Dilip Vengsarkar Height, Weight, Age, Facts, Family
Publish date: 2024-05-21
Dilip Vengsarkar Quick Info
Height
5 ft 8 in
Weight
75 kg
Date of Birth
April 6, 1956
Zodiac Sign
Aries
Spouse
Manali Vengsarkar
Dilip Vengsarkar is an Indian cricket administrator, coach, and former professional cricketer who represented his country in the longer formats of the sport (6,868 runs (including 17 centuries) in 116 test matches & 3,508 runs in 129 ODI matches), between January 1976 and February 1992, as a top-order batter. One of the mainstays of the Indian batting order during his era, Dilip was India’s 2nd-highest run-scorer and century-maker (only behind the legendary Sunil Gavaskar on both counts) in the test match format when he retired from international cricket. He was a part of the Indian squad that won the 1983 ICC (International Cricket Council) Cricket World Cup, the first time that India had won the prestigious tournament. He played 2 of India’s 6 group-stage matches in the tournament and had to leave the field (‘retired hurt’) after he was struck in the face, by a rising delivery, in the 2nd of those 2 matches. In the Indian domestic circuit, Dilip played for Bombay (1975-76-1991-92) across both formats. He also, briefly, represented Staffordshire County Cricket Club (1985) in England. For his services to the sport, the Government of India honored him with the Arjuna Award (the 2nd-highest sporting honor in India) in 1981 and the Padma Shri (the 4th-highest civilian honor in India) in 1987.
Born Name
Dilip Balwant Vengsarkar
Nick Name
Colonel
Dilip Vengsarkar as seen in an Instagram Post in March 2022 (Dilip Vengsarkar Cricket Academy / Instagram)
Sun Sign
Aries
Born Place
Rajapur, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra (then part of Bombay State), India
Residence
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality
Occupation
Cricket Administrator, Coach, Professional Cricketer (Retired)
Dilip Vengsarkar as seen in an Instagram Post in October 2021 (Dilip Vengsarkar Cricket Academy / Instagram)
Family
Father – Balwant Vengsarkar (d. May 2022)
Others – Karan Danthi (Son-in-Law) (Investor, Hedge Fund Manager), Ayesha Faridi (Daughter-in-Law) (Journalist, Business News Anchor)
Batting
Right-Handed
Bowling
Right-Arm Medium
Role
Top-Order Batter
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 8 in or 173 cm
Weight
75 kg or 165.5 lbs
Dilip Vengsarkar as seen in an Instagram Post in January 2022 (Dilip Vengsarkar Cricket Academy / Instagram)
Girlfriend / Spouse
Dilip has dated –
Manali Vengsarkar (1981-Present) – Dilip married an Indian jewelry designer named Manali in August 1981 and the couple has 2 children together – a daughter named Pallavi Vengsarkar (Entrepreneur, Fashion Accessories Designer) and a son named Nakul Vengsarkar (Interior Designer, Architect, Photographer).
Race / Ethnicity
Asian (Indian)
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Toned physique
Short-cropped, side-parted hair
Bespectacled
Sports a mustache
Dilip Vengsarkar as seen in an Instagram Post in February 2022 (Dilip Vengsarkar Cricket Academy / Instagram)
Dilip Vengsarkar Facts
In October 1986, in a test match against Australia, Dilip and Ravi Shastri put together an unbeaten stand of 298 runs for the 6th wicket. It was the then 2nd-highest partnership for the 6th wicket in the history of test match cricket. As of March 2023, this was still the 9th-highest such partnership.
In 1987, he was named one of the 5 ‘Wisden Cricketers of the Year’. The honor is given annually by the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack (widely regarded as the ‘Bible of Cricket’), a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom, to players who made the biggest impact on the previous English cricket season.
Dilip was the vice-captain of the Indian squad at the 1987 edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup. He was India’s top-scorer in India’s 3rd and 4th group stage matches – 46 runs not out in an 8-wicket win over Zimbabwe and 63 runs in a 56-run victory over eventual (and 1st-time) champions Australia, respectively – in that tournament. He also scored 33 runs not out in India’s 7-wicket win against Zimbabwe in India’s 5th group stage match.
He was not required to bat in India’s 6th (and last) group-stage match of the tournament – a 9-wicket hammering of New Zealand – as India finished the group stage in pole position with a 5-1 win-loss record. Dilip did not play the semi-final match of the tournament – a 35-run defeat at the hands of England – due to an upset stomach that was caused by a seafood allergy.
Despite being heavily criticized for the fiasco, he was appointed the captain of the Indian senior national cricket team after the conclusion of the 1987 ICC Cricket World Cup. Although he smashed 2 centuries in his first test match series as captain, Dilip’s tenure (10 test matches) was turbulent and he lost the captaincy following a disastrous tour of the West Indies in early 1989.
Another factor that led to his dismissal (as captain) was a stand-off with the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), the governing body for the sport in the country, that was caused by his unsanctioned participation in a few exhibition cricket matches in the United States.
At the peak of his career (8 centuries in 16 test matches between 1986 and 1988), Dilip was rated as the best batsman in the world – holding the number one position for 21 months (until March 2, 1989).
After he retired from international cricket in February 1992, he began to focus on cricket coaching. His institution, the Elf-Vengsarkar Academy (now known as the Dilip Vengsarkar Cricket Academy), was established in 1995.
In 2003, he became the vice president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, the governing body for the sport in Mumbai (India’s largest city) and surrounding regions such as Thane and Navi Mumbai. Dilip had previously served as the first chairman of the Talent Resource Development Wing (created in 2002), an initiative of the BCCI that was aimed at spotting talent beyond the established cricketing centers in India.
In 2006, the BCCI appointed him as chairman of selectors for the Indian senior national cricket team. During his tenure (which lasted until 2008), the Indian team endured a disastrous group-stage exit at the 2007 edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup – after shambolic defeats against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. However, the team also made amends by winning the 2007 (and inaugural) edition of the ICC World Twenty20, just about 6 months later.
At the 2013-14 edition of the BCCI Awards (an annual award ceremony held by the board since 2006-07), Dilip was honored with the ‘CK Nayudu Award’ for lifetime achievement. The award is named after the late Cottari Kanakaiya ‘CK’ Nayudu (d. November 1967), the first man to captain the Indian cricket team in a test match.
Interestingly, Dilip was nicknamed ‘Colonel’ because his batting was reminiscent of CK Nayudu’s batting style and discipline – ‘Colonel’ was associated with CK Nayudu’s name because the ruler of Holkar (a princely state in British India) had made him a captain in his army in the 1920s, conferring on him the honor of a ‘Colonel’.
Featured Image by Dilip Vengsarkar Cricket Academy / Instagram
