OTD | One of India’s quickest bowlers. Ramakant “Tiny” Desai was born in 1939

Indian Cricket has seen a lot of batting superstars but it was the spinners who ruled the roost as far as bowling was concerned. It all changed when a young man from Mumbai came into the scene and blew everyone away with his pace.

Not since the day of Amar Singh and Mohammad Nissar did the Indian fast bowling have a genuine face. Ramakant Desai came into the Indian team as a 19-year-old with the ability to bowl at good speeds.

The youngster from Mumbai was tireless and didn’t stop bowling his heart out whenever the captain asked him to. By the time he ended his career, he was not even 30, but he had left a huge imprint in the game for future generations.

Ramakant Desai: an Indian bowling great

In his first game for India, Ramakant Desai made an instant impact, picking 4/169, including the wickets of John Holt, Rohan Kanhai, Gary Sobers, and Collie Smith.

It was a debut made in heaven as India found a fast bowler who could take the mantle for his side. For the next few years, Desai was at the forefront of Indian seam bowling making him the best new-ball bowler.

Ramakant Desai picked a mere 74 wickets from his 28 matches but in those days the Indian bowling was considered weak. His figures of 6/56 was one of the two Test fiers he had taken along with 8 four wicket hauls.

He wasn’t bad with the bat either as he scored 418 runs with a best of 85 which was his only fifty in Test cricket. In the domestic format, Desai played 150 matches and picked 468 wickets with a best of 7/46 which is one of the 22 fifers.

After his retirement, he became a central figure in the running of the board. His death, at the age of 58, came just a year after he stepped down as the Indian selection chief. The entire nation moaned his loss as he left a huge void behind way too early. His nickname might have been ‘Tiny’ but his heart was like a goliath and he was certainly one of his kind.