| Gunwant Desai | |
| Country: | India |
| Birth Date: | 30 January 1941 |
| Birth Place: | Hariya, near Atul, Bombay Presidency, British India (now Gujarat, India) |
| Role: | Opening bowler |
| Club1: | Railways |
| Year1: | 1968–69 to 1974–75 |
| Columns: | 1 |
| Column1: | First-class |
| Matches1: | 18 |
| Runs1: | 115 |
| Bat Avg1: | 7.66 |
| 100S/50S1: | 0/0 |
| Top Score1: | 29 |
| Deliveries1: | 2989 |
| Wickets1: | 86 |
| Bowl Avg1: | 13.34 |
| Fivefor1: | 6 |
| Tenfor1: | 2 |
| Best Bowling1: | 8/54 |
| Catches/Stumpings1: | 7/– |
| Date: | 28 March 2018 |
| Source: | http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/28463.html ESPNcricinfo |
Gunwant Desai (born 30 January 1941) is an Indian former cricketer who played first-class cricket for Railways in India from 1968 to 1974.
Desai was a highly effective opening bowler for Railways in the Ranji Trophy, averaging nearly five wickets a match at a very low bowling average and with a strike-rate of a wicket every 34.75 balls.[1] He took 12 wickets in the match (7 for 46 and 5 for 24) in the innings victory over Haryana in 1971–72.[2]
In 1974–75 Desai set a Railways record for match figures that still stands when he took 13 for 77 (8 for 54 and 5 for 23) in another innings victory, this time over Services.[3] He also made his highest score in the same match when, batting as usual at number 11, he made 29 of a tenth-wicket stand of 30.[4]
Desai was never selected to play for North Zone in the Duleep Trophy. He twice played in Ranji Trophy quarter-finals, each time against Rajasthan. The second time, in 1973–74, he felled the Test batsman Salim Durani with a bouncer, and Durani had to be taken to hospital for an operation and played no further part in the match. Rajasthan won narrowly on their first-innings lead. Railways were 241 for 9 when Desai went to the crease, needing 15 for the lead, but he was bowled for a duck.[5] [6]