Maharashtra. He had played in four Tests since the year 1951 to 1955. In the domestic cricket he had represented
Bombay. Under his captainship, the team of Bombay bagged victory in three
Ranji Trophy finals in the years 1951-52, 1955-56 and 1955-56. He also served as the captain of Associated Cement Company and guided them to victory in the Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup Tournament in 1962-63. Madhav Mantri’s nephew is the prominent former Indian cricket player
Sunil Gavaskar.
Test Career of Madhav Mantri
Madhav Mantri made his debut in the Test cricket in India against England in 1951-52. In his first Test match he had scored 39 and made 75 runs for the first wicket along with Pankaj Roy. He toured England as a part of the Indian team in the year 1952 and played two Tests scoring 550 runs along with 39 dismissals while in 1954-55 he toured Pakistan during which he played only one Test. Madhav Mantri’s best performance as a wicket keeper was at Lord’s in 1952 when he caught three and stumped in the England first innings.
First Class Cricket Career of Madhav Mantri
Madhav Mantri’s first class cricket career extended for more than 25 years and he had scored 2787 runs in the national competition. He made his highest score of 200 for Bombay when the team won over Maharashtra in a semi-final of the Ranji Trophy in 1948-49. It was his third of three centuries in successive matches. His score was the highest of the nine centuries through which 2376 runs were scored and it is still a record in first-class cricket. In the first class cricket career Madhav Mantri had 193 dismissals out of which 137 were caught.
Death of Madhav Mantri
Madhav Mantri suffered a heart attack on 1st May 2014 following which he was hospitalized at a private clinic. Subsequently he had another heart attack and died on 23rd May 2014. Till his death he was recognized as the oldest living Indian Test cricketer
