Madhavrao Laxmanrao Apte was an Indian cricketer who played in seven Tests from 1952 to 1953. He was elected to the office of the president of the Cricket Club of India in 1989. He has since served as the president of the Club’s Legend’s Club and was the chairman of his family’s company, Apte Group.
Indian opener for seven Test matches in the early 1950s Madhav Apte passed away at the Breach Candy Hospital on Monday morning. He was 86 and would have turned 87 on October 5. He lived a full life, Apte scored 542 runs, that included an unbeaten 163 against the likes of Frank King, Gerry Gomez, Frank Worrell, Alf Valentine and Sonny Ramadin in the Queens Park Oval Test of 1953. He played 67 first class matches (46 Ranji Trophy for Bombay and three for Bengal) scored 3336 runs, with six centuries and 16 half centuries. He was converted into an opening batsman by the legendary Vinoo Mankad. Apte was for many years the President of the Cricket Club of India and the Legends Club.
Madhav Apte, former Test cricketer, former Sheriff of Bombay, an industrialist and a man who wore many, many hearts, is no more. He was the fourth oldest living Indian Test cricketer after DK Gaekwad, CD Gopinath and Chandu Patankar. A great character of the game says goodbye. Madhav Apte was as genial as they come. Not playing Test cricket after scoring 460 runs in an away series surprised him, probably cut him deep, but he never showed it.
A Mumbai khadoos who never got bitter Madhav Apte was an aberration in Indian cricket in the true sense of the term. The right-handed opener, who died after suffering a cardiac arrest in Mumbai on Monday, averaged nearly 50 in Test cricket in seven games but didn’t go as far as one would have expected. Madhav Apte was an aberration in Indian cricket in the true sense of the term. Apte’s passion for the game stood as he played till he was past 70. He was one of the loved cricket personalities from the city. In his autobiography ‘As Luck Would Have It’ , Apte has spoken of how after his run in the West Indies, his father was approached by the then chief selector Lala Amarnath for a cloth distributorship for one of their flagship mills in New Delhi. His father declined. Apte was never picked to play for India after that.
To listen to him was rewinding cricket history. Dignified affable yet accessible as a senior. Simple man with simple tastes he loved his scrambled eggs and toast at the All rounder CCI; Passing Peddar Road and Woodland Apartments each time will bring back memories with a smile!. RIP
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
