New Delhi. Many pairs of brothers (including three and four brothers) have played at the international level in the game of cricket. The most famous names in this pair are the Chappell brothers from Australia – Ian, Greg and Trevor, the Waugh brothers – Steve and Mark, the Morsh brothers – Sean and Michelle, the Lee brothers – Brett and Shane, the Crow brothers from New Zealand – Martin and Jeff, the Morkel brothers from South Africa – Albie and the Flower brothers from Morne and Zimbabwe – Andy and Grant. These brothers played together in international cricket. Due to his playing skills, he not only created many records but also played an important role in many victories of the team. The names of India’s Pathan brothers – Irfan and Yusuf and Pandya brothers – Hardik and Krunal can also be included.
Apart from this, India has a pair of brothers who played top level cricket, but one brother managed to make it to the Indian team while the other was left out despite showing immense talent. Let us see such a prominent pair of brothers in which one brother played international cricket while the other brother had a long career in domestic cricket but never played for the Indian team.
The batsman, who was dismissed for 99 in the Test, never scored a century again in his career.
Sourav Ganguly and Snehasish Ganguly
Snehashish Ganguly, elder brother of one of the successful captains of Team India, Sourav Ganguly, is also an excellent cricketer and has played in many matches for West Bengal. Snehasish was an attractive left-handed batsman. Despite being right-handed, Sourav started batting left-handed to use his cricket kit. Sourav has played 113 Tests and 311 ODIs for India. He has 7212 runs and 32 wickets in Test cricket and 11363 runs and 100 wickets in ODIs. On the other hand, Snehashish, four years older than Sourav, ended his career after 58 first-class and 18 List A matches. Snehashish has scored 2534 runs with 6 centuries in first class cricket and 275 runs in List A matches.
4-4-0-2… All four bowlers who bowl madden overs in T20Is will also play in the World Cup.
Mohammad Kaif and Mohammad Saif
Mohammad Kaif who played 13 Tests and 125 ODI matches is also known as a great fielder. He looked as agile as a leopard on the field. He took even the most difficult catches with ease and contributed to the Indian team’s victory by scoring many brilliant run outs. Under the captaincy of Kaif, the Indian team achieved the honor of becoming the Under-19 World Cup champion in the year 2000. Kaif’s elder brother Saif (Mohammed Saif), who scored 624 runs with a century in Tests and 2753 runs with two centuries in ODIs, has also played for Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh teams in domestic cricket. Saif, four years older than Kaif, scored 1290 runs with the help of two centuries in 39 first-class matches and also took 27 wickets. He also played 37 List A and one T20 match. Saif has 547 wickets and 13 wickets in List A matches. Kaif and Saif’s father Mohammad Tarif has also played first class cricket for Railways and UP.
A spell of 59 overs, the record for non-stop bowling in Tests is held by an Indian bowler
Vijay Hazare and Vivek Hazare
Vijay Hazare is considered among the best batsmen in the country. He scored 2192 runs at an average of 47.65 in 30 Tests, including seven centuries. Vijay was the first batsman for India to score a century in both Test innings, scoring 116 in the first innings of the Adelaide Test against Australia and 145 in the second. However, despite this unmatched innings, Team India had to lose the match by an innings margin. Vijay’s younger brother Vivek (Vivekananda) Hazare also played 49 first-class matches for Vadodara and Mysore. Apart from scoring 674 runs in first class cricket, he also took 68 wickets. India did not get a chance to play.
Richards’ record was broken by the fastest batsman to score a century in his last Test.
AG Kripal Singh and AG Satwinder Singh
AG Kripal Singh scored 422 runs and took 10 wickets in 14 Tests for India as a right-handed batsman and off-break bowler from 1955 to 1964. Kripal’s brother AG Milkha Singh also played 4 Tests as a left-handed batsman, but his brother AG Satvender Singh, who scored 2726 runs with 4 centuries in 60 first-class matches, never played for India.
Chennai-born bowler takes hat-trick in T20 WC, know who did this feat
Mohinder Amarnath and Rajinder Amarnath
The Amarnath family’s contribution to Indian cricket is not hidden from anyone. Lala Amarnath, who holds a special place in Indian cricket, has the distinction of being the first cricket captain of independent India. He scored the first century for India in a Test match. Lala played an innings of 118 runs against England in his debut Test. After Lala, his son Surinder (Surinder Amarnath) played 10 Tests and three ODIs and Mohinder (Mohinder Amarnath) played 69 Tests and 85 ODIs for India. While Surinder, like his father, achieved the feat of scoring a century on Test debut, Mohinder was a member of the Indian team that won the World Cup in 1983. Surinder and Mohinder’s other brother Rajinder Amarnath also played 36 first-class matches and scored 1164 runs but never played for India.
Like Lala Amarnath, CK Naidu is also counted among the legends of Indian cricket. He was the first (pre-independence) captain of the Indian team, considered a fearless batsman, played 7 Tests for India and his brother CS Naidu played 11 Tests. His two brothers CL Naidu and CR Naidu also played some first class matches but never played for India.
One of the cricketers whose career ended due to injury/illness was the captain of India.
Mohammad Shami and Mohammad Kaif
The name of fast bowler Mohammad Shami and his brother Kaif can also be included in this list. However, Kaif’s career has just started and it is possible that like his elder brother, Kaif will also play for India in the future.
229 wickets in 64 Tests, 195 wickets in 101 ODIs and 24 wickets in 23 T20 matches is the story of Mohammad Shami’s sportsmanship. He proved to be the best bowler in the World Cup 2023 and took a maximum of 24 wickets in just 7 matches at an average of 10.70, an economy of 5.26 and a strike rate of 12.20, including a 5-wicket performance in three innings. Shami is in recovery mode after undergoing an ankle surgery and is not part of the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. Shami’s brother Kaif (Mohammed Kaif) is also currently playing cricket for West Bengal. Kaif, six years younger than Shami, made his first-class debut this year. He has played 6 First Class and 9 List A matches so far. He has shown his playing skills by scoring 61 runs and taking 17 wickets in first class matches. He has taken 12 wickets in 9 List A matches.
Tags: Cricket, Indian cricket, Mohammad Kaif, Mohammed Shami, Snehasish Ganguly, Sourav Ganguly, Team India, Test cricket, Vijay Hazare
First published: May 10, 2024, 14:31 IST