The other Parkars of Mumbai

Former Mumbai and India players Ramnath, Ghulam Parkar and wicketkeeper Zulfiqar. Pic/MID-DAY Archives

As soon as news spread about Suved Parkar's century for Mumbai on his Ranji Trophy debut in the quarter-finals against Uttarakhand at Alur, near Bangalore, cricket enthusiasts started wondering if he was related to the famous Parkars, who served Mumbai cricket in the 1970s and 1980s - Ramnath, Zulfiqar and Ghulam, incidentally a current Mumbai senior selector.

Suved is not related to them, but it's probably a good time to remember the exploits of this trio.

The late Ramnath and Ghulam played Test cricket for India in 1972-73 and 1982, respectively while Zulfiqar, who is Ghulam's younger brother, came close to an India cap.

A memorable game for Zulfiqar would have to be the 1980-81 Ranji Trophy final against Bishan Singh Bedi's Delhi, whom Mumbai beat by an innings and 46 runs at the Wankhede Stadium. Zulfiqar had eight victims behind the stumps in that final and Balvinder Singh Sandhu, who enjoyed a successful season as well, told me on Tuesday how Zulfiqar, his room partner that season, kept telling him to bowl outswingers. It later dawned on the future India bowler that Zulfiqar's insistence on outswing was because he could gobble up all those snicks, unlike inswing which trap batsmen leg before wicket or have them bowled.

Sandhu also recalled that his mate topped the list for most number of victims by a wicketkeeper in the 1980-81 Ranji Trophy season - 31 in seven games (27 caught and four stumped). At the start of the following season, he claimed 10 victims against Maharashtra.

Zulfiqar ceased to be the first choice of the Mumbai selectors when he was not taken on India's tour to the West Indies in 1982-83. The selectors felt it was better to give the promising Chandrakant Pandit a go as the regular Mumbai keeper, who could soon play for India.

Ghulam, elder to Zulfiqar by two years, made his Ranji Trophy debut in 1978-79 when stalwarts like Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Karsan Ghavri were in Pakistan.

When the Pakistanis came visiting these shores the following season, Ghulam took a hundred off them while representing West Zone at Pune.

Like brother Zulfiqar, the 1980-81 Ranji season was an important one for Ghulam. After scoring consecutive Ranji hundreds against Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Ghulam helped himself to another one in the final against Delhi.

This performance provided enough evidence that he could partner Gavaskar in the 1981-82 home series against England, but it was not to be. He was picked for the 1982 tour of England and was not considered after his failures in the opening Test at Lord's.

He played two ODIs on that trip and eight more in later years without great success. One of the highlights of Ghulam's domestic career was his 421-run opening partnership with Gavaskar against Bengal in the 1981-82 Ranji Trophy quarter-finals in Mumbai. Gavaskar carved a career-best first-class score of 340 while Ghulam got 156.

Apart from his deeds with his broad Symonds bat, he was known for his quicksilver fielding.

And now Ramnath, the first Parkar to take Mumbai cricket by storm. He made his Ranji Trophy debut against Delhi in 1970-71 when Wadekar & Co were in the West Indies and scored a crucial, match-impacting hundred against Maharashtra in the final.

"If Gavaskar grew in stature abroad, Parkar did so concurrently at home," wrote Raju Bharatan in his piece that announced Parkar as one of the four cricketers of the year in the 1972 Indian Cricket Annual. Parkar made his Test debut the same year against the touring MCC side under Tony Lewis. Scores of 4, 35, 26 and 15 were not enough for him to avail of more Test opportunities.

His strokeplay was audacious to the point that he was unafraid to employ the Rohan Kanhai-like falling sweep. When he did so in the 1974-75 Ranji Trophy final against Karnataka, Cricket Quarterly magazine decided to ‘cover' the stroke, captured by ace lensman Gopal Bhat.

Considered at one time the best cover-point fielder in the land, Ramnath's last game for Mumbai was the victorious 1980-81 Ranji final against Delhi.

Suved, 21, was not even born whenRamnath died in 1999, following a road accident. But there are more than enough people in Mumbai cricket who would fill him in on the exploits of Ramnath and the brilliance of Ghulam and Zulfiqar. Connected not by blood but certainly by cricket, Suved now looks on track to become the fourth famous Parkar of Mumbai cricket.

mid-day's group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance.
He tweets @ClaytonMurzello. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper.