A right-arm offspinner whose forte was accuracy and stamina, Gopal Sharma was on the fringe of selection for a long time before finally making his Test debut against England in his home state in 1984-85. Putting the in form L Sivaramakrishnan in the shade, Sharma took 3 for 115 in 60 overs. He toured Sri Lanka in 1985-86 but played in only one Test. He played in two more Tests against Pakistan the following season, achieving his best figures of 4 for 88 at Jaipur. With Maninder, Shastri, Arshad Ayub, Shivlal Yadav and Narendra Hirwani around, he then became a forgotten man till he was brought back for one Test against Sri Lanka in 1990-91. He was the first cricketer from Uttar Pradesh to represent India since the Maharajkumar of Vizianagaram in 1936.
Partab Ramchand