India's inswing ace bowler Sharad Rao passes away
Sharad Rao. Pic/mid-day archives
At the peak of his cricketing career, Mumbai Ranji Trophy pacer Sharad Rao's monsoon Sundays were well spent at the Karnatak Sporting Association ground in Cross Maidan where he displayed his pace bowling wares for his beloved club in a passionate and gentlemanly manner.
This year, the old faithfuls of Mumbai cricket will have only memories to hold on to since Rao, 60, passed away after a cardiac arrest on Friday.
Ravi Shastri played in the same Karnatak side as Rao in the 1970s and 1980s. "Sharad was a damn good inswing bowler with good pace, a lovely guy," the Team India head coach told mid-day from Colombo.
Balvinder Singh Sandhu, the 1983 World Cupper, grew up playing tennis ball cricket with Rao. They figured in the same Bombay University side, but Sandhu played as an off-spinner. He became a swing bowler being in the company of pace bowlers like Rao. "I have lost a dear friend whom I've known since I was 12. When we got into the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team in 1980-81, we used to say to each other that there shouldn't come a time when we replace each other in the playing XI. Such was our bonding," said a tearful Sandhu. Rao also played Ranji Trophy cricket for the state of Karnataka.
Sharad Rao
It was Rao whom Sachin Tendulkar first faced in his Kanga League 'A' division debut for CCI against Karnatak SA at Cross Maidan on August 28, 1988. Tendulkar, then only 15, opened his account with a cracking first-ball six. According to CCI captain Hemant Kenkre, Tendulkar walked in when they were two down for little. He played a neat innings which ended when he was caught at midwicket off Rao. The game was drawn, but Rao claimed four of the seven CCI wickets. "I remember playing against him. He was a respected name in the cricketing circle. It's sad we have lost him," Tendulkar said on Saturday.
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