That list seems to contain an unduly high number of English openers. Out of 23 names, six were usual openers, and another two or three did it on occasion.
Sanjiv Karmarkar 23 March 2005 22:24:20 [ permanent link ]
Some more explanations below...
Mike Holmans wrote:
ML Apte 7 13 2 542 49.27 1 3 1
Dropped by selectors for really no good reason. Was replaced by much more inferior openers. Many rumors abound including his refusal to play in order to run family business, his perceived "good luck" while averaging 50+ in WI etc.
VM Merchant 10 18 0 859 47.72 3 3 2>
Very limited opportunities in India's early days.
Also, did not play test cricket for a long time for reasons not quite clear. Rumors: refused to travel in order to run family business (another rich kid, like Apte), influenced by Gandhi to boycott international cricket, etc.
RS Modi 10 17 1 736 46.00 1 6 0
Injuries prevented him from playing more test level cricket.
Modi was not injured. He just stopped scoring runs all of a sudden one fine day. It happens.. mostly after 15 years of cricket, for modi it happened much earlier.
when senior players like boycott, barber et all want to skip winter tours, he got a look in...
Not quite. Subba Row retired after an Ashes series at home in which he scored hundreds in the first and last Tests. Barber had played only one Test at this point of time. Boycott's debut was still three years away.
MP Donnelly 7 12 1 582 52.91 1 4 2
Early Kiwi....see Dempster
Wasn't it because he settled in England ?
VM Merchant 10 18 0 859 47.72 3 3 2
1932: did not tour as in jail
Merchant and Jai boycotted the tour on their own. Don't think he was in jail.
Modi was not injured. He just stopped scoring runs all of a sudden
one fine day. It happens.. mostly after 15 years of cricket, for modi it happened much earlier.
Maybe, but his health was never good and had to skip many matches due to this.
I would note that both of these players played fewer tests than they might because they went to play in England. IIRC, Donnolly's career was not helped by WWII being in the middle of it. Dempster probably could have played five or six more tests fairly easily and Donnelly could have played several more.
