Palwankar Vithal

Vithal Palwankar (1884 or 1886 – 26 November 1971) was an Indian cricketer, credited with being the first Dalit (lower caste) captain of the Hindus cricket team in the Bombay Quadrangular cricket competition. He was the younger brother of the Indian spin bowler and Dalit social reformer Palwankar Baloo; his other brothers Palwankar Shivram and Palwankar Ganpat were also cricketers.

The Palwankar family belonged to the Chamar caste, which suffered from the stigma of "untouchability" and caste discrimination. Born in 1886, Vithal was introduced to cricket by his elder brother Palwankar Baloo, who later sent him to attend the Elphinstone College High School in Mumbai (then Bombay), where he began playing cricket seriously.

In the following years, Vithal rose in the ranks of Indian cricketers as a stylish and skilled batsman, even as his elder brother Baloo enjoyed legendary status as a successful spin bowler. Despite the controversy over Baloo being passed over for the captaincy of the Hindu team, which was attributed by many to politics and caste discrimination, Vithal's career continued to progress. With his elder brothers ageing and approaching retirement, Vithal emerged as the future of the Palwankar family in cricket as well as one of the best talent in Indian cricket. In 1920, he and several other players protested the appointment of a Brahmin, D. B. Deodhar, as captain following the illness of the incumbent, M. D. Pai; with Baloo being dropped, most considered Shivram and Vithal to be the most senior players and leading candidates for the job. Critics attributed Deodhar's appointment to caste discrimination, and both Palwankar brothers, along with other rank-and-file cricketers withdrew from the team after publishing a letter making their protest public and criticising the selection committee for the "unsportsmanlike" decision. Supporters, rallied by the ongoing campaign against untouchability led by Mahatma Gandhi and other political leaders, raised money for the Palwankar brothers and petitioned for their inclusion in the team. When the recovered Pai returned to captaincy, both brothers were reinstated and Baloo selected to join the team as well. The brothers protested again when they were by-passed for the captaincy for the 1922 competition that was held in Pune.