Eknath Solkar Biography 
Eknath Solkar was a former cricketer of Indian team who served as an all-rounder. He was nicknamed as "Poor man's Sobers" for his bowling style of both pace and slow. He played 27 Tests and seven One Day Internationals for team India. His magnificent catch in the test match in 1971 helped India to win their first test match against England. This cricketer is known for his excellent close fielding. And has made 53 catches in only 27 matches he played for team India. He scored 1 test century and 6 fifties, with a batting average of 25.42. He scored a total of 1068 runs and 18 wickets. He also played 7 ODIs.
Eknath was born in Mumbai on 18 March 1948 into a family associated with sports. His father was the head grounds man at Hindu Gymkhana, a social and sporting club in Mumbai. His younger brother Anant Solkar has played first class cricket matches and Ranji matches and has excelled in school cricket. After battling with alcohol addiction for a long time he is now coaching young cricketers free of cost in Mumbai. Eknath too started his career as a school cricketer, and has captained his team, apart from being a team member of India’s tour to Sri Lanka.
Following his debut in Sussex Second XI in 1969-1970 season he also made his test debut the same year. His first match was against New Zealand at Hyderabad. After that he found place in the national team for the test series against Australia and West Indies. Associated with Indian cricket team since 1971, he retired from test matches in 1977. His last test match was played against England. He passed away in 2005 following a heart attack. He was 57 then.
Published: N/A
Updated: April 09, 2016
