Dayanand Bangera's Journey from Local to International Cricket

July 8, 2006

by Anisa Fathima with inputs from Sujay Bendur

Dubai: When a son was born to Sanjeeva Bangera and Susheela Bangera of Katapadi in the temple town of Udupi in the year 1963, little did they realise that their son, Dayanand Bangera would one day go on to achieve milestones not only Mangaloreans but the whole of Billawa community would be proud of.

Right from childhood Bangera showed an exceptional talent for cricket. By the age of 13, he had started playing tournaments with senior players. Having finished his basic schooling from S.V.S Venkatarama College in Katapadi he went on to graduate from Poorna Prajna College, Udupi. By then, he had scored many a century and won many a match for the teams he played for. Needless to say, he was the centre of attention in every match he played.

His stint at Poorna Prajna College saw him play in Udupi Cricket league and Mangalore Cricket league. His performances were so brilliant in league matches that he secured an entry in to Udupi XI, Mangalore University and Mangalore Zone.

Thereafter Bangera never looked back. His bat did the talking by scoring runs upon runs in match after match. He scored a number of centuries while representing the prestigious City Crickets Mangalore, one of the most respected cricket teams in the city. Against Govindas College he scored 150 and 160 runs on a trot and another 170 runs against Parkala in league matches of 40 overs. 

His next big moment came when he represented Mangalore University and Mangalore Zone in 1983-84. He then joined Corporation Bank. Lack of support from Karnataka Cricket Association for Mangalore and Udupi players forced him to take a transfer in 1986 to Goa to try his luck for a berth in the Ranji team.

Transfer to Goa proved to be a turning point in his career. The Goa Cricket Association encouraged him and provided him with all the support that enabled him to secure a place in the Goa Ranji team. His stint as a Ranji player lasted from 1986 to 1990, during which he played 20 Ranji Trophy and Subbaiya Pillai one-day matches. By the time he had finished, he averaged 55 in one-day matches and 29 in Ranji matches with seven not-outs to his credit.

His 126 not-out against Kerala was his maiden century in Ranji Trophy. He was part of the 5th wicket partnership of 276 runs scored between morning and tea time - a remarkable effort indeed.

He went on to represent various teams and travelled to all parts of the world. He played in Australia, New Zealand, Holland, South Africa, Malaysia, Pakistan and UAE. In one of the tours to Australia Bangera emerged as the leading scorer for his team. He also scored 2 centuries in the South Africa tour.

Opportunities to play and be guided by some of the famous names in cricket such as Jaisimha (Former India Captian) came his way. He also played under the captaincy of noted cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad in Goa representing Arlem team for All India Arlem Trophy and played for UAE Team with Madan Lal as coach.

Bangera then migrated to the land of opportunities – UAE to seek greener pasture and played for NMC in Abu Dhabi in 1990. Subsequently he played for UAE between 1993 and 1996. He also got selected in the 16-member UAE World Cup squad though he was not included in the 14-member team.

As a member of the UAE Cricket team he played against World XI, Pepsi Asia Cup Qualifying round, Wills Cup in Pakistan and a friendly game against India in Sharjah.

Now, having retired from the game, Bangera is working with Thani Murshid Unilever.

Bangera is married to Jyoti and is blessed with two kids – ten-year old Diksha and six-year old Akshay.

Recently, he was felicitated by the Gulf Billawas Dubai at their annual get-together programme.