 Rustomji Sheriyar Modi, well known as Rusi Modi, was a famous Indian cricket, who played cricket with strong determination and diligence.
Rusi Modi was born on 11th November 1924 in Bombay (Mumbai). He was an Indian batsman who played for the Indian National Cricket Team from 1946 to 1952. Career of Rusi Modi The test career of Rusi Modi started at Lord's Cricket Stadium in India's first test in England in their tour of England in 1946. He made his debut in a three-day match 22-25 June 1946, which is best recognised for Sir Alec Bedser's eleven-wicket haul on debut. Rusi Modi was evidently a collector of runs. This fact became evident from his test average of 46 and a first-class average of 53, which also weighed a lot on paper when seen alongside his 20 centuries in the latter respect. He also bowled some medium-pace and even grabbed a five-wicket haul, his only one in all formats of cricket he played in. Test Career of Rusi Modi Modi started his first class career with a century on debut at the age of 17 in a Bombay Pentangular match. In Ranji Trophy between 1943 to 1944 and 1944 to 1945, he scored five hundreds in successive innings for Bombay (Mumbai Cricket team), seven in successive matches. The sequence read 168 vs Maharashtra Cricket Team, 128 v Western India Cricket Team both in 1943 to 1944, 160 vs Sind, 210 vs Western India, 245 (not out) and 31 vs Baroda Cricket Team (Vadodara), 113 vs Northern India and 98 and 151 vs Holkar all in 1944 to 1945. His aggregate of 1008 in only five Ranji matches in 1944 to 1945 was a record which stood for over forty years. He made 1375 runs in all first class matches. He shined his career at the age of 20. Apart from the two double hundreds in Ranji Trophy, Rusi Modi scored a 215 for Parsis in the 1944 to 1945 seasons. The next he hit 203 against Australian Services XI, the first double hundred for India in representative matches. Rusi Modi considered himself as the finest of all his innings. Modi represented Bombay in the Ranji Trophy, where he enjoyed success, scoring 2196 runs at an average of 81.69. National Cricket Career of Rusi Modi In the wet summer 1946, when India toured England, Rusi Modi was somewhat a expert in the domestic circuit, having made his debut five years earlier and was selected in the Indian team on the back of some impressive performances like scoring 1008 runs at an excellent average of 201 in the 1944 to 1945 Ranji Trophy season, becoming the first ever player to do so. Rusi Modi enjoyed fair success in the three-match series, scoring 137 runs from 5 innings at an average of 34.25, but was the fifth-highest run-scorer in the series, behind Vijay Merchant, Joe Hardstaff Jr, Denis Compton, and Cyril Washbrook. However, he performed better overall, scoring 1196 runs in the tour at an average of 37.37. International Cricket Career of Rusi Modi In the West Indies tour of India in 1948 to 1949, Rusi Modi performed excellently, scoring 560 in five Tests with a hundred and five fifties. He scored 112 against the West Indies in the Brabourne Stadium was his only test century, and it came in his fifth test, and in the second match of the series. Rusi Modi was consistent throughout the whole series, scoring excess of 90 thrice in a match. When made their tour of India in 1948 to 1949, Rusi Modi scored 112 in Bombay saw him forge an important partnership with Vijay Hazare. Rusi Modi played for Bombay Cricket team till 1957 to 1958 and captained the side against Maharashtra in one match in 1952/53. In ten unofficial Tests, he made 565 runs at an average of 35.31. |
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