Which Indian bowler was the first to claim 100 Test wickets? (19 June 2002)

Mulvantrai Himmatlal Mankad's parents showed amazing prescience when they gave him his middle name. Their son's guts-and-glory approach was to see him carve out his name as one of the most illustrious players in cricket's long and hoary annals. It was also to become one of the most loved names of his time.

Vinoo Mankad, as the masses and players were to know him, was definitely one of the greatest all-rounders the game has ever seen. As an opening batsman of the highest calibre and a left-arm spinner whom many deemed the best of his time, Mankad was the architect of India's first five Test wins. He also went on become the youngest cricketer to complete the double of a 1,000 runs and 100 wickets, raising the landmark in only 23 Tests. Subsequently Ian Botham went on to best that record, but Mankad still remains the second fastest to the landmark.

He also went on claim several other honours - an opening partnership of 413 with Pankaj Roy that continues to remain a world-record 50 years on being the most notable - in a Test career that also saw him become the first Indian bowler to claim 100 wickets. Considering the man, it was but appropriate that his bowling effort in that match against Pakistan at Mumbai in November 1952 was to secure India her third win in Test cricket.

Mankad claimed eight wickets in the match - which India won by 10 wickets - to increase his tally from 96 Test wickets to 100 by the end of the match. It was to be a little over six years before Subhash Gupte, another Indian great and a man whom many - Sir Gary Sobers included - rate as the greatest leg-spinner the game has seen, joined Mankad on a summit that was temporarily his own.

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