Surinder Amarnath - India - Batsman

An aggressive left-hander, Surinder Amarnath, represented India in 10 Tests and 3 ODIs. He is the son of independent India's first captain, Lala Amarnath. His cricket career may have been overshadowed by his brother, Mohinder Amarnath's achievements, but Surinder was a classy batsman in his own right.

Surinder's talent first got noticed during the Indian schoolboys tour of England in 1967. Considered as a prodigy, he made his Ranji debut at the age of 15. He rose to prominence in 1975-76 after he hit a century on debut in an unofficial Test against Sri Lanka.

He started his international career similarly as well, smashing a hundred on debut against New Zealand in 1976. When England toured India in 1976-77, he played two Tests against them and was the best Indian batter on show in those games, making two fifties in 4 innings.

When India visited Australia in 1977-78, his tour was cut short after an injury forced him to return home. He returned to the team for their tour of Pakistan in 1978 and despite having a decent series with the bat, he was dropped from the side.

Many believed that Surinder was unfairly treated by the Indian selectors during his career. Surinder made an unbeaten 235 against Rest of India in 1980-81 and even though the public opinion was positive regarding his inclusion in the Indian squad going to Australia, the selectors overlooked him once again.

In 145 first-class games, Surinder made 8175 runs, averaging 40.47.

By Sidhant Maheshwari