One of the many youngsters who got their big break because of selection committee chairman Lala Amarnath's far sighted policy of encouraging youth in the fifties, Patankar was a surprise choice as a replacement for regular wicketkeeper Naren Tamhane for the Test against New Zealand at Calcutta. He did not do badly. First he helped JM Ghorpade to add 37 runs for the eighth wicket after seven wickets had tumbled for 88 on the opening morning. Patankar followed his 13 by taking catches that dismissed both opening batsmen Leggat and Bert Sutcliffe. Later he stumped MacGibbon and caught Alabaster. But with Tamhane and `Nana' Joshi around, he never got another chance to play for the country. A useful tail end batsman, Patankar's first class stretched for more than two decades. He had a tally of 503 runs (15.71) including one century and 58 dismissals, 38 of them caught. (Partab Ramchand)