Mulvantrai Himmatlal "Vinoo" Mankad (pronunciationⓘ; 12 April 1917 – 21 August 1978) was a former Captain of Indian cricket team and appeared in 44 Test matches for India between 1946 and 1959.

[2][3] Vinoo Mankad was born on Thursday, 12 April 1917 in Jamnagar, in the erstwhile princely state of Nawangar (present-day Gujarat).

Leading up to the First Test of the three-match series, he had played 11 first-class games on the tour averaging 20.9 with the bat and 14.2 with the ball, having picked 44 wickets, the best for India thus far as a bowler.

However, Wisden wrote in praise of Mankad calling him a "valuable all-round player" alongside teammates Lala Amarnath and Vijay Hazare.

[14] Mankad completed the tour with a double of a thousand runs and hundred wickets, the first tourist to achieve the feat since Learie Constantine of the West Indies in 1928.

Mankad subsequently modified his back-lift of the bat from high to low for the remainder of the series after being advised by Lindwall himself and went on to score centuries at the Third and Fifth Tests in Melbourne.

[22] In reply to Australia's 394 in the Third Test, Mankad put on 124 runs for the first wicket with Chandu Sarwate, and reached his debut century in 139 minutes in the first innings.

Though England won the game easily, Mankad's all-around performance salvaged India's pride in a series where they were heavily outmatched.

In 1956 he hit 231 against New Zealand at Chennai and together with Pankaj Roy established the then world record opening partnership of 413 runs which stood for 52 years.

[29] Mankad caused controversy in 1947/48 on India's tour of Australia when he ran out Bill Brown at the non-striker's end in the second Test.

Mankad paused during the delivery stride of his bowling run-up and broke the wicket while Brown was out of his crease backing up the striker in the accepted manner.

However, famed cricketer Sir Don Bradman in his autobiography defended Mankad's action, saying: While perfectly legal, some contend that by convention, a bowler should at least warn a batsman who persists in backing up too far before dismissing him in that fashion.