The first Test against New Zealand on Thursday will be India’s 500th Test match. The team has had a rocky ride in the Test arena since their first match against England in 1932.
They have clinched series victories in West Indies, England and New Zealand but have also been whitewashed several times.
In the 499 Tests played, there have been many wicket-keepers that have served India well such as MS Dhoni, Kiran More, Nayan Mongia and so on.
The Quint takes a look at the five of the most successful Indian wicket-keepers in Tests.
1. MS Dhoni
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that MS Dhoni was first picked in the Indian team as a batsman-wicketkeeper. But with time, his wicket-keeping skills improved by leaps and bounds. So much so that he became India’s most-capped and most successful wicket-keeper in Test cricket.
By the time he hung up his boots in the longer version of the game, Dhoni had played 90 matches as wicket-keeper, scored nearly 5,000 runs and had effected nearly 300 dismissals.
He wasn’t a traditional wicket-keeper who used conventional techniques, yet he covered a lot of ground sideways against the seamers and his performance standing up to the stumps was brilliant. His lightning quick reflexes, awareness of the situation and sense of timing gave India breakthroughs at crucial junctures.
More than a third of his 294 dismissals were catches taken off the bowling of Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan; Dhoni held 47 catches off the former’s bowling, while he held on to 43 catches off Zaheer Khan’s deliveries.
2. Syed Kirmani
Syed Kirmani is considered to be the finest wicket-keeper India has produced so far. He was technically sound, extremely safe behind the stumps and alert all the time. He played 88 Tests for India between 1976 and 1986 and ended his career as India’s most successful wicket-keeper.
When he began his career, Kirmani had to contend with some terrific spinners —including the famed spin quartet of Bishan Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, BS Chandrasekhar and S Venkataraghavan — and did an outstanding job behind the stumps.
Ninety three of his 198 dismissals in Test cricket were against the spinners; his 38 stumpings set the record for the most stumpings by an Indian wicket-keeper in Test cricket (which has since been equalled by MS Dhoni). More than a quarter (51 out of 198) of Kirmani’s Test dismissals were catches taken off Kapil Dev’s bowling.
A gritty batsman, Kirmani scored 2,759 runs batting lower down the order, which included several defiant innings. He is also the only Indian wicket-keeper to pick a Test wicket; he dismissed Azeem Hafeez in the 1983-84 Nagpur Test against Pakistan.
3. Kiran More
Kiran More was an integral part of Indian teams between 1986 and 1993. After taking over the gloves from Syed Kirmani on the tour of England in 1986, More quickly established himself for a long run in the Indian side.
A chirpy wicket-keeper and a gutsy character with the bat, More played 49 Tests, scored 1,285 runs and effected 130 dismissals. At Madras in 1988, More effected 5 stumpings in an innings and 6 stumpings in the match against the West Indies. This is still the record for most stumpings in a Test innings and Test match.
Unlike some of his predecessors, More had to keep wickets to some quality and challenging pacers. For the most part of his career, he had to stand behind the stumps to the likes of Kapil Dev, a fiery Javagal Srinath and Manoj Prabhakar. Eighty one of his 130 dismissals were off pacers.
4. Nayan Mongia
Once Kiran More relinquished his gloves, the Indian selectors drafted in his statemate Nayan Mongia to fill the slot. Mongia would become an integral part of the Indian team that dominated Test cricket in sub-continent conditions.
He was safe behind the stumps and had his way to succeed on the dustbowls that the Indian team played at home. He played 44 Tests between 1994 and 2001, and kept wickets to challenging spinners like Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.
Alert, agile and noisy behind the stumps, Mongia collected 70 of his 105 dismissals against the Indian quicks. A gritty batsman too, Mongia scored 1,442 runs with the bat, which included a maiden ton as Test opener against an Australian attack comprising Glenn McGrath and Paul Reiffel.
Mongia was also part of the famous 1999 Delhi Test against Pakistan when Anil Kumble took all ten wickets in an innings. In fact, it was Mongia’s catch to dismiss Shahid Afridi that gave India their first breakthrough; thereafter, Kumble ran through the Pakistan line-up single-handedly to bombard his way into history.
5. Farokh Engineer
Despite his big build, Farok Engineer was a brilliant wicket-keeper — particularly when he kept wickets to the likes of Bishan Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, BS Chandrasekhar and S Venkataraghavan. A flamboyant and jolly individual, Engineer was sharp behind the stumps and played 46 Tests for India between 1961 and 1975. He finished his career with a tally of 82 dismissals — 66 catches and 16 stumpings.
Engineer added plenty of value to the team through his batting as well; he scored 2,611 runs at a respectable average of 31.08. He scored two centuries — one against England and one against the West Indies — and 16 half-centuries.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)