Vinay Kumar and the other players who took multiple hat-tricks in Ranji Trophy

Pritam Gandhe

Despite being the holder of 340 wickets in a career spanning over 21 years for Vidarbha, and taking two of Vidarbha’s three hat-tricks (the other being Umesh Yadav), this wily off-break bowler is still an unknown name in comparison with the others on this list.

Nagpur, where Gandhe is a native of, may b reputed for spin bowling surfaces today, but at that time was lacking the necessary infrastructure. Thus he traveled all the way to Mumbai, just to fulfill his cricketing aspirations.

After earning his maiden Vidarbha call-up in 1987, he went on to become the first from Vidarbha to play 100 first-class matches. Yet he is unlucky in terms of eer gaining an India cap.

The highest he could play is for Air-India and just a couple of matches for India-A.

He was praised by Narendra Hirwani, his Air-India team mate "Forget the wickets, his action was a beauty. He had everything right as an offspinner: the run-up, the head position, the arm coming down, the follow-through."

In 2006, a local journalist introduced Gandhe to Anil Kumble at Nagpur during England’s tour of India, describing him to Kumble as “the man who was unlucky to have missed out the India cap”.

The strange thing about his hat-tricks is that they were separated by what seems like a generation gap, at around 15 years. His first-hat-trick was in 1993 against Rajasthan, in the first ever first-class match at Alwar. He attained a hat-trick despite going wicketless for over 100 runs in his previous Ranji Trophy match against Uttar Pradesh.

Even in this hat-trick match, after Vidarbha was put to bowl first, he had modest returns of 25-6-66-1. In the next innings, despite a century opening stand between the Vidharbha’s wicket-keeper KSM Iyer and Umakant Phate, they found themselves holed out at 261, falling short of a first innings lead by just three runs.

Rajasthan took this tender lead to an 83 run lead before a wicket finally fell. Then the hero Pritam Gandhe entered the stage, taking eight wickets with the Rajasthan side toppling like dominoes, bowled out for 208. During his spell, he didn’t need the services of a fielder to complete his first hat-trick, as he dismissed Gagan Khoda and Pravin Amre bowled before trapping Sanjiv Mudkavi for LBW.

His second hat-trick in 2008 came against the Services at Palam A Ground at 2008 in Delhi. This time he dismissed two batsmen LBW and one caught behind, as he had five of his six hat-trick victims without anyone’s aid.

Debuting in 1987, he retired only nine years ago in 2008, at the age of 38. He often says that playing well for the team is the reason for which he got to play so many matches.

After retirement, he served in the BCCI’s Junior Selection Committee from 2011 to 2015.