Castrol Lifetime Achievement award for Vijay Hazare

Captain Vijay Samuel Hazare - Indian cricket's first triple centurion, the first Indian to complete 1000 and 2000 runs in Test cricket and the first Indian to score a century in each innings of a Test, now has another `first' to his credit. He is the first recipient of the Castrol Lifetime Achievement Award, instituted to honour those who have made a significant contribution to Indian cricket.

The 85-year-old former Indian captain will be presented the Castrol award which comprises of a glittering trophy and a cheque worth Rs. 5 lakhs, at his residence in Baroda. The award will be presented by Jiten Goswami - Director Automotive Sales & Marketing, Castrol India Limited.

Born in 1915 at Sangli in Maharashtra, Hazare spent his formative cricketing years under the tutelage of three legends; DB Deodhar, CK Nayudu and the Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett. The years of the second World War saw him pile on the runs and drive many a bowler to despair in the Ranji Trophy and Pentangulars.

Hazare made his Test debut on the tour of England in 1946. The fourth Test of the 1947-48 series between India and Australia, played at Adelaide, marked a watershed for Hazare and for Indian cricket. With scores of 116 and 145, against a mighty side led by `the Don' himself, Hazare provided what was at that point the most outstanding achievement by an Indian Test cricketer.

Hazare went on to lead India to her first-ever Test win, against the touring Englishmen in 1951-52. He bowed out of Test cricket after taking the side to the Caribbean in 1952-53, but his services to Indian cricket did not end there. He was chairman of the selection committee when India recorded her first-ever victory in a Test series against England, in 1961-62.

In 30 Test matches, Hazare scored 2192 runs at an average of 47.65 including seven centuries with a highest score of 164 not out against England at New Delhi in 1951-52. He also took 20 wickets including that of Bradman twice in Tests. In a first class career spanning over 30 years, Hazare amassed 18,740 runs at an average of 58.38 including 60 centuries. He also took 595 wickets (average 24.61) and held 165 catches. He was one of the outstanding performers in the Ranji Trophy, running up a tally of 6312 runs at an average of 68.61 with 22 hundreds - figures that stood as records for years. He also took 291 wickets at an average of 19.66.

For three years, Castrol has honoured the present and future of Indian cricket. Sachin Tendulkar was a deserving first winner of the Castrol Indian cricketer of the Year Award in 1997-98. He was emulated by Rahul Dravid in 1998-99. Among the juniors, Jyoti Yadav, the talented opening batsman from UP won the Castrol Junior Cricketer of the Year Award in 1997-98, and Rajesh Pawar, the diminutive left-arm spinner from Mumbai, pocketed the prize the following year. This year, Castrol has for the first time, paid a tribute to the glorious past of Indian cricket.