Though batsman Polly Umrigar unflinchingly stood up to thunderbolts
flung at him, he was falsely accused of having a fear of fast bowling
Gulu Ezekiel
Extract from a book Myth-Busting: Indian Cricket Behind the Headlines by Gulu Ezekiel is reproduced with permission from Rupa Publications.
Until the advent of Sunil Manohar Gavaskar on the scene in 1971, all the main Test batting records for India were held by Pahlanji ‘Polly’ Ratanji Umrigar — most Tests (59), most runs (3,631), most centuries (12) and 35 wickets as well.
But just as Charlie Griffith lived his entire life with the stigma of being called a chucker, Umrigar due to just one series (in England in 1952) and against one bowler, "Fiery” Fred Trueman, had to bear the label......