Naoomal Jeoomal was a cricketer who played for undivided India. He was born on April 17, 1904 at Karachi in Sind Province, which is presently located in Pakistan. Apart from the Indian team, he also represented Hindus, Sind and Northern India in domestic cricket. He was a right-handed batsman and also bowled leg breaks. He represented India in 3 tests where he scored 108 runs with an average of 27 and played 84 first class matches with an aggregate of 4140 runs, an average of 32.59 and 7 hundreds including a best score of 203 not out against the Nawanagar team. He also took 108 wickets in these matches with an average of 27.54. He captured 6 five-wicket hauls including a best bowling display of 5/18.
Career span
Jeoomal played his first test match against England at Lord’s from June 25-28, 1932. His last test came against the same opposition 2 years later in Chennai. The test was played from February 10-13.
How did his career pan out?
Jeoomal has been described primarily as a defensive batsman even though he once showed the temerity to drive the first ball he faced in a Ranji Trophy match from fast bowler Mahomed Nisar for an overboundary. He also had the distinction of opening the batting for his country in its first test match.
He managed 33 and 25 in that match and later on when the All India team played Middlesex on that very ground, he batted for more than 6 hours to score an unbeaten innings of 164 not out. Wisden has described the innings as a rather colorless one. During that innings, he also added 179 in a third wicket partnership with CK Nayudu. He also got a century against Derbyshire in that series. In all, that tour was a decent one for him with 1297 runs scored at an average of 30.88.
He played a couple of tests more against England in the 1933-34 season. He got 2 and 43 in the test at Calcutta but in Madras was laid low with a gash over his left eye while trying to hook a bouncer from fast bowler Nobby Clark. The injury was so grave that he had to be carried off on a stretcher and then could not bat in the second innings.
How did he break into the national team?
Jeoomal came to the Indian team on the back of some strong performances for his domestic team Sind. The 1938 season, where he got his best score, was the most rewarding for him in terms of runs as can be understood from the phenomenal average of 104.50. He also performed well against the Ceylon team scoring a century in Lahore in 1932-33.
Later life
After Partition, he went on to coach Pakistan during the latter half of 1950s and guided a number of top players such as Hanif Mohammed, the first little master of sub-continental cricket. He passed away in Bombay on July 18, 1980 at the age of 76 years and 102 days.
