Nari Contractor
The fateful head injury
Contractor was hit by a Griffith bouncer on March 17, 1962 in a side game against Barbados.
Nari Contractor (born 7 March 1934) whose international career ended after a head injury, played for India in 31 Tests from 1955 to 1962.
A left-handed opening batsman, Contractor played 138 first-class games. He is also fondly remembered for a gutsy 81 at Lord’s against England in 1959 despite suffering from broken ribs off the bowling of Brian Statham. Contractor had to go through multiple operations after being struck badly Griffith's bouncer.
It was a series of unfortunate incidents which led to Contractor being hit by Griffith’s bouncer. Just a ball before being hit, he was dropped at short leg. Apparently, his partner Rusi Surti told him that Grifith was chucking the ball, even as someone opened the dressing room window at that time. All this seemed to have distracted him.
During the surgery, amongst the five people who donated blood to save Contractor’s life were legendary West Indian captain Frank Worrell, Chandu Borde, Bapu Nadkarni, Polly Umrigar and journalist KN Prabhu. After regaining consciousness, Contractor graciously told Griffith’s wife that it was his fault, and not the bowler’s
Eventually, a titanium plate was inserted in an operation conducted by Dr Chandy, a famous neurosurgeon that time, at the Christian Medical College in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, in 1962. Encouraged by Dr Chandy, Contractor later made a remarkable comeback to first-class in 1962-63 and played for Gujarat and West Zone till 1970-71.
The metal plate, inserted 60 years before in former India captain ’s head after being hit by a bouncer on the 1962 tour of the West Indies, was in 2022, removed through surgery on medical advice. Contractor was 88-years-old then.
