Vinoo Mankad-blessed bat makes it to Lord's

The Lords Cricket Ground in London now has yet another piece of vintage willow worthy of space in their famous museum at the pavilion endA Gray Nicolls Richie Benaud Autograph Specially Selected bat bearing signatures of the departed Australia captain and his 1961 Ashes squad for England was donated by Mumbaibased club cricketer Sunil Hansraj brother of actor Jugal in memory of his father Pravin Hansraj during a small ceremony at the spiritual home of cricket on TuesdayOn the other side of the bat are signatures of star West Indies players some of whom were part of Sir Frank Worrells team that figured in the incredible Tied Test against Australia at Brisbane in 1960 In fact several from the 1961 Australian squad to England featured in the Tied Test as wellRahul Mankad right and Sunil Hansraj present the bat to MCC museums Neil Robinson centreThe bat was presented to Sunils father Pravin by cricket legend Vinoo Mankad in 1962 on one of their trips to play in the Lancashire League Mankad it can be recalled was pulled out of the League to boost Indias 1952 Test squad for the Lords Test against Len Huttons Englishmen The Test came to be known as Mankads Test since the charismatic allrounder scored 72 and 184 apart from claiming five wickets in Englands first innings ndash all for a lost causeMy dad was very close to the Mankad family and Vinoobhai was someone he greatly admired and respected This is a gift he treasured and held very close to his heart In fact he was regarded as the eldest son of Vinod Mankad and was fondly called PV P for Pravin V for Vinoo in the cricketing fraternity My dear friend Zubin Bharucha suggested that I donate the bat to Lords the home of cricket in memory of my father So I spoke to Jiggabhai Rahul Mankad Vinoobhais youngest son and he most graciously offered to help said SunilPV who passed away in 2014 played nine Ranji Trophy matches for Saurashtra from 196364 to 196566 He was a fine swing bowler who once claimed four of the five Bombay wickets to fall in the second inning of their 196364 Ranji clash at the Brabourne Stadium Of course Bombay ended up winning that match by 10 wicketsOf the Lords visit Sunil 52 told midday It felt so good so apt and a bit overwhelming but Im sure my dad will be smiling proudly from up above because somewhere in a little corner at the home of cricket his name will live on for as long as cricket doesAfter hanging his bowling boots PV served club cricket by way of organising tournaments and the Mumbai cricket fraternity will remember him for his role as tournament director of the Vijay Merchant Single and Double Wicket tournament at Hindu Gymkhana and most importantly for him the Under 14 tournament conducted by the Bombay Gymkhana an event which saw the participation of Rohit Sharma and Prithvi ShawIt is a great pleasure to receive an item from the family of Mr Pravin Hansraj The item that was so closely associated with one of the most thrilling Test matches in history especially since its provenance also links it with Vinoo Mankad one of Indias greatest players The bat has been lovingly cared for by the Hansraj family and I am sure it will be enjoyed by visitors to the MCC Museum for many years to come said Neil Robinson Library and Research Manager at the museumPVs mosttreasured piece of willow has traveled far Bandra to London and finally to Lords a venue synonymous with Vinoo Mankads deeds in the 1952 Test match It is only apt that the memory of PV one of his closest friends is perpetuated here as wellThe Australian signaturesRichie Benaud captain Neil Harvey Colin McDonald Lindsay Kline Bob Simpson Wally Grout Barry Jarman Peter Burge Brian Booth Ken Mackay Bill Lawry Alan Davidson Norman ONeill Frank Mission Ian Quick Ron GauntThe West Indies signaturesSir Garfield Sobers Conrad Hunte Lance Gibbs Deryck Murray Lester King Basil Butcher Wes Hall Clive LloydAlso ReadClayton Murzello BCCI you forgot Vinoo MankadCatch up on all the latest T20 news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates