Sadanand Viswanath
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 India (Ind) |
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| Batting style | Right-hand bat | |
| Bowling type | - | |
| Tests | ODIs | |
| Matches | 3 | 22 |
| Runs scored | 31 | 72 |
| Batting average | 6.20 | 9.00 |
| 100s/50s | -/- | -/- |
| Top score | 20 | 23* |
| Balls bowled | - | - |
| Wickets | - | - |
| Bowling average | - | - |
| 5 wickets in innings | - | - |
| 10 wickets in match | - | N/A |
| Best bowling | - | - |
| Catches/stumpings | 11/- | 17/7 |
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As of 4 February 2006 |
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Sadanand Viswanath pronunciation (born November 29, 1962, Bangalore, Karnataka) is a former Indian cricketer who played in 3 Tests and 22 ODIs, from 1985 to 1988. Currently, he is a first class umpire and coach.
‘Firebrand’ Vishy caught the imagination of the public as part of the India team which won the World Championship of Cricket tournament in Australia and the Rothmans Cup in Sharjah in 1985. This vindicated the defending champions' status as 'undisputed champions of the world' after their 1983 World Cup victory.
An aggressive wicketkeeper and hard-hitting batsman, he is remembered for a sky-high six he hit out of Bangalore's Chinnaswamy stadium against Allan Border’s Australians. Border commented later, “The ball probably had ice on it when it came down!”
Vishwanath’s stint in international cricket was brief but noticed by all because of the aura he commanded behind the stumps. Sunil Gavaskar commented in his book 'One-Day Wonders', “People will talk about many reasons why we won the World Championship of Cricket in 1985. One of the reasons was the presence of Sadanand Vishwanath behind the stumps.” Even the Australian media had written that “ this good-looking wicket-keeper may be on his way to becoming India’s best ever.”
'Vishy' was not able to live up to the promise he had shown, although flashes of his 'brilliance' emerged when India invariably performed well whenever he was recalled into the team. The popular saying at the time was "Sadanand Vishwanath has returned and so has the luck." Vishy, however, was not so lucky himself and eventually lost his place to upcoming wicketkeepers Kiran More and Chandrakant Pandit.
He now runs a cricket coaching camp for youngsters in Bangalore and also follows the game closely as an umpire. Two decades since his exit from international cricket, many believe it is only now that the true 'replacement' for Vishy has been found in the current incumbent, the hard hitting Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
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