Babaji Palwankar Shivram (6 March 1878 – 28 December 1941) was an Indian

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er who was one of the most successful players for the

Hindus cricket team The Hindus cricket team, run by the Hindu Gymkhana in Bombay, was a first-class team which took part in the annual Bombay Tournament from 1905/06 until its final edition in 1945/46. They won the tournament eleven times. One of their players wa ...

in the

Bombay Quadrangular The Bombay Tournament was an annual cricket competition held in British India between 1892 and 1946. Until 1936, matches were played on either the Gymkhana Ground in Bombay or the Deccan Gymkhana Ground in Poona, and then at the Brabourne Stadi ...

competition.

Early years

Babaji Palwankar Shivram was born on 6 March 1878 in the city of

Bhuj Bhuj () is a city and the headquarters of Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Etymology According to legend, Kutch (Kachchh) was ruled by the Nāga chieftains in the past. Sagai, a queen of Sheshapattana, who was married to King B ...

, in the modern Indian state of

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, 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 List of states and union territories ...

Completing his schooling in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

(then Bombay), Shivram obtained employment with the Greater Indian Peninsular Railways. He was the brother of cricketer and social activist

Palwankar Baloo Palwankar Baloo was an Indian cricketer and political activist. In 1896, he was selected by Parmanandas Jivandas Hindu Gymkhana and played in the Bombay Quadrangular tournaments. He was employed by the Bombay Berar and Central Indian Railways, ...

and

Palwankar Vithal Vithal Palwankar (1884 or 1886 – 26 November 1971) was an Indian cricketer and a captain of the Hindus team. Vithal led the team to victories over the Mohammedan and European teams, where his captaincy and personal performance were prais ...

, who was appointed a captain of the

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

team.

Cricket career

Shivram joined his elder brother Palwankar Baloo in playing first-class cricket in 1905, soon becoming one of the most famous sportsmen of the time, breaking caste barriers to excel in what was considered a sport of the upper classes and the British.Dilip M. Menon, ''Cultural History of Modern India'', chapter: ''The Heroic Struggles of the Palwankar Brothers''. pgs 1-32. 2007, Bergahn Books. He became one of the few so-called lower caste persons ever chosen to play for the Hindus team in the Bombay Quadrangular competition, the most prominent and popular cricket contest in India at the time. Mainly an off-break

spin bowler Spin bowling is a bowling technique in cricket, in which the ball is delivered relatively slowly but with rapid rotation, giving it the potential to deviate sharply after bouncing. A bowler who uses this technique is called a spinner, a spin b ...

, Shivram also developed as a valuable batsman, becoming an

all rounder An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are cons ...

and was chosen along with Baloo to play for the All-

India cricket team The India men's national cricket team, also known as Men in Blue, represents India in international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India and is a full member nation of the International Cricket Council with T ...

slated to tour

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1911. After his elder brother's retirement, Shivram and his younger brother Vithal became the most senior players in the Hindus team. In 1920, Shivram, Vithal and several other players protested the appointment of a

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

, D. B. Deodhar, as captain following the illness of the incumbent, M. D. Pai; with Baloo being dropped, most considered Shivram and Vithal to be the most senior players and leading candidates for the job. Critics attributed Deodhar's appointment to caste discrimination, and both Palwankar brothers, along with other rank-and-file cricketers withdrew from the team after publishing a letter making their protest public and criticising the selection committee for the "unsportsmanlike" decision. Supporters, rallied by the ongoing campaign against untouchability led by

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

and other political leaders, raised money for the Palwankar brothers and petitioned for their inclusion in the team. When the recovered Pai returned to captaincy, both brothers were reinstated and Baloo selected to join the team as well. The brothers protested again when they were by-passed for the captaincy for the 1922 competition that was held in

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

. Despite advancing age, Shivram continued to play for the Hindus under his younger brother Vithal, who had made history in 1923 by becoming a captain of the Hindus. Shivram finally retired at the end of the 1924–25 season. He died in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

on 28 December 1941.Cricket Archive
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Statistics

*First-Class Career Batting and Fielding (1904/05-1924/25) - Matches: 39 - Innings: 67 - Not Out: 7 - Runs: 1130 - Highest Score: 113* - Batting Average: 18.83 - 100s: 1 - 50s: 4 - Catches: 18 *First-Class Career Bowling (1908/09-1924/25) - Balls: 2687 - Maiden overs: 85 - Runs: 1090 - Wickets: 53 - Best Bowling Figures: 4-31 - Bowling Average: 20.56 - Strike rate: 50.69 - Economy rate: 2.43

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shivram, Palwankar Indian cricketers Hindus cricketers Cricketers from Maharashtra People from Bhuj 1878 births 1941 deaths Members of the first Indian cricket team to tour England in 1911