Surinder Amarnath

Given the brilliant start to his Test career, and the promise he held out, Surinder Amarnath's overall figures may be disappointing. But he was given a raw deal by the selectors. As the one classy left-hander in the side at the time, he could have been persevered with. Starting out as a schoolboy prodigy - his Ranji debut came when he was only 15 and made his mark first on the 1967 Indian schoolboys tour of England - Surinder continued to live up to this early potential by scoring a century on debut in an unofficial Test against Sri Lanka in 1975-76 and followed this up a few months later with a century on Test debut in New Zealand.

An aggressive batsman, Surinder could be bit flashy but when in full flow he was a treat to watch and could decimate even the best of attacks. He headed the averages in the two Tests he played against England in 1976-77, scoring two half centuries in four innings but he was unfortunate to sustain an injury early on the tour of Australia in 1977-78 and had to return home. However he did reasonably well on the tour of Pakistan in 1978-79 but was not considered again. This, despite getting 235 not out for Delhi against Rest of India in 1980-81 following which there was a clamour for his inclusion in the team that went to Australia that season. A prolific run getter in domestic cricket, Surinder scored 4206 runs (41.24) in the Ranji Trophy.
Partab Ramchand