The strange career of Madhav Apte

At 20 in November 1952, Bombay’s prolific opener ML Apte debuted against Pakistan with 30 and 10*, followed by 42. Was dropped for the next Test match.

Later in April 1953 Madhav Apte returned from the tour of West Indies with his aggregate and average second only to Polly Umrigar. Below him were Hazare, Mankad, Roy, Manjrekar and the others. His career figures till then read 7 Tests, 542 runs at a very impressive 49.27.

After that day Apte Madhav never played for India again! The selection committee of four comprising Lala Amarnath, Cota Ramaswami, Hormusji Contractor and Manindra ‘Bechu’ Dutta Ray decided officially that Apte was not good enough to continue playing for India. No reasons were asked for; none given. Unofficially, however, the grapevine reported that he lost the vote 2-3 with the chairman’s casting vote going against him.

But what did the three former cricketers and Dutta Ray have against the 20 year old youngster who had such a fantastic tour to the Caribbean? Moreover he was a brilliant fielder who along with Adhikari, Gadkari and Umrigar were magnificent in the outfield giving great support to the brilliant spinner Subhash Gupte on that tour.

I guess Apte’s financial background went against him. He belonged to a super-rich family. The Aptes were industrialists who dealt primarily in textiles. They possessed well-earned wealth from which they liberally donated to charities. Did this huge pot of gold tempt two crooked minds? Probably those two selectors took Oscar Wilde’s remark ‘I can resist everything, except temptation’ too seriously!

If two selectors voted for him who could they be? Your guess is as good as mine. The chairman needed just one man to stab the dagger between Madhav’s shoulder-blades from the rear. And that is precisely what the two crooked men did.

Did they ask for some considerations and not get it? Did they want some kind of deal with one of their concerns? Did the patriarch in the Apte family turn down the offer? Quite likely. Because the enterprising Aptes were an educated, liberal family of high principles and self respect. They would not want one of their own to play for India through the back-door. This of course is a guess of mine, however wild it might be.

Madhavrao Laxmanrao Apte (1932-2019) took in his stride the grave injustice that literally finished his youthful cricket career. Never bothered to cross swords with anyone. Rather concentrated on his family business and kept in touch with the game as a patron of young players. In his final days, his only serious association with cricket was as the president of the iconic Cricket Club of India (CCI).

Met him just once, at CCI. My book on Eden Gardens had just been published in 2014. ML Apte was so impressed that he asked me to do a similar book on Brabourne Stadium. I told him I would not be able to do justice for the spontaneity would be missing. He appreciated my view and did not press.

 An exemplary gentleman of charm and dignity. Viciously stabbed in the back at the peak of his career by a committee of four, including three former cricketers. Reason?  Perhaps for being a rich man’s son, who refused to ...