Maninder Singh - India - Batsman

Touted as the successor to Bishen Singh Bedi, Maninder Singh, a left-arm spinner, played 35 Tests and 59 ODIs for India. Maninder also holds the dubious Test record for playing most Tests in a career without aggregating 100 runs with the bat.

With the kind of variety Maninder possessed, he was expected to break all previous Indian bowling records with his flight and turn. At the young age of 17, he made his Test debut against Pakistan in Karachi in 1982. It was a forgettable debut as he failed to pick a wicket and India lost the game by an innings and 86 runs.

He proved to be a match-winning force against England in 1986 and followed it up with some brilliant performances against Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home.
1986/87 was probably the best phase of his career as he picked up two 7-wicket hauls, one against Sri Lanka in Nagpur and then his career-best figures of 7/27 against Pakistan in Bangalore. However, some very ordinary performances against the West Indies saw him lose his place in the Test side.

He continued to play ODIs and was recalled for India's Test series against Pakistan in 1989. His inability to pick wickets (only 2 wickets in 3 Tests) spelled doom for him and this time he was dropped from both the ODI and Test teams.

Trying to stage a comeback, Maninder tried a number of things, which included experimenting with his bowling action during the early nineties. In March 1993, he got another chance to play for India. He featured in two ODIs against England and despite taking 3/79 and 4/66 in a Test match against Zimbabwe in Delhi, Maninder was never selected to play for India again.

He took 88 wickets during his Test career at an average of 37.36. In ODIs, he bagged 66 scalps, with a best of 4/22. More than his bowling, Maninder Singh is better remembered for being the final victim of Greg Mathews in the tied Test in Madras (now Chennai) in 1986/87.

Maninder currently works as a TV commentator.

Controversies

In May 2007, Maninder Singh was questioned by police for possession of cocaine and he confessed to using the drug. It is believed that 1.5 grams of cocaine was seized from him.

In June 2007, he was admitted to Shanti Mukund Hospital in East Delhi after injuries to his wrists. It is alleged that Maninder tried to commit suicide by slashing his wrists, despite his wife making a statement to the contrary that it was \"purely an accident\".


By Sidhant Maheshwari