Pankaj Roy

{{Infobox cricketer

| name = Pankaj Roy

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1928|5|31}}

| birth_place = Dacca, Bengal Presidency, British India

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2001|2|4|1928|5|31|df=yes}}

| death_place = Kolkata, West Bengal, India

| image = Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy after record breaking opening stand 1956.jpg

| caption = Pankaj Roy (left) and Vinoo Mankad returning to the pavilion after their world record opening partnership of 413 runs, Madras, 11 January 1956. Their record stood for 52 years.

| family = {{ubl|Nemailal Roy (brother)|Pranab Roy (son)|Ambar Roy (nephew)}}

| batting = Right-handed

| bowling = Right-arm medium

| columns = 2

| column1 = Test

| matches1 = 43

| runs1 = 2,442

| bat avg1 = 32.56

| 100s/50s1 = 5/9

| top score1 = 173

| deliveries1 = 104

| wickets1 = 1

| bowl avg1 = 66.00

| fivefor1 = 0

| tenfor1 = 0

| best bowling1 = 1/6

| catches/stumpings1= 16/–

| column2 = First-class

| matches2 = 185

| runs2 = 11,868

| bat avg2 = 42.38

| 100s/50s2 = 33/50

| top score2 = 202*

| deliveries2 = 1,146

| wickets2 = 21

| bowl avg2 = 30.85

| fivefor2 = 1

| tenfor2 = 0

| best bowling2 = 5/53

| catches/stumpings2= 74/–

| international = true

| country = India

| testcap = 54

| testdebutagainst = England

| testdebutdate = 2 November

| testdebutyear = 1951

| lasttestdate = 2 December

| lasttestagainst = Pakistan

| lasttestyear = 1960

| source = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/33186.html CricInfo

| date = 5 March

| year = 2017

}}

Pankaj Roy ({{audio|Pankaj_Roy.ogg|pronunciation}}; 31 May 1928 – 4 February 2001) was an Indian cricketer who played in 43 test matches, including once as captain.{{Cite web |last=দাশ |first=কৌশিক |title=Cricket Celebs {{!}} বাংলার প্রথম ক্রিকেট যোদ্ধা |url=https://www.anandabazar.com/patrika/pankaj-roy-as-bengals-first-cricket-warrior/cid/1266273 |access-date=2022-10-14 |website=www.anandabazar.com |language=bn}}{{Cite news |date=2008-03-01 |title=South Africa set new opening mark |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/7272340.stm |access-date=2022-10-14}}{{cite web|url=http://home.123india.com/alokghosh/Heritage/Our%20Sportsmen.htm|title=OUR SPORTSMEN|website=123india.com|access-date=27 September 2007|archive-date=27 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210527/http://home.123india.com/alokghosh/Heritage/Our%20Sportsmen.htm}} He was a right-handed opening batsman, perhaps best known for establishing the world record opening partnership in Test cricket of 413 runs, together with Vinoo Mankad, against New Zealand at Chennai. The record stood until 2008. Roy played for Bengal in domestic matches. In 2000, he was appointed as the Sheriff of Kolkata. He has been honoured with the Padma Shri.{{Cite web |date=2016-11-15 |title=Padma Awards Directory (1954-2014) |url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/YearWiseListOfRecipientsBharatRatnaPadmaAwards-1954-2014.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115022326/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/YearWiseListOfRecipientsBharatRatnaPadmaAwards-1954-2014.pdf |archive-date=2016-11-15 |access-date=2022-10-14 }}{{Cite web |title=Pankaj Roy |url=https://www.cricketcountry.com/players/pankaj-roy/Pankaj%20Roy |access-date=2022-10-14 |website=www.cricketcountry.com |language=en-US |archive-date=14 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014174521/https://www.cricketcountry.com/players/pankaj-roy/Pankaj%20Roy |url-status=dead }} His nephew Ambar Roy and son Pranab Roy also played Test cricket for India. He was a student of Vidyasagar College.{{cite book|title=Peekay theWayfarer Tea Planter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JU1BEAAAQBAJ|page=16|last1 = Basu|first1 = Prabhash|date = 6 September 2021}} In 2016, he was posthumously awarded the C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honour conferred by BCCI on a former player.{{Cite web |date=29 April 2018 |title=BCCI honours Indian legends Anshuman Gaekwad and Pankaj Roy |url=https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/674449 |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=International Cricket Council |language=en}}

First-class career

Roy played domestic cricket in India for the Bengal cricket team. He scored a century on his first-class debut in 1946–47 and went on to score 33 hundreds, scoring a total of 11868 first class runs at 42.38.

Test career

When England toured India in 1951, Roy was selected for the Indian squad and made his Test debut at Delhi. Despite making just 12 in his debut innings he scored 2 centuries in the series. The following summer he toured England and had a contrasting series, making 5 ducks in his 7 innings, including Frank Tyson's debut first class wicket. This tally included a pair at Old Trafford. He was among the four victims (others being Datta Gaekwad, Vijay Manjrekar and Madhav Mantri) in India's miserable 0–4 start in the second innings of the Headingley Test of 1952 with Fred Trueman playing havoc. He would hit five Test centuries for India, with a top score of 173.

He captained India in a Test match in England in 1959, which India lost.

References

Cited sources

Further reading

{{Cite web|title=When Swami Vivekananda claimed seven wickets and other Eden Gardens tales|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/cricket/2019/may/04/when-swami-vivekananda-claimed-seven-wickets-and-other-eden-gardens-tales-1972482.html|access-date=17 November 2021|website=newindianexpress.com|agency=Express News Service|date=4 May 2019|location=Kolkata|first1=Atreyo|last1=Mukhopadhyay|publisher=The New Indian Express|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416020605/https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/cricket/2019/may/04/when-swami-vivekananda-claimed-seven-wickets-and-other-eden-gardens-tales-1972482.html|archive-date=16 April 2023}}