B. B. Nimbalkar
Bhausaheb Babasaheb Nimbalkar was an Indian first-class cricketer who is remembered for his innings of 443 not out in the 1948–49 Ranji Trophy match between Maharashtra and Kathiawar. At the time, it was the second-highest score in the history of first-class cricket. It remains the Indian record and is also the highest score by a batsman who never played in Test cricket. Nimbalkar was a right-handed batsman whose career spanned the seasons from 1939/40 to 1963/64. He played for six first-class teams: Baroda, Maharashtra, Holkar, Madhya Bharat, Rajasthan, and Railways. He was an occasional wicket-keeper and a right-arm fast-medium bowler.
Early life
Nimbalkar was born in Kolhapur. He had his early education at the Model School in Kolhapur, and captained the school team at the age of 15.Career
Debut
Nimbalkar joined Baroda and, aged 19, made his first-class and Ranji Trophy debut on 18–20 November 1939 against Gujarat at Baroda's Police Gymkhana Ground. Baroda won the match by 52 runs. They scored 127 and 166; Gujarat replied with 100 and 141. Batting in the lower middle order, Nimbalkar scored 6 and 27. He opened the bowling with Edulji Gai and took 3/16 and 1/36. His older brother, wicket-keeper Raosaheb Nimbalkar, was also playing that match and the two often appeared alongside each other.Record score in India
Nimbalkar moved to Maharashtra and played for them until 1950/51. During the 1948–49 Ranji Trophy, in the match against Kathiawar on the Poona Club Ground, Nimbalkar scored 443 not out. At the time, Nimbalkar's innings was second only to Don Bradman's 452 not out as the world record for the highest individual innings in first-class cricket. Currently, the innings is the fourth-highest of all time, having been surpassed by those of Pakistani batting great Hanif Mohammad and the greatest West Indian Brian Lara.He was unable to break the record because, with the total standing at 826 for 4 at the lunch interval, the opposing captain, the Thakore Saheb of Rajkot, conceded the match to prevent embarrassment on the part of his team. Bradman sent a personal note to Nimbalkar saying that he considered Nimbalkar's innings better than his own.