Former Indian skipper Nari Contractor underwent successful surgery on Wednesday to get the metal plate removed which was inserted in his skull 60 years ago following a Charlie Griffith bouncer that struck him on the head. The deadly bouncer by the West Indies bowler not only ended his international career but was life-threatening as well.
“The operation was successful and he will be fine soon. He will be in hospital for a few more days and after doctor’s advice, we will take him home. We will take one step at a time. The skin was disintegrating on the plate. So he had lost the skin covering it, hence it was advised by the doctors to get it removed,” Hoshedar told The Indian Express. “Our family was a bit worried which is natural. It’s not a major operation but is surely a critical operation.”
On the 1962 tour, Contractor went under the knife as emergency measures. Players from both sides donated blood to the former Indian skipper which included West Indies captain Frank Worrell, Chandu Borde, Bapu Nadkarni, Polly Umrigar. Also, journalist K.N Pradhu donated blood.
in Tamil Nadu and a metal plate was inserted to protect him from further damage. Six decades later, the doctors advised him to remove the plate due to degeneration of skin as it risked infection in future.
International career
The Gujarat-born batter represented India in 31 Test and scored 1,611 runs at an average of 31.58 including one century and 11 half-century. His only Test century came against Australia.
Return to crease
While his international career ended after the life-threatening blow, he continued to play First-Class matches till he was 37 years old. The left-handed batter played 138 First-Class games and scored 8,611 runs at an average of 39.86 including 22 centuries.
