Only a few have made a hundred on debut in a Test match on foreign soil and for many it is a dream come true. Praveen Amre was one those rare breed of players who achieved this by making 103 against South Africa at Durban in 1992-93 under difficult conditions, for a struggling side and against an attack that included Donald, Pringle and McMillan. But then what more could one expect from a stylish right-hand batsman who hails from the 'Achrekar family' - a coach who had players like Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli under his tutelage. Amre played just two seasons between 1992 and 94 before being dropped unceremoniously. He first represented Bombay for one season in the Ranji Trophy in 1986-87 before moving to Railways, Rajasthan and Bengal in turn. He was a prolific scorer in domestic cricket. His 246 for Rest of India against Bengal is still the highest by any bastman in the Irani Trophy. He also scored runs aplenty along with a series of tall scores in the Duleep and Ranji Trophy, proving that he was the player best suited to the longer version of the game, displaying grit, temperament and determination. He was at his most prolific in the 1989-90 Duleep Trophy when he had scores of 106, 240 not out and 113 in the three matches he played. In the 1999-00 season Amre played on the South African domestic circuit representing Boland and had an impressive record. Several people asked why he wasn't in the Indian team. "All I could tell them was that I gave it my best shot each time. The rest was not in my hands".
AC Ganesh