Former India all-rounder Bapu Nadkarni, best known for bowling a record 21 successive maiden overs in a Test match, passed away on Friday. Nadkarni was 86 and is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Speaking about Nankarni  Sunil Gavaskar said, "He was gritty despite playing in the days when gloves and thigh pads were not very good, not much protective equipment as you would get hit, but still hang in there as he believed in choddo matt. You are playing for India. That thing we learnt from him."

"He died of old-age related problems," Nadkarni's son-in-law Vijay Khare said. Nadkarni, a left-handed batsman and slow-left arm orthodox bowler, played 41 Tests in which he scored 1414 runs and grabbed 88 wickets with 6/43 as his best bowling figures.

Nadkarni was a Mumbai stalwart having played 191 first-class matches and taken 500 wickets and scored 8880 runs. The Nashik-born Nadkarni made his Test debut against New Zealand in Delhi in 1955 and played his last Test at Auckland against the same opponents in 1968 under MAK Pataudi's captaincy. However, he rose to frame after he bowled 21 successive maidens. His figures in that Madras (now Chennai) test read 32-27-5-0.

He was known more for his accuracy as he also had Test match figures like the 1960-61 series against Pakistan where he returned with figures of 32-24-23-0 at Kanpur followed by 34-24-24-1 in Delhi.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah also expressed his grief at Nadkarni's death. "It is with profound sadness that BCCI has learnt of the passing of former India all-rounder Rameshchandra Gangaram 'Bapu' Nadkarni. The 86-year-old breathed his last at his daughter's residence in Mumbai on Friday. The Board shares the pain and grief of the Nadkarni family and prays for the departed soul."