Prakash Chandra Poddar (18 October 1940 – 29 December 2022) was an Indian first-class

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 played for

Bengal cricket team The Bengal cricket team is an Indian domestic cricket team representing the state of West Bengal. The team based in Kolkata. It is administered by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and participate in tournaments organized by the Board ...

and

Rajasthan cricket team The Rajasthan cricket team is a cricket team which represents the Indian state of Rajasthan. The team won the Ranji Trophy in the 2010–11 and 2011-12 seasons, having finished runners-up eight times between 1960–61 and 1973-74. It is curr ...

. After his playing career, he became a Talent Resource Development Officer (TRDO) for the

Board of Control for Cricket in India The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the principal national governing body of the sport of cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at the Cricket Centre in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. BCCI is the wealthiest governing body ...

Career

A right-handed top-order batsman, Poddar appeared in 74 first-class matches playing for Bengal, Rajasthan, East Zone, Central Zone. He played unofficial

Tests Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film) ...

for India and also appeared for Rest of India in Irani Cup and Board President's team in tour games. In January 1964, playing for Board President's XI, Poddar scored 100

not out In cricket, a batsman is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batsman is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress. Occurrence At least one batter is not out at ...

against a

Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...

bowling attack consisting of John Price, Jeff Jones, Barry Knight, John Mortimore and Donald Wilson. Poddar appeared in two Ranji finals, both during his three-year stint with Rajasthan. He was the third-highest run-getter of the

1970–71 Ranji Trophy The 1970–71 Ranji Trophy was the 37th season of the Ranji Trophy. Bombay won their 13th title in a row defeating Maharashtra in the final. A proposal to promote two teams from the zonal leagues to the knockout stage was made Maharashtra in th ...

scoring 562 runs at an average of 70.25, with a top-score of 199

run out Run out is a method of dismissal in cricket, in which the fielding team put down the wicket of a batter who is outside their ground, usually because they are trying to score a run. Run out is governed by Law 38 of the laws of cricket. If ...

in Bengal's quarterfinal match against Vidarbha. He captained Bengal in a few matches during his career and retired after the 1976/77 season. After retirement, Poddar worked for the

as a Talent Resource Development Officer (TRDO) of the Talent Resource Development Wing. Poddar is credited as the man who "discovered"

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Mahendra Singh Dhoni (; born 7 July 1981) is an Indian professional cricketer who plays as a right-handed batter and a wicket-keeper. Widely regarded as one of the most prolific wicket-keeper batsmen and captains and one of the greatest O ...

during a match in 2003. Poddar wrote his observations about Dhoni, "Good striker of the ball; has a lot of power but needs to work on his wicket-keeping. Technically not very good. Is very good at running between wickets." He recommended Dhoni to the

National Cricket Academy The National Cricket Academy (NCA) is a cricket facility of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Bengaluru, India, for the purpose of developing young cricketers who have been identified as having the potential to represent the I ...

, and Dhoni went on to play for

India A The India A cricket team is a national cricket team representing second-tier cricket of India national cricket team. The matches played by India A receive first-class and List A classification. It is a developmental team, domestic players who ar ...

in 2003/04 and then for the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

. Poddar was TRDO for just one year.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Poddar, Prakash 1940 births 2022 deaths Indian cricketers 20th-century Indian sportsmen Bengal cricketers East Zone cricketers Rajasthan cricketers Central Zone cricketers Cricketers from Kolkata