Dilip Doshi passed away in London due to a cardiac arrest on Monday. He was 77 and is survived by his wife Kalindi, son Nayan and daughter Vishakha. The left-arm spinner represented India in 33 Test matches and 15 ODIs between 1979 and 1983. Although he didn’t play for ?? till he was 31, his slow left-arm brought him 114 Test wkts He took 6-103 on his debut vs ?? in 1979 & 6-102 in ?󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 in 1982 He is 1 of 4 bowlers who made their Test debuts past age 30, to have taken ? wkts#HBD Dilip Doshipic.twitter.com/IW9cxWfEIX — North Stand Gang – Wankhede (@NorthStandGang) December 22, 2024 Who is Dilip Doshi? Dilip Rasiklal Doshi born on December 22, 1947, is a former Indian cricketer from Bengal, though his roots are in Gujarat. Doshi is one of only four Test bowlers who debuted after the age of thirty and went on to take over 100 wickets. The other three are Clarrie Grimmett, Saeed Ajmal, and Ryan Harris. Dilip Doshi Test Record In Test cricket, Doshi made his debut in Chennai against Australia in September 1979, already in his 30s. He immediately made an impact, taking figures of 6/103 and 2/64, making him India’s best bowler in the match. He continued to perform well throughout the series, and in the final Test match in Bombay, he was instrumental in India’s victory, taking figures of 5/43 and 3/60. One of his most memorable performances was at Eden Gardens in Calcutta, his adopted hometown, where he took 4/92 in front of a 70,000-strong crowd. After that series, Doshi secured his place in the Indian Test team. However, in the following years, he struggled to establish himself as a regular match-winner at the international level. Despite his accuracy and consistency, he lacked the aggressive edge needed to reach the top. His only significant match-winning effort after the Australian series came in Bombay against England in the 1981-82 series, where he took 5/39, helping India secure a crucial first innings lead in a low-scoring match. The emergence of Maninder Singh during the 1982-83 season ultimately brought an end to Doshi’s Test career. Doshi is widely regarded as one of the poorest batsmen in Test cricket history, with a batting average of just 4.60. He holds the record for the most Test innings in a career without ever batting above someone else in the order, with 38 innings batting at number 11. Dilip Doshi ODI Record In ODIs, Doshi made his debut during the 1980-81 tour of Australia. Against New Zealand at the Gabba, he achieved his best figures of 4/30. Despite his impressive ODI average (23.81) and economy rate (3.96), his fielding was not very agile, and his batting was limited. Consequently, he played only 15 ODIs for India, with all-rounder Ravi Shastri being preferred for the 1983 World Cup. Dilip Doshi Domestic Record In first-class cricket, Doshi continued to play, though his impact was limited. He made his first-class debut with Saurashtra, but played most of his Ranji Trophy cricket with Bengal. For Bengal, he achieved remarkable figures of 6 wickets for 6 runs against Assam in 1974. His long Ranji Trophy career shows 318 wickets at an impressive average of 18.33. Doshi also played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire in England. His overall first-class career saw him take 898 wickets at an average of 26.58. In March 1983, he led a West Bengal side on a short tour of Dhaka. In the three-day match, he led his team to an emphatic win with figures of 7/39 and 5/74. His spin proved too challenging for the Bangladeshi batsmen, as he also took 3/27 from nine overs in the 45-over match.