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Born: April 6, 1956, Rajapur, Maharashtra
Major teams: India, Mumbai, Staffordshire
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm medium
Achievements:First player to score three consecutive Test centuries at Lord's; Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1987; more than 6,000 Test runs; former India captain
Dilip Vengsarkar made his Test debut against New Zealand at Auckland in the first test of the 1975-76 series. Stylish and elegant, Vengsarkar was the mainstay of Indian batting for a long time, playing in the crucial Number 3 position.
From 1986 to 1988, when Vengsarkar was going through a purple patch, he was regarded one of the leading batsmen in the world. From 1986 to 1988, in 16 Tests, he scored eight hundreds. Vengsarkar's century at Lord's in 1986 earned him the unique distinction of scoring three consecutive Test match centuries at Lord's. Riding on Vengsarkar's superb batting, India won that Test series in England.
In recognition of his amazing consistency, Vengsarkar was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1987. He took over the reins of the Indian team from Kapil Dev in 1987 but couldn't repeat the success of his predecessor.
