Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Anil Dalpat is only one of two Hindus who represent Pakistan in Test cricket. His cousin Danish Kaneria, the right-arm leg spin googly bowler, was the second Hindu to capture the most wickets in the history of Pakistan Test cricket. So, Anil’s other two cousins, Mahendra Kumar, and Bharat Kumar also played first-class cricket in Pakistan.
Anil Dalpat was born on September 20, 1963, in a Hindu family. His father, Dalpat Sonawaria, was inspired by the batting of Australian batsman Norm O’Neil. During the Australian tour to Pakistan in 1959, he scored a brilliant 134 at Lahore. So, his father named his son Anil after O’Neil.
In the 1983–84 seasons, Anil was on prime of his cricket career when he took a record 67 wickets behind the stumps. After Wasim Bari’s retirement, Pakistan was searching for an able wicketkeeper who could fill Bari’s place. Although he shines briefly on the international level, fading away as time goes on.
Therefore, in 1984, he made his Test debut against England at Karachi, where he scored 12 and 16 not out and took one catch in the match. He really kept the bowling of Abdul Qadir in disguise, and eventually, Pakistan beat England in a thriller by three wickets. In the same season, he scored a career-best 52 against New Zealand in Karachi.
In an interview with The Dawn in 2002, he blames Imran Khan for destroying his cricketing career. Imran Khan and Muhammad Brothers’ family has been influential in Pakistan cricket circles, so I was always considered a scapegoat because of the brawl between Imran and Muhammad brothers.
Anil Dalpat played just nine Test matches for Pakistan, scoring a mere 167 runs and claiming 25 wickets behind the stumps. On the other format of cricket, he appeared in 15 ODI’s, managing just 87 runs and claiming 15 victims.
His batting was very mediocre; otherwise, he would have played more cricket of Pakistan. Overall, in 137 first-class matches, he scored 2,556 runs at just 17.75 with the career-best of 92* and 9 fifties, including 307 catches and 123 stumps. In 53 List-A matches, he scored 303 runs, with the best of 40*, including 48 catches and 25 stumps.
So, these first-class records clearly show his batting weakness, which was eventually a major reason for not fitting in with the Pakistan side. After retirement, Anil Dalpat attached himself to a coaching career in Canada and then settled as a businessman.
Check out Anil Dalpat stats on Cricinfo and Wikipedia.
Moreover, one of his great acrobatic catch on Imran Khan Bowling
In another video, he took a sensational catch of young Wasim Akram on the Pakistan tour to New Zealand in 1985-86.
