Name Hindi: विवेक राज़दान / Gender Man
Vivek Razdan
Vivek Razdan is a renowned name in the world of cricket. He was born on August 25, 1969 in Delhi, India. Remarkably gifted and extremely disciplined, Vivek became one of the youngest players to pace into international cricket when he was just eighteen.
He took up cricket at an early age and owing to his exceptional performance at school levels; he got an opportunity to play for Delhi’s Under-19 team. His impressive performances captured attention and soon secured him a place in the national U-19 squad.
Career Highlights
- Razdan made his debut in Test Cricket during the fourth match of the West Indies Tour of India (1987-88) replacing injured Chetan Sharma.
- In ODIs, Razdan debuted against Zimbabwe during the Reliance World Cup on October 11, 1987.
- He played total two Tests and grabbed five wickets with best figures of three for 79 from seven innings bowled.
- In his ODI career, Razdan represented India in three matches picking up only two wickets with best figures of two for 50.
A right-arm medium pacer, Razdan unfortunately could not prolong his international tenure due to injuries. Despite having tremendous potential, his inability to maintain fitness limited his international career which lasted around ten months.
Post Preferential Career
After retiring as an active cricketer, Razdan turned towards coaching and commentating.
He held various coaching posts including coach of Indian Women’s Team for England tour in 2006 and Rajasthan Ranji Trophy team where under his tutelage number of budding cricketers have scaled great heights.
His insights about cricket and capability to steer young cricketers towards success is well acknowledged in the Indian cricketing circles. He was appointed coach at the Zonal Cricket Academy of North Zone and also served as an Astute commentator for Doordarshan (India’s national broadcaster) and ESPN-Star during international matches. Vivek Razdan’s dedication to enhancing his physical strength, technical abilities, tactical knowledge has positioned him to be regarded as one of India’s distinguished cricket personalities.
Notable Achievements:
- Razdan’s performance shone exceptionally during India’s Tour to Pakistan – 1989 where he bagged five wickets in his very first innings.
- He will always be remembered for his complete domination over Pakistani batsmen, especially Salim Malik who fell prey to Razdan four times.
To conclude, Vivek Razdan may not have had a long-stretching career in International Cricket but he left indelible footprints by constantly imparting knowledge through commentary and coaching which clearly reflects his undying passion towards the game.
