Vijay Merchant

[The Sean]

@ Precambrian - Don't know whether India played that many during his career, the war intervened, and I think he opted out of some tours later in his career. (I seen one or two uncharitable hints that he did so out of fear of failing/protecting his rep, but not sure whether there's any substance to this or not - doesn't gel with what I have read of him elsewhere).

Indeed, India didn't play a lot of Test cricket generally in that period so his tally was never going to be high. Remember that West Indies were more established as a Test team in those days and even then George Headley played just 22 Tests in more than two decades.

I'm pretty sure SJS has written that he's seen Merchant in action live - if we ever see him on here again (and I reckon I speak for everyone when I say that I dearly hope we do) it would be interesting to get his thoughts.

 

[Matt79]

From memory he rated him pretty highly - unsurprisingly I guess.

 

[The Sean]

Yeah he definitely had Merchant as a lock in his All Time Indian XI, but I don't remember much of the detail or anecdotes.

 

[Matt79]

Very good thread about a lost talent. I wonder why he played only 10 tests in 18 years despite having such an average in FC cricket.

Actually, not sure you can say that someone who played 150 First Class innings in that period is a 'lost talent'.

Wisden's obit. says he missed the 1932 tour of England for political reasons, and tours of Australia and the Windies due to ill health. As noted, India didn't play a whole stack of tests anyway in those years, so that combined with his bad luck on these issues explains his low number of games.

I'm pretty sure thinking about it that one of the 'hints' about him picking and chosing where he wished to play related to whether he was really ill when he withdraw from the tour to Australia - as I said though, it was a passing barb that wasn't substantiated or explained in more detail, so I can't say whether it was accurate or not.

 

[Precambrian]

Actually, not sure you can say that someone who played 150 First Class innings in that period is a 'lost talent'.

Wisden's obit. says he missed the 1932 tour of England for political reasons, and tours of Australia and the Windies due to ill health. As noted, India didn't play a whole stack of tests anyway in those years, so that combined with his bad luck on these issues explains his low number of games.

I'm pretty sure thinking about it that one of the 'hints' about him picking and chosing where he wished to play related to whether he was really ill when he withdraw from the tour to Australia - as I said though, it was a passing barb that wasn't substantiated or explained in more detail, so I can't say whether it was accurate or not.

You have a point. Perhaps a lost Test talent.

 

[Richard]

Having heard at length about Rich's infamous patented FCA, I'd be interested to hear more about what the LCA entails...

If I understand Mr Chandler correctly, what he means is essentially the same thing whether F or L. Under the first-chance system as patented by me, a run-out where there was patently no fault to the dismissed counts as a not-out, as does a bad "out" decision.

Anyway, have always held Merchant in huge regard myself. An unspeakable shame that India's Test schedule in the 1930s was so inadaquete. I'm fairly confident that had they had a good 50 or so Tests in the period, as England and Australia did, he'd be recognised as unequivocally as Sutcliffe, Hammond, Ponsford and McCabe as one of the best there's ever been. Ditto George Headley.

 

[G.I.Joe]

His First Class record:

150 matches, 234 innings, 13470 runs @ 71.64, 45x100, 52x50.


Sorting out the innings played against Indian bowling attacks leaves us with this FC record against purely English and Australian sides over 18 years:

57 matches, 86 innings, 5082 runs @ 59.09, 12x100, 30x50.

Just noticed that subtracting the second set from the first gives him 33 centuries and 22 half centuries against Indian FC sides. That is an insane conversion rate of fifties to hundreds.