60.33 Average: The best for India

60.33 Average in test cricket is still the best for India as no one reach this mark since 1950s. Born on 18 October 1928 Deepak Shodhan’s case is one of the most baffling in the history of Indian cricket. An attractive left-hand batsman, he made a memorable debut against Pakistan in the fifth Test at Calcutta in 1952-53. Coming in at No 8, with the total 179 for 6, he propped up the latter half of the order so effectively that India ultimately reached 397. Shodhan was last out for 110, becoming the first player to score a hundred in the first innings of his first Test for India.
Deepak Shodhan, also know as Roshan, was immediately hailed as a bright new star on the Indian batting horizon and on the tour of West Indies which followed immediately he got 45 and 11 in the first Test at Port-of-Spain. Injuries however kept him out of the next three Tests and when brought back for the final Test, he was taken ill on the first day and could not bat in the first innings and then went onto score 15 not out in the second innings of the match.
At the end of the tour Shodhan had scored 181 runs in three Tests at an average of 60.33. Astonishingly, that remained the extent of his Test career for he was never again picked to play for the country.
However, he continued to play in the Ranji Trophy and Indian first class cricket and had a record of 1802 runs (31.61) and 73 wickets (34.05) with his left-arm medium pacers in first class career.
Deepak Shodhan played for Gujarat, Baroda, West Zone and Indian Universities. He was born and brought up in Ahmedabad, spent his whole life in Ahmedabad and even today he resides in Ahmedabad with his elder brother Jyotindra Shodhan, also first class cricketer and former captained of Gujarat Ranji team, Deepak Shodhan highest score in Ranji Trophy is not for Gujarat but for Baroda. He scored 261 for Baroda against Maharashtra at Wadia Park, Ahmednagar in 1957-58, the season when Baroda won the Ranji Trophy under the leadership of DK Gaekwad.