Deepak Shodhan, the first Indian to make a Test century in his debut innings, has died aged 87. He was India's oldest surviving Test cricketer. Shodhan passed away at his residence in Ahmedabad. He had been suffering from lung cancer, which was detected in February this year. An attractive left-hand batsman who bowled left-arm pace as well, Shodhan was given his first India cap at 25, against Pakistan at Eden Gardens in 1952, and made an immediate impact. He walked in at No. 8, with the score on 179 for 6 and no specialist batsmen left, and he walked out with 110 against his name. India claimed a lead of 140 runs, but the match ended in a draw.
"I was in the reserves for the series against Pakistan in 1952-53, the historic first Test series between our two newly independent nations," Shodhan had said in a recent interview. "In the final Test match, at Calcutta, I was drafted into the playing XI after our captain Vijay Hazare pulled out unwell. It was Lala Amarnath, who was captaining India in Vijay Hazare's absence, who asked for me to be brought in - 'that tall Gujarati boy who had done so well in the trials and other matches'." Despite that bright start, Shodhan played only two more Tests, on a tour of West Indies in 1953.
