Ramesh Saxena

Ramesh Chand Saxena pronunciationⓘ (20 September 1944 – 16 August 2011)[1] was an Indian cricketer who played in one Test match in 1967. He was a great batsman in the Bihar Ranji Team and was a mentor to many upcoming cricketers from Bihar and Jharkhand.

Ramesh Saxena
Personal information
Full name
Ramesh Chand Saxena
Born(1944-09-20)20 September 1944
Delhi, British India
Died16 August 2011(2011-08-16) (aged 66)
Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India
BattingRight-handed
BowlingLegbreak
International information
National side
Only Test (cap 115)8 June 1967 v England
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 1 149
Runs scored 25 8,155
Batting average 12.50 40.37
100s/50s 0/0 17/42
Top score 16 202*
Balls bowled 12 1,716
Wickets 0 33
Bowling average – 28.27
5 wickets in innings – 0
10 wickets in match – 0
Best bowling – 4/24
Catches/stumpings 0/– 65/–
Source: CricInfo, 20 November 2022

Life and career

Saxena made his first-class debut for Delhi vs Southern Punjab as a 16-year-old in the 1960/61 season, hitting an unbeaten 113 in his first first-class innings.[2] He played for Delhi until 1965–66, then moved to Bihar, playing for them from 1966–67 to 1981–82. He also played for North Zone and East Zone in the Duleep Trophy.[3] His highest score was 202 not out for Bihar against Assam in 1969–70.[4] He had the reputation of one of the best players of spin bowling in India.[5]

Saxena made his Test debut for India in a match against England in Leeds in 1967. England batted first and declared on 550/4, with Geoffrey Boycott scoring an unbeaten 246 and Saxena bowling 2 wicketless overs. He then opened with Farokh Engineer in India's innings, but was out for just 9 as India were bowled out for 164 and forced to follow on. India put in an improved performance in the second innings, posting 510, but Saxena, batting at 7, only contributed 16. England then knocked off the required runs to seal a 6 wicket victory.[6] He toured Australia and New Zealand with the Indian team later that year but did not play in any of the eight Test matches.[7] He captained Bihar for five seasons and also captained East Zone several times in the Duleep Trophy.

He served as a Test selector in the 1980s.[8] He died in hospital after suffering a stroke and consequent illnesses. He left a wife and two sons.[5]

References
  1. "Former India batsman Ramesh Saxena dies" Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  2. "Delhi v Southern Punjab 1960-61". Cricinfo. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  3. "Ramesh Saxena". CricketArchive. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  4. "Bihar v Assam 1969-70". CricketArchive. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  5. Murzello, Clayton (21 September 2011). "Remembering Ramesh Saxena". mid-day.com. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  6. "1st Test, India tour of England at Leeds, Jun 8-13 1967". Cricinfo. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  7. T. L. Goodman, "India in Australasia, 1967-68", Wisden 1969, pp. 836–58.
  8. Wisden, 2012, p. 220.


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