Roger Michael Humphrey Binny, born July 19, 1955, is a former all-rounder who played 27 Tests and 72 ODIs for India in the 1980s. On his 60th birthday, Shiamak Unwalla looks at 10 interesting things to know about one of the architects of India’s 1983 World Cup campaign.
1. Sporting childhood
A natural athlete, Binny excelled at multiple sports in his youth; he once held the national record for boys javelin throw, and also represented his school in football and hockey.
2. A pioneer
Binny has the distinction of being the first Anglo-Indian to play Test cricket for India. He achieved the feat when he made his Test debut against Pakistan at his hometown of Bangalore in 1979.
3. World Cup hero
India’s victorious 1983 World Cup campaign could be attributed to the number of all-rounders in the side. Kapil Dev led from the front, but the likes of Binny, Madan Lal, and Mohinder Amarnath made invaluable contributions throughout. Though he did not do much with the bat, Binny was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 18 wickets at 18.67, and a strike-rate of 29.3. His spell of four for 29 against Australia helped India reach the semi-final, and he took the all-important wicket of Clive Lloyd in the final.
4. A genuine all-rounder
His international record might not suggest it, but Binny was a terrific all-rounder in his own right. He was an excellent batsman, often opening for Karnataka in Ranji Trophy, and bowling tirelessly in unhelpful conditions at home. He was also a fantastic fielder.
In the 27 Tests he played, he took 47 wickets at 32.63 and scored 830 runs at 23.05. In 72 ODIs, he scored 629 runs at 16.12 and took 77 wickets at 29.35. His First-Class batting average of 34.08 suggests his obvious talent, though his bowling suffered a bit playing in unresponsive decks.
5. Karnataka stalwart
One of Karnataka’s key players from 1975-76 to 1989-90, Binny often opened batting for his state. His highest First-Class score of 211 not out came early in his career. The innings came when he opened batting with Sanjay Desai against Kerala; the duo put on 451 in an unbroken stand as Karnataka declared without losing a wicket.
That was just one of Binny’s numerous starring roles for Karnataka. In all he played 71 First-Class matches for Karnataka, scoring 4,394 runs at 43.50 with 12 centuries and 21 fifties. He also took 112 wickets at 32.75 with three fifers and best figures of eight for 22.
6. Coaching credentials
Binny was the coach of India’s successful Under-19 World Cup-winning side of 2000, helping the likes of Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh shine. He was later named coach of Bengal in Ranji Trophy, and later on became the part of Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
7. National selector
In 2012 Binny became a national selector; a role he performs even now.
8. Stuart’s selection
Roger’s son Stuart was selected for national duty while Roger was one of the selectors. Reports of nepotism came along with the selection, but Roger maintains that every time the decision for whether or not to pick Stuart is to be made, he leaves the room and lets his fellow selectors decide. To his credit, Stuart is one of the few pace-bowling all-rounders in Indian cricket at present, and he has a remarkable record in his short career: in 13 ODIs he has scored 228 runs at 32.57 and a strike- rate of 94.60. With the ball, he has taken 20 wickets at 18.80 and a strike-rate of 22.1. He currently holds the record of best bowling figures in ODIs by an Indian: six for four against Bangladesh in 2014.
9. Like father like son
Much like Roger, his son Stuart too is a right-handed pace-bowling all-rounder. Even Stuart requires some assistance from the pitch in order to be truly effective, and while Roger was proficient at the top of the order, Stuart is more of a middle and lower-middle order batsman. However, Stuart’s First-Class and ODI records with both bat and ball are slightly better than those of his father. Co-incidentally, of the five occasions in ODIs when Indian pacers have taken all 10 wickets in an innings, there has been a Binny involved on three occasions. Roger (four for 29), along with Madan Lal (four for 20), and Balwinder Sandhu (two for 26) first achieved the feat against Australia in the 1983 World Cup. In the final of the same tournament, Mohinder Amarnath (three for 12), Madan Lal (three for 31), Sandhu (two for 32), Kapil Dev (one for 21), and Binny (one for 23) took all 10 against West Indies. Most recently, Stuart (six for four) and Mohit Sharma (four for 22) routed Bangladesh for 58 in 2014.
10. An odd co-incidence
In a curious twist, both Binny’s first and last ODI was played against Australia, while his Test debut as well as his final Test was against Pakistan. In fact, he played at Bangalore in each match against Pakistan.
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