Mumbai’s enduring spin stalwart, domestic cricket giant Padmakar Shivalkar bids goodbye at 84; teammates Ravi Shastri, Sandeep Patil pay tribute
The late Padmakar Shivalkar bowls during a festival match at Dadkar Maidan, Matunga, in December 2014. Pic/Atul Kamble
If ever there was a highly enduring performer to wear the lion-crested Mumbai cap, it was Padmakar Shivalkar (1940-2025). The accomplished left-arm spinner passed away in Mumbai on Monday, a little over a month before his 85th birthday.
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Shivalkar, Paddy to friends, succumbed to a prolonged illness but that did not prevent him from attending the golden jubilee celebrations of the Wankhede Stadium last month. After his Ranji Trophy debut in 1965-66, Shivalkar played continuously for Mumbai from 1967-68 till 1980-81, a span that included eight Ranji Trophy triumphs and four.
Irani Cup wins in 1969-1970, 1972-73, 1975-76 and 1976-77. Shivalkar, a beneficiary of legendary all-rounder Vinoo Mankad’s coaching, went on to claim 361 wickets in 74 Ranji games for Mumbai. Although he played unofficial Tests for India on the 1973-74 tour of Sri Lanka, he didn’t figure in a Test. The reason: The presence of Bishan Singh Bedi.
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Shivalkar put things in perspective during an interview with this writer in 1995: “Bishan was the best spinner in the country, while Bapu Nadkarni and Eknath Solkar were the best in Mumbai. So I have no grudge whatsoever about being denied an early break in the Mumbai side. “But I couldn’t help feeling that if two off-spinners [EAS Prasanna and S Venkataraghavan] could play in the same Indian team, then playing two left-arm spinners would not have done the team any harm.”
There were a lot of performances Shivalkar could take pride in, but he was very satisfied when he sent back Test players like Everton Weekes, Richie Benaud, Ian Craig and Raman Subba Rao, who were playing for an International XI against hosts Cricket Club of India President’s XI in 1961-62. In the second innings, Shivalkar dismissed Weekes again (bowled for 27) and had Tom Graveney caught and bowled.
Fellow left-arm spinner Ravi Shastri told mid-day from Dubai on Monday: “Really sad. Without doubt, Paddy Shivalkar was a big inspiration for me in my early years of cricket.” Shastri made his debut for Mumbai (against Bihar in 1979-80) with Shivalkar as the main spinner. And a recalled Shivalkar played his last game for Mumbai under Shastri’s captaincy in 1987-88.
Sandeep Patil, who was Shivalkar’s teammate for a few years in the Tata Sports Club team, told mid-day: “Another shock after [the passing away of] Milind Rege. I was so lucky that I didn’t play against him! It’s so sad he couldn’t play for India with the late Bishan Singh Bedi and Rajinder Goel around during his time. But let me tell you, Paddy was as good if not better than both of them.”
Two Mumbai stalwarts (who once lived in the same building in Prabhadevi) departing this world within two weeks has indeed left the city’s cricketing fraternity deeply saddened.
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