Bal Jagannath Pandit (24 July 1929 – 17 September 2015) was an Indian
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
er, writer and broadcaster.
Early life
He was born in
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
. He was a right-handed batsman who played for
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
.
Playing career
Pandit made his cricketing debut in the
Rohinton Baria Trophy, in which he played for
Poona University for two seasons between 1951 and 1953. He made a single first-class appearance, during the 1959–60 season, representing Maharashtra against
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth- ...
in the
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy (also known as Mastercard Ranji Trophy for sponsorship reasons) is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations. Board of Control for C ...
. In the only innings in which he batted, he scored 25 runs.
Later career
Pandit was a pioneer in
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language
Marathi (; ''Marāṭhī'', ) is an Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Mahara ...
cricket commentary and was commissioned by
All India Radio
All or ALL may refer to:
Language
* All, an indefinite pronoun in English
* All, one of the English determiners
* Allar language (ISO 639-3 code)
* Allative case (abbreviated ALL)
Music
* All (band), an American punk rock band
* ''All'' (All ...
for many decades. His coining of new words in Marathi for cricket terms such as ‘aapat-baar’ for a bouncer ball received wide popularity. He was also a cricket commentator in English for a short period. Being a first-class cricketer himself, Pandit's commentary was clinical. He was known for focusing on the scope of improvement in a player in his commentary. His achievements in live commentary for 40 years was also noticed by the
Limca Book of World Records
Bal Pandit was the secretary of Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) in the mid-1980s. He was also the President of Maharashtra Cricket Association. He played a vital role in the selection committee of the organisation.
Pandit was also a Trustee of the Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Samadhi temple complex in
Alandi
Alandi (Marathi pronunciation: ːɭən̪d̪iː is a town and a municipal council in the Pune district in the state of Maharashtra, India. The town is popular as a place of pilgrimage and the resting place of the 8th century Marathi saint S ...
from 1966 to 1999.
Books
Pandit was also a prolific cricket writer and wrote 35 books. He authored several columns in newspapers and magazines, striking a chord with common people and enhancing their knowledge with illustrations. His translation of
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar Gavaskar (Marathi pronunciation: uniːl ɡaːʋəskəɾ ; born 10 July 1949), is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer who represented India and Bombay from 1971 to 1987. Gavaskar is acknowledged as one of the grea ...
’s book ''Sunny Days'' in Marathi became immensely popular. He authored a number of books in Marathi.
* ''Sunny Days'' (translation in Marathi)
* ''The Little Master''
* ''Prakrami Daura''
* ''Ase Samane Ase Kheladu''
* ''Athawanitil Vyakti Ani Prasang''
* ''Cricketmadhil Navalkatha''
* '' Cricket Tantra Ani Mantra''
* “ Lokmanyancha Manasputra"
Awards
The Maharashtra government recognized him with the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports award in 1978.
Death
Bal Pandit died due to prolonged illness on the afternoon of 17 September 2015.
Veteran cricket Marathi commentator no more: ‘Bal Pandit held an unparalleled vision that helped MCA rise’
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pandit, Bal
1929 births
2015 deaths
Indian cricketers
Maharashtra cricketers
Cricketers from Pune