View source for D. B. Deodhar

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = Dinkar Balwant Deodhar
| image =DB Deodhar 1996 stamp of India.jpg
| image_size = 
| caption = Deodhar on a 1996 stamp of India
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1892|1|14}}
| birth_place = [[Pune]], [[British India]]
| death_date        = {{death date and age|df=yes|1993|8|24|1892|1|14}}
| death_place       = [[Pune]], India
| batting           = Right-handed
| bowling           = Legbreak
| columns           = 1
| column1           = [[First-class cricket|First-class]]
| matches1          = 81
| runs1             = 4522	
| bat avg1          = 39.32
| 100s/50s1         = 9/27
| top score1        = 246
| deliveries1       = 970
| wickets1          = 11
| bowl avg1         = 53.27
| fivefor1          = 0
| tenfor1           = 0
| best bowling1     = 2/24
| catches/stumpings1= 70/0
| source            = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/2/2298/2298.html CricketArchive
| date              = 7 July 2019
}}
'''Dinkar Balwant Deodhar''' (14 January 1892 – 24 August 1993) was an Indian [[cricket]]er who played [[first-class cricket]] from 1911 to 1948.

== Cricket career ==
Deodhar was born in [[Poona]] (now Pune), [[British India]]. He was a professor of [[Sanskrit]] at [[Sir Parshurambhau College|Pune College]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Krishnan |first1=Sankhya |title=Deodhar: Professor Emeritus of Indian cricket |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/85478.html |website=Cricinfo |date=24 August 2000|access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref>

Popularly known as the Grand Old Man of Indian Cricket, Deodhar was an aggressive right-hand batsman and a [[List of cricket terms|leg-break]] bowler. He captained [[Maharashtra cricket team|Maharashtra]] in [[Ranji Trophy]] matches from 1939 to 1941. In his first-class career, he played 81 matches, scoring 4,522 runs at an [[Batting average (cricket)|average]] of 39.32 with a highest score of 246.<ref>{{cite web |title=D. B. Deodhar |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/player/28036.html |website=ESPNcricinfo |access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref>

Deodhar was Vice-President of the [[Board of Control for Cricket in India]], the President of the [[Maharashtra Cricket Association]], and also a [[India national cricket team selectors|national team selector]]. The [[Deodhar Trophy]], a limited overs inter-zonal cricket tournament played in India since 1973, is named after him. In 1996, [[India Post]] issued a commemorative stamp in his honour. A statue of Deodhar was unveiled at Pune's Sahara cricket stadium in 2012.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

Like [[Bill Ashdown]], Deodhar is one of the few people known to have played first-class cricket both before the [[First World War]] and after the [[Second World War]], having played in the [[Bombay Triangular]] in 1911 and the [[Ranji Trophy]] in 1946.<ref>{{cite web |date=11 March 2017|last1=Coverdale |first1=Brydon |title=It takes a rare cricketer to reach a century, not just make one |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/18876267/brydon-coverdale-100th-birthdays-tom-pritchard-jack-laver |website=Cricinfo |access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref> In a Ranji Trophy game against [[Nawanagar cricket team|Nawanagar]] in 1944, he scored [[Century (cricket)|centuries]] in both innings, helping his team win.<ref>{{Cricketarchive|ref=Archive/Scorecards/17/17444.html|name=Maharashtra v Nawanagar
Ranji Trophy 1944/45 (West Zone)}}</ref> He was aged 53 during that time.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bamzai|first1=Sandeep|title=98 Not Out !|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1YRlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tp4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=849%2C187546|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=15 July 1990|page=23}}</ref>

He was awarded the [[Padma Shri]] award in 1965 and the [[Padma Bhushan]] in 1991 by the Indian Government.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |date=2015 |access-date=21 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6U68ulwpb?url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 November 2014  }}</ref> He was the first Indian [[Lists of oldest cricketers#Oldest first-class cricketers|first-class cricketer]] known to have lived to 100. [[Vasant Raiji]] became the second in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/player/33480.html|title=Vasant Raiji profile and biography, stats, records, averages, photos and videos}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
India's former National Badminton Champions [[Tara Deodhar]], [[Sunder Deodhar]], and [[Suman Deodhar]] are his daughters.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cricinfo|ref=india/content/player/28036.html}}
* {{cricketarchive|ref=Archive/Players/2/2298/2298.html}}

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Sports}}
{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1990–99}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deodhar, D.B.}}
[[Category:1892 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:Maharashtra cricketers]]
[[Category:Indian cricketers]]
[[Category:South Zone cricketers]]
[[Category:Hindus cricketers]]
[[Category:Indian centenarians]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in sports]]
[[Category:Cricketers from Pune]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports]]


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