Chandrakant Pandit, reserve wicket-keeper to India's Kiran More, was
given the nickname 'One-armed' by the irreverent English radio
commentator Brian Johnston, one of the more excruciating of Johnners
regular puns. Pandit toured England in 1986 and forced his way into the
Test team as a batsman. At Headingley he scored 23 and 17, being
dismissed by Derek Pringle in each innings. In 1986-87 he again played
as a specialist batsman in the tied Test with Australia in Madras,
scoring 35 and 39. He fell victim to off-spinner Greg Matthews in each
innings. In the second Test in New Delhi he kept wicket as well, scoring
26 not out and stumping Dean Jones off Ravi Shastri.
He did not play
Test cricket again until India toured Australia in 1991-92, by which
time he had dropped down to number nine in the batting order. He
replaced More in the Test matches at Sydney and Adelaide, stumping Shane
Warne in the leg spinners second Test match. He was reserve
wicket-keeper during the 1987 World Cup, playing just one match against
New Zealand, when he caught Martin Crowe off the unlikely bowling of
Azharuddhin. He had started playing for Bombay in 1979-80 and visited
Sharjah with India for three tournaments, in 1985-86, 1986-87 and
1988-89. He also toured in Bangladesh in 1988-89. (Bob Harragan) |