Correct Answer : Option (C) - 15th April 2024
Derek Underwood, England's best spinner in the post-World War II era, who gave a torrid time to the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, passed away at Kent on 15th April 2024. He was 78.
* Underwood, a practitioner of slow left-arm orthodox spin, was highly regarded by his contemporaries because of his pin-point accuracy, something which made him 'Deadly' on uncovered pitches of the 60s and 70s.
* The Bromley-man had numbers to match his reputation too — 297 wickets from 86 Tests, the most by an England spinner, and in a First-Class career that spanned 24 years he took 2,465 wickets.
* But the numbers told only a part of the story. One of Underwood's finest moments on the field came in 1977 when he took 29 wickets to help England beat India 3-1 in a five-match series.
* It was the Three Lions' first series win on these shores since their victory in the 1933-34 tour under the legendary Douglas Jardine.
* Hedley Verity, another crafty left-arm spinner, was the architect of that triumph, taking 24 wickets across three Tests.
* Four decades down the line, Underwood kept the legacy of Verity intact in the company of pacer John Lever, who took 24 wickets to support his spin colleague ably.
