At Lord's in 1959, he broke two ribs in the first innings by Brian Statham, despite which he scored 81. Later in the year, his 74 in the second innings at Kanpur was crucial in India winning its first Test against Australia.
Contractor led India to a series win against England in 1961–62 and captained the side to Caribbean the same season. After two Tests, Indian team traveled to Barbados.
Later he was chosen to play for India. Nari became an opener after one of the players Vinoo Mankad couldn't take part in a Test match against New Zealand at Delhi in 1955.[1] Later he became an Indian captain.
During his playing days, Contractor was considered a glamour boy of Indian cricket. In an interview with Simi Garewal in 1999, former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa stated that as a schoolgirl she had a crush on Contractor.
Contractor now lives in Mumbai where he coaches at the Cricket Club of India Academy. He received the C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.[