Veteran Indian Test opener Madhav Apte passed away at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai on Monday after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 86 and would have turned 87 on October 5.
Born in Bombay (Mumbai) in 1932, Apte — a right-handed batsman by trade — started his career as a leg-spinner under the coaching of Vinoo Mankad while he was a student at Elphinstone College.
He made his Test debut against Pakistan at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) in Mumbai in November 1952 and played his last test against West Indies at Kingston in April 1953. In his debut Test, he made 30 and 10 not out, respectively.
From 1952 to 53, he played seven Tests for India in which he scored 542 runs, including one century and three half-centuries at an average of 49.27. He also played 67 First-Class matches in which he amassed 3,336 runs with six centuries and 16 half-centuries.
In 1989, he was elected to the office of the president of the Cricket Club of India. Till his last breath, he was president of the ‘Legends Club’, a group formed to celebrate the achievements of different sportspersons.
