In international cricket, it is common to have records and breakdowns, but there are some records that become immortal in the golden pages of history. One such record was made in the Chennai Test match in 1956, when India’s legendary openers Pankaj Roy and Veenu Mankad shared 413 runs for the first wicket against New Zealand. This partnership was the biggest opening partnership of the time in Test cricket, which lasted for 472 minutes and became an example in the cricket world.
World record remained unwavering for 52 years
This historic record of Pankaj Roy and Veenu Mankad continued for 52 years. In 2008, South African openers Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith broke it by partnering 415 runs in the Chittagong Test against Bangladesh. However, this partnership of Roy-Mankad in terms of Indian cricket is still India’s biggest partnership for the first wicket. The second place in this list for India is in the names of Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid, who added 410 runs against Pakistan in the Lahore Test in 2006.
Cricketer made of footballer
Born on 31 May 1928 in Kolkata, Pankaj Roy’s dream was to become a footballer initially. But an injury changed the direction of his life. He turned to cricket and soon impressed everyone with his talent. He scored a century as soon as he made his debut in first class cricket in 1946 and made it to the Indian team in the domestic Test series against England in 1951.
Test career fluctuations
Pankaj Roy started his Test career. He scored 387 runs in the debut series scoring two centuries. But his performance on the 1952 tour of England was very disappointing and he could score just 54 runs. In particular, he was dismissed for zero five times and became the victim of England fast bowler Fred Truman. Pankaj then returned to the West Indies tour in 1953 and scored 383 runs in four Tests. Then he scored his historic 173 runs against New Zealand in the domestic series of 1955-56 and shared a record opening opening of 413 runs with Veenu Mankad. However, his performance declined after that and he could not score a single century in his last 19 Tests. He played his final Test against Pakistan in December 1960 at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
Great figures and contribution
Pankaj Roy played a total of 43 matches in his Test career, scoring 2442 runs at an average of 32.56. He has 5 centuries and 9 half -centuries. He was dismissed for zero 14 times in Test cricket. In 1959, he also captained the Indian team in a Test match against England. He represented Bengal in domestic cricket and scored 11,868 runs in 185 first class matches at an average of 42.38, including 33 centuries and 50 half -centuries. His highest score was an unbeaten 202 runs.
Selector and honor
After retiring from cricket, Pankaj Roy became the selectors of the Indian team. He was also involved in the selection of the Indian team winning the 1983 World Cup. In the year 2000, he was appointed a Sheriff of Kolkata and the Government of India honored him with the Padma Shri.
Died in 2001
On 4 February 2001, Pankaj Roy died of a heart attack in Kolkata. His contribution is indelible in the history of Indian cricket. His son Pranab Roy and nephew Ambar Roy also represented the Indian team.
Today, on his 97th birth anniversary, the entire cricket world pays tribute to him and remembers his contribution. Pankaj Roy was not just a batsman, but an inspiration of Indian cricket.
