Sarwate had a long career in
first-class cricket, spanning 32 years, during which he represented
Central Provinces and Berar,
Maharashtra,
Hindus,
Bombay,
Holkar,
Madhya Pradesh and
Vidarbha. Sarwate's most famous innings as a batsman came while playing for the
touring Indian side against
Surrey at
the Oval in May 1946. Coming in to bat after his team was down 205/9,
Shute Banerjee and he put on 249 for the
last wicket, more runs than the first nine wickets put together. Both players went on to score
centuries, and as of 2018, it remains the only such instance in first-class cricket. Their 249-run stand remains the highest partnership in first-class cricket between number ten and eleven batsmen. Sarwate remained
unbeaten at 124. He returned figures of 5/54 with the ball before opening the second innings for the Indians. They went on to win the match by nine wickets. Sarwate's highest first-class score was 246 for Holkar against
Bengal in 1951, and his best bowling in an innings was 9 for 61 for
Holkar against
Mysore in 1946. His overall batting average in first-class cricket was 32.73, and his bowling average was 23.54. Sarwate was a national selector for three years in the early 1980s, and was one of the selectors who picked the Indian team that won the
World Cup in England in 1983. Besides being the secretary of
Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, he was also the chairman of its selection committee on number of occasions. Sarwate held degrees in arts and law and was a fingerprint expert by profession. ==References==