The tragic life story of India cricketer Janardan Gyanoba Navle who died in extreme poverty

Cricket has now become a very well-paid sports as international cricketers now earn in millions. The respective Cricket boards also take care of the players after their retirement but this was not always the case and several cricketers have battled extreme poverty in the past. One such Indian cricketer was Janardan Gyanoba Navle.

Janardan Gyanoba Navle was India’s first ever Test wicketkeeper and his name is etched in the history as the player who faced the first ball for India in their first test against England at Lord’s on 25th June 1932 at Lord's. Navle played two Tests for India and played 65 first-class matches altogether, having scored 42 and 1976 runs respectively.

Wisden called Navle "a first-rate wicket-keeper, very quick in all that he did". Navle also played for Indians against Arthur Gilligan's MCC team in 1926-27 and Jack Ryder's Australians nine years later. Navle also played for Hindus in the Bombay Quadrangular and Pentangular tournaments. He made his debut for Hindus at the age of 16

Navle retired cricket in 1950 and spent his last days working as a security guard in a sugar mill. It is said that Navle lived in a small flat in Poona. Some reports claimed that Navle died in extreme poverty and was seen begging on the Bombay-Poona highway. Navle died in Poona on 7 September 1979.