Gupte tricked many batsmen, but got tricked by a teammate

Makarand Waingankar, writing in the Times of India, says that legendary legspinner Subhash Gupte was dropped from the team in the 1950’s because of dirty politics.

What is it about comparisons between cricketers of different eras that make one sit up and take notice. When Don Bradman said, ‘I never saw myself play, but when I saw Tendulkar, I felt he has a similar technique,’ the world picked the story up. Similarly, when Garfield Sobers said that Subhash Gupte was clearly superior to Shane Warne, eyebrows were raised. The player, who took 149 wickets at an average of 29.55 in 36 Tests without the support of alert fielding, was dropped because of dirty politics. Later, the BCCI made amends recommending him to the CBFS in Sharjah. At a time when Gupte was bowling exceedingly well, this one-sided decision of the BCCI shattered him. A frustrated Gupte left for Trinidad and cricket lost a bowler forever.