Ranjitsinhji - first Indian to play Test Cricket

Sampath Bandara

K.S. Ranjitsinhji (1872 - 1933) was the first Indian to play Test Cricket, The Indian 'Prince' played for England in the Victorian Era. He was not only described as the greatest Indian cricketer but as the greatest Indian of his era.

He was the second batsman after W.G. Grace, to hit a century on his Test debut. He was also the first batsman to score a hundred before lunch in a Test (154 against Australia) and the first batsman to score 3000 runs in first class cricket season (in 1899) with the first batsman to score 1000 runs in a month twice in the same year. Next year (1890) he became the first batsman to score 11 centuries in a season. Ranji scored 72 centuries in first class cricket including 14 double hundreds with 133 wickets 307 matches, 24,692 runs (average 56.37).

He played 15 Tests for England and scored 989 runs at an average of 44.95.

India's major domestic first class cricket Championship the 'Ranji Trophy' was started in his name in 1934.

Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji (K.S. Ranjitsinhji) or simply 'Ranji' was born in 1872 Sarodar a village forty mile south of the Nawanagar capital of Jamnagar and he started cricket in Rajkumar College.

He emigrated to England in 1888 to continue his education at Cambridge he played only one year for Cambridge cricket team (1893) and was awarded the Blue and took the cricket world by storm when he made a forceful debut in 1895, scoring 77 not out and 150 in his first match for Sussex.

In the next year, Ranji's dramatic Test Debut at Old Trafford. He scored an unbeaten 62 and 154 not out, in 1897 - 98 he hit 175 in his first Test in Australia and reached 1000 runs on this tour.

Renjitsinhji was a useful change - bowler and a safe catcher in the slips and his leg-glance was breathtaking in beauty and execution. He is known for having invented the leg-glance. In 1901 'Rani' notched his best individual score with 285 not out against Somerset at Taunton.

Ranjitsinhji captained Sussex from 1899 to 1903 and then returned to India after then as the Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar.

Ranji also made a great contribution to cricket literature with his classic work 'The Jubilee Book of Cricket' in 1897.

In 1915 Ranji lost his right eye during a hunting accident at Yorkshire. His last match was in 1920 at the age of 47.

Only few in the history of the game have added something new to it and Ranji is on of them. Ranji is quite rightly acknowledged as the first super star Indian Cricketer K.S. Duleepsinhji was his nephew.