Pananmal Punjabi
Encyclopedia
Pananmal Hotchand Punjabi (born September 20, 1921) is a former India
n cricket
er who played in five Tests
in 1955. He was born in Karachi
.
A right-handed opening batsman, Punjabi had a long but somewhat intermittent first-class cricket
career, starting with two matches for Sind
before partition and resuming more regularly from 1951 for Gujarat
. In the 1953-54 season, he scored three centuries in three matches and was then picked for the tour to Pakistan the following season, 1954-55. He opened the batting in all five Tests with Pankaj Roy
, and scored 164 runs, the fourth highest aggregate for the team. But his highest was only 33 and the series consisted largely of defensive cricket with all Tests drawn, the first time this had happened in a five-match series.
He played on in Indian domestic cricket until 1959-60, scoring his highest score, an undefeated 224, in his penultimate game. But he was never selected again for Test cricket. Despite his name, Punjabi came from Karachi
, spoke Sindhi
, represented Gujarat
for most of his first class career, and was employed as a supervisor in Burmah Shell.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played in five Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
in 1955. He was born in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
.
A right-handed opening batsman, Punjabi had a long but somewhat intermittent first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
career, starting with two matches for Sind
Sind cricket team
The Sindh cricket team was a cricket team representing the province of Sindh in Pakistan and pre-partition India.Sindh's first first-class game was in December 1932, when they drew with Ceylon at the Gymkhana ground in Karachi. From 1934–35 until 1947–48 Sindh participated in the Ranji Trophy...
before partition and resuming more regularly from 1951 for Gujarat
Gujarat cricket team
The Gujarat cricket team is one of three Ranji Trophy cricket teams representing the state of Gujarat . It was in the Elite Group of the Ranji Trophy although it has had very little success. There have, however, been many cricketers that have passed through its ranks and gone on to play for the...
. In the 1953-54 season, he scored three centuries in three matches and was then picked for the tour to Pakistan the following season, 1954-55. He opened the batting in all five Tests with Pankaj Roy
Pankaj Roy
Pankaj Roy was an Indian cricketer. A right-handed opening batsman, he is best known for establishing the world record opening partnership of 413 runs, together with Vinoo Mankad, against New Zealand at Chennai. The record stood until 2008. He was honoured with the Padma Shri...
, and scored 164 runs, the fourth highest aggregate for the team. But his highest was only 33 and the series consisted largely of defensive cricket with all Tests drawn, the first time this had happened in a five-match series.
He played on in Indian domestic cricket until 1959-60, scoring his highest score, an undefeated 224, in his penultimate game. But he was never selected again for Test cricket. Despite his name, Punjabi came from Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, spoke Sindhi
Sindhi language
Sindhi is the language of the Sindh region of Pakistan that is spoken by the Sindhi people. In India, it is among 22 constitutionally recognized languages, where Sindhis are a sizeable minority. It is spoken by 53,410,910 people in Pakistan, according to the national government's Statistics Division...
, represented Gujarat
Gujarat cricket team
The Gujarat cricket team is one of three Ranji Trophy cricket teams representing the state of Gujarat . It was in the Elite Group of the Ranji Trophy although it has had very little success. There have, however, been many cricketers that have passed through its ranks and gone on to play for the...
for most of his first class career, and was employed as a supervisor in Burmah Shell.