Cricket legend Padmakar Shivalkar passed away at age 84
Indian cricket star and legend Padmakar Shivalkar died at the age of 84 on Monday, March 3, 2025. He is known for his exploits in the Ranji Trophy as Bombay’s star player and as India’s finest left-arm spinner the country has produced.
In his professional career, he bagged a total of 589 wickets in 124 first-class matches, of which 361 of those were settled in the Ranji Trophy competitions. He had an average of 19.69 wickets when he was still active.
Sunil Gavaskar, a former teammate, expressed his grief at the loss of a friend.
‘This is very sad news indeed. Within a short time, Mumbai cricket has lost two of its stalwarts, Milind and now Padmakar, who were the architects of many a victory,’ he stated in an interview.
‘One of my regrets as India captain is not being able to convince the national selectors to include ‘Paddy’ in the Test team. He deserved the India cap far more than some others who got it. That’s fate,’ he also added.
The Mumbai Cricket Association has also expressed their thoughts in an X (formerly Twitter) post on their official profile, sending condolences to the star’s family that was left behind.
Shivalkar’s career: From start to finish
Ever since he was a young kid, Padmakar has shown a love for the sport and has participated in a lot of local cricket circuits in Mumbai. He was spotted and honed by Vinoo Mankad and trained at the Shivaji Park Gymkhana. His first debut as a professional cricket player was back in April 1962 when he was picked in the Cricket Club of India President's XI which would compete against an International XI that was on a world tour.
In that game, he competed against players such as Bob Simpson, Tom Graveney, Colin Cowdrey, Everton Weekes, Richie Benaud, and Sonny Ramadhin. Shivalkar took a 5 for 129 and a 2 for 44 in a game that ended in a draw. This debut game proved that Shivalkar is on a worldwide level of skill. He then became a member of the Bombay cricket team.
In his professional cricket career, Shivalkar was featured in 10 Bombay victories in the Ranji Trophy. They took the campaigns from seasons 1965-66 to 1976-77. Eventually, they lost the streak, but once the team got back on its feet and reclaimed the title in 1980-81, he was part of the winning team.
For his final game, he made a comeback in the 1987–88 Ranji Trophy season. Being in his late 40s, he still made significant plays. His age then caught up to him, and he then retired from playing professionally.
After retiring, Shivalkar lived peacefully with his wife and two kids.
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