Arzan Nagwaswalla is one of the few Parsi cricketers who have been included in the Indian cricket team as the BCCI announced the squad for the ICC World Test Championship and England Tests.
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When the BCCI announced the squad for the ICC World Test Championship final, one name stood out. He was not in the 20-man squad but was one of the four standby players in the team. His name is Arzan Nagwaswalla, the 23-year-old from Surat who plays for the Gujarat Ranji team. Nagwaswalla gained prominence in the 2018/19 season when he picked 37 wickets in the season, which included 5/78 against Mumbai at the Wankhede stadium.
His inclusion, albeit as a standby bowler for the Indian cricket team, is a welcome slice of history. For 28 years, there has been no Parsi representation in Indian cricket. For the men’s team, there has been no Parsi player for the last 40 years or so. With Nagwaswalla’s inclusion in the India side, here is a look at other prominent Parsi cricketers who have featured for India.
Parsi cricketers had travelled to England 130 years ago as part of an invitational tour by the Maryleborne Cricket Club (MCC). In the coming years, even after India’s Independence, there would be some magnificent cricketers from the Parsi community who would do India proud.
The Parsi community had dominated Bombay cricket in the early decades of the 20th century and it was from there that Polly Umrigar emerged. In 59 Tests, Umrigar scored 3422 runs at an average of 42. In First-Class cricket, he averaged 52 and he is the first Indian to score a double century in Tests.
Nari Contractor would be one of the gutsiest cricketers from the Parsi community to represent India with distinction. In 1959, at Lord’s, he sustained two broken ribs after getting hit by a short ball from Brian Statham. However, in the 1961 tour of West Indies, he was hit on the back of the skull by a Charlie Griffith short ball. Two surgeries were performed to remove the clot. Requiring blood transfusion for the purpose, the West Indies captain Frank Worrell donated blood, alongside Contractor’s teammates Chandu Borde, Bapu Nadkarni and Polly Umrigar. Contractor’s life was saved but his international career was abruptly ended as a result.
Parsi cricketers continued to shine. Rusi Surti was a dependable all-rounder, who was nicknamed the ‘Poor Man’s Garfield Sobers’. However, Surti is the only Indian cricketer in history to have played in the Australia Sheffield Shield. He played for Queensland and later on would settle down in Australia.
In the 70s, Indian cricket was served brilliantly by Farokh Engineer who became one of the best keepers from India. For 14 years, Engineer was the No.1 wicketkeeper by choice as he played 46 Tests to score 2611 runs. For many years, Engineer’s record stood as one of the yardsticks for Indian keepers.
In women’s cricket, Diana Edulji revolutionized the way the game would be played in the country. Edulji’s contributions as captain, player at a time when women’s cricket was struggling for recognition in India was truly remarkable. After her last game in 1993, there has been no Parsi representation. Now, in 2021, the Parsi presence has come up again.
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