Eknath Solkar was the pioneer in snapping up breathtaking close catches

There is a well-known saying in cricket–Catches win Matches. One of the players who had proved that this adage was perfectly correct was India’s fielding legend, Eknath Solkar. He was an Indian version of Jonty Rhodes who entered the scene many years after Solkar. India’s most legendary catcher transformed fielding – which was considered by many to be a boring task – into a sublime form of art.

Unfortunately, Solkar died at a relatively early age of 57 due to a heart attack. Had he been alive, he would have been 77 years old today. He was born on 18th March 1948.

Although he was a good batsman and could also bowl seam or spin as required, it was as a specialist close-in fielder that he made his greatest contributions to Indian cricket. He was regarded as one of the greatest fielders in the world during his playing days. His catches-per-match ratio is one of the best in Test cricket.

Tony Greig’s opinion

Tony Greig once said that Solkar was the best fielder in the forward short-leg position he had ever seen. That was an incredible recognition for the Indian catching maestro because the great Sir Garfield Sobers also specialised in that position.

At the end of 1976, Solkar, with 52 catches in 26 Tests, was the only fielder in the history of cricket to average two catches per Test match. But in his 27th and last Test, he took only one catch, and therefore his average dropped below two per match. He finished with 53 catches in 27 Tests.

Most successful fielder

According to an article in ESPN Cricinfo, Solkar remains Test cricket’s most successful fielder with an average of 1.96 catches per match. The next-best is Aussie Captain Bob Simpson with an average of 1.77 per match. Bishan Singh Bedi, one of the greatest Indian spinners of the time said: “Solkar’s close-in catching was intimidating. We bowlers would not have been the same without him.”

His best catches

But which of his many catches was the best one? Solkar himself rates two as being his best. One was a running and tumbling catch that ended West Indies captain Clive Lloyd’s knock of 163 in a Test match in Bangalore.

The other was the catch off England’s wicketkeeper Alan Knott which Solkar took by diving full length on the ground. His hands clutched onto the ball barely a yard away from the crease. That was the turning point of the match and led to India’s historic win over England at The Oval in 1971.

Son of a groundsman

Solkar was born in Mumbai to a humble family. His father was a groundsman at the Hindu Gymkhana cricket ground and little Eknath Solkar grew up with five siblings in a one-room hut. He learned his cricket by bowling to the trainees at the ground. His talent was spotted by former Indian Test cricketer Madhav Mantri (uncle of Sunil Gavaskar), who arranged for the boy to be sent to school.

That was an important development in his life because new opportunities opened up after he began going to school. He was selected for the Indian schoolboys’ team and toured Sri Lanka in 1964. He later captained the Indian schools team against London Schools in 1965–66. The team included future stars Sunil Gavaskar and Mohinder Amarnath.

Made debut in Hyderabad

Solkar made his Test debut against New Zealand at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad in 1969. Almost immediately his talent burst forth and he acquired the tag of ‘Mr. Dependable.’ Whether he was batting, bowling, or fielding, he was sure to do something extraordinary.

Two years after making his debut, Solkar was selected to open the bowling along with Syed Abid Ali against England in 1971. In the third Test at the Oval, he snapped up three wickets for 28 runs, scored 44 runs, and took two catches, thereby playing a key role in India’s unforgettable victory.

In modern cricket, fielding has become as important as batting or bowling. Teams with exceptional fielders often have an edge, as they can not only limit runs but also help to take wickets. Teams from Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand have shown us that good fielding can make the difference between victory and defeat. About 50 years ago, it was Eknath Solkar who first demonstrated to his Indian teammates how important fielding was in the game of cricket.

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