Metal plate removed from Nari Contractor's head

Former India cricketer Nari Contractor was hit by a Charlie Griffith bouncer in 1962. The incident during India's tour of the Caribbean caused him a head fracture.

Nari went through surgery following the injury, and a metal plate was placed inside his head. Now, 60 years later, the plate has been removed as he was suffering from pain. The action was taken considering the advice of the doctors. 

In an interview with The Indian Express, Contractor's son Hoshedar revealed that the operation went smoothly and his father would return home soon. 

"The operation was successful, and he will be fine soon. He will be in hospital for a few more days and after doctor's advice, we will take him home. We will take one step at a time. The skin was disintegrating on the plate. So he had lost the skin covering it, hence it was advised by the doctors to get it removed," Hoshedar said. "Our family was a bit worried, which is natural. It's not a major operation but is surely a critical operation."

However, the metal plate insertion was not the only surgery the 88-year-old underwent after the injury. He had several operations after the West Indian's ball had hit him on his head. 

In an earlier interview with Mid Day, Contractor had shed light on what Dr Chandy, the man behind the metal plate surgery, had told him.

"Do you know why it took that long? It's because instead of putting a mesh, which we do normally, I have put a metal plate, which is heat- and cold-proof and I have made perforations for the nerves to tighten it. That took time. I had to cut the metal so that if you get hit on this [right] side again, nothing will happen to you."

However, if things were a little different on that day in the 1960s, Contractor might not have had to face the Griffith bouncer. The left-handed batter was dropped at short leg just one ball before the incident. Not only that, his partner Rush Surti had voiced his concern about a ball before that about Griffith chucking the ball. Contractor also asked Surti to tell that to the umpire.