Story of Dilip Doshi | India’s Late-Blooming Spin Maestro - video Dailymotion

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Dilip Rasiklal Doshi, one of India’s most underrated cricketing heroes, had a career that defied age and expectations. Born on December 22, 1947, and originally from Gujarat, Doshi rose through the ranks playing domestic cricket for Bengal and English county sides. Despite waiting in the shadows of legends like Bishan Singh Bedi, Doshi never gave up.  He finally made his Test debut at the age of 30 in 1979 against Australia—and made an immediate impact with match figures of 6/103 and 2/64. Doshi went on to take 114 wickets in just 33 Test matches, an incredible achievement for someone who started so late. He also took part in 15 One Day Internationals, with standout figures of 4/30 against New Zealand.  Though he was not known for his batting (with a Test batting average of 4.60 and always batting at No. 11), his accurate left-arm spin earned him respect in India and abroad. In domestic cricket, Doshi was a giant—claiming 318 Ranji Trophy wickets at an average of 18.33, including an astonishing 6 for 6 against Assam. His first-class career ended with a whopping 898 wickets.  Dilip Doshi’s story is even more fascinating when you consider the other great spinners of his era—Rajinder Goel and Padmakar Shivalkar—who, like Doshi, dominated domestically but missed national recognition due to the presence of B.S. Bedi.  In 1983, Doshi led West Bengal on a tour of Dhaka and bamboozled the Bangladeshi batters with 12 wickets in a single match.  Sadly, Doshi passed away on June 23, 2025, at the age of 77, but his story lives on — a tale of perseverance, skill, and seizing the moment when it finally arrives.  🎥 Watch the full video to know how Dilip Doshi carved a legacy in Indian cricket, against all odds.  🔔 Don’t forget to LIKE, SHARE, and SUBSCRIBE for more rare cricket stories and legends!  #DilipDoshi #IndianCricket #CricketLegends #LeftArmSpinner #TestCricket #CricketHistory #UnsungHeroes #IndiaVsAustralia #BishanBedi #RajinderGoel #CricketDocumentary #ODICricket #RanjiTrophy #CricketStats #OldCricketMemories

Transcript

00:00Dilip Doshi

00:01The late plumer who made his mark in Indian cricket.

00:04He waited for years in the shadows, but when his time finally came, Dilip Doshi spun his

00:09way into Indian cricket history.

00:12Dilip Doshi born on December 22, 1947.

00:15He was an Indian left-hand spin baller who played for India from 1979 to 1983.

00:22Although he belonged to a Gujarati background, he made a name for himself in Bengal and in

00:27English county cricket.

00:28Sadly, he passed away on June 23, 2025, at the age of 77.

00:33Dilip Doshi was known for his classical spin-balling, accurate, flighted, and smartly controlled.

00:39Despite his talent, he spent much of his career waiting for a chance behind another great spinner,

00:45Vishen Singh Bedi.

00:46Because of this, Dilip Doshi made his test debut only after the age of 30, a rare feat for a

00:52spin-baller.

00:53When he finally got his break in 1979 against Australia in Chennai, he immediately showed

00:59his class.

01:00He took six wickets in the first innings and two in the second, becoming India's top

01:05baller in that match.

01:06He impressed throughout the series, especially in Bombay and Kolkata, where he performed in

01:11front of a massive 70,000-strong home crowd.

01:15Although he secured his place in the team for a few years, Dilip Doshi could not consistently

01:20win matches for India.

01:22He was accurate, but not always threatening.

01:25One of his few match-winning moments came against England in 1981-82 in Bombay, where he

01:30grabbed five wickets for just 39 runs.

01:33His test career ended soon after the rise of Maninder Singh in the 1982-83 season.

01:39Dilip Doshi was also known humorously as one of the world's best men in test history.

01:44He batted at number 11 in all 38 innings of his test career and had a low batting average

01:50of 4.60.

01:52In one-day international, Dilip Doshi had a short but decent run.

01:56His best performance came against New Zealand in Brisbane with four wickets for 30 runs.

02:01Still due to his weak batting and limited fielding, he was not picked for long, and Ravi Shastri

02:06was chosen ahead of him for the 1983 World Cup.

02:10On the domestic scene, Dilip Doshi began with Surashtra, but achieved more success with Bengal.

02:16He once took an amazing six wicket for just six runs against Assam in 1974.

02:22In total, he took 318 Ranji Trophy wickets at an average of 18.33.

02:28He also played county cricket in England for Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire and ended

02:33his first-class career with 898 wickets at 26.58, a remarkable record indeed.

02:40In 1983, Dilip Doshi led a West Bengal team on a tour to Dhaka and bowled superbly there,

02:46taking seven for 39 and five for 74 in a three-day match.

02:51Back in the 1960s and 70s, Indian domestic cricket had three top left-arm spinners, Rajinder

02:57Goyal, Padma Kumar, Shivalkar and Dilip Doshi.

03:00However, because Vishen Singh Bedi was the mainstay in India's national team, the others

03:06rarely caught a chance.

03:07Goyal and Shivalkar had to settle for an unofficial game.

03:10But, Dilip Doshi was fortunate to finally break through and represented India at the international

03:17level, although later in his career.

03:19Dilip Doshi passed away in London at the age of 77 due to the heart-related complications.

03:24A resident of the United Kingdom for several decades, Dilip Doshi was widely respected

03:30for his classical left-arm orthodox style and cricketing intellectual.

03:34In 33 test matches, he claimed 114 wickets, including six five-wicket hauls, and featured

03:40in 15 ODIs, picking up 22 wickets at a tidy economy rate of 3.96.

03:46Stepping into the arena after that, India's legendary Spain quarter of the 1970s, Dilip

03:52Doshi carved his own path with Goyal and precision.

03:55His time at the near Tengamshire brought him under the influence of West Indies' great

03:59Skargar Field Sobers, who helped refine his approach to the game.

04:04He was known for his strategic mind.

04:06Dilip Doshi once remarked in a 2008 interview, Spinballing is a battle of wits.

04:12This cerebral approach was on full display during the Melbourne Test of 1981, where he

04:17starred with a five-wicket haul, despite playing with a broken toe.

04:21Remarkably, he managed the injury by applying electrodes each evening to reduce the swelling,

04:27a testament to his grit.

04:28His international career ended quietly in the 1980s, partly due to his dissatisfaction

04:34with the directions of Indian Cricket Administration.

04:38He later reflected on his cricketing life in a candid and insightful autobiography titled

04:43Spin Punch.

04:44Beyond the pitch, Dilip Doshi remained a familiar figure at cricket grounds, and he was often

04:50seen in the company of close friends and music legend Mick Jagger, with whom he shared a bond

04:56since 1976.

04:57Dilip Doshi is survived by his wife, Kalindi Sannayan Doshi, a former cricketer for Saray

05:03and Surashtra, and daughter Vishakha.

05:06His legacy lives on through his contribution to Indian Spinballing and the thinking cricketer's

05:11approach he embodied so well.

05:13Dilip Doshi's story is one of the patience, persistence, and passion.

05:17Though he came later to the international stage, his spins left a lasting impression, proving

05:22that sometimes the wait is worth it.

Story of Dilip Doshi | India’s Late-Blooming Spin Maestro

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