October 12 marks the birth centenary of Vijay Merchant, one of the greatest batsmen ever. The right-hander from Mumbai could play only 10 Tests, mostly due to the war. But in 150 First Class matches, he averaged 71.64, next only to Donald Bradman’s 95.14.

KR Guruprasad pays his tribute to the master batsman in DNA, saying before Tendulkar, Gavaskar’s closest rival in the Indian pantheon of batting was Merchant:

Merchant was not coached during his growing up years and is largely said to have learnt the game on his own. He was only 5’7” but had the dexterity of a fox when it came to footwork. He is said to have filmed his batting and corrected himself often. And those who watched him play say that he played compact and flawlessly as if eliminating any errors from a craft that he has mastered over the years.

Against a visiting England side, Merchant played his last Test at the Kotla in Delhi in 1951. Forty-year old Merchant scored 154, his highest, and also became the oldest Indian to