Kumar Shri Indrajitsinhji Madhavsinhji () (15 June 1937 – 12 March 2011) was an Indian
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
er who played in four
Tests
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
from 1964 to 1969 as a
wicketkeeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being watchful of the batsman and ready to take a catch, stump the batsman out and run out a batsman when occasion arises. Th ...
-batsman.
Early life
Indrajitsinhji was born in
Jamnagar
Jamnagar () is a city located on the western coast of India in the state of Gujarat of Saurashtra (region), Saurashtra region. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jamnagar district and the fifth largest city in Gujarat. The city lies ...
,
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
. He was educated at the
Rajkumar College and
St. Stephen's College.
Career
He played
first-class cricket
First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...
from 1954 to 1973, for
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
and
Saurashtra. He was one of the first wicketkeepers to pass 100
dismissals (
caught
Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in cricket. A batsman is out caught if the batsman hits the ball, from a legitimate delivery, with the bat, and the ball is caught by the bowler or a fielder before it hits the ground.
If the ball h ...
or
stumped
Stumped is a method of dismissing a batsman in cricket, which involves the wicket-keeper putting down the wicket while the batsman is out of his ground. (The batsman leaves his ground when he has moved down the pitch beyond the popping crease ...
) in the
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy (also known as Mastercard Ranji Trophy for sponsorship reasons) is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations. Board of Control for Cr ...
, and set a record by taking 23 dismissals in the competition in one year in the 1960–61 season.
Although an accomplished wicketkeeper in Indian domestic cricket, he was kept out of the
India national cricket team
The India men's national cricket team, also known as Team India or the Men in Blue, represents India in men's international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is a List of International Cricket Cou ...
by
Farokh Engineer
Farokh Maneksha Engineer (born 25 February 1938) is an Indian former cricketer. He played 46 Test matches for India, played first-class cricket for Bombay in India from 1959 to 1975 and for Lancashire County Cricket Club in England from 196 ...
and
Budhi Kunderan
Budhisagar Krishnappa Kunderan (born Budhisagar Krishnappa Kunderam 2 October 1939 – 23 June 2006) was an Indian cricketer. He played as a wicket keeper for the most of his career, and was an exciting but unorthodox right-handed batsman who ...
. He played in only four
Test matches: the
three-match series against
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in 1964–65, and one Test against New Zealand at Hyderabad in
1969–70 when Engineer was injured.
He died in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
at the age of 73.
Personal life and family
His grandfather, Mohansinhji, was the brother of
Ranjitsinhji
Colonel H. H. Shri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II, Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, (10 September 1872 – 2 April 1933), often known as Ranji or K. S. Ranjitsinhji, was the ruler of the Indian princely state of Nawanagar from 1907 to 1933, as Mah ...
and uncle of
Duleepsinhji
Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji (13 June 1905 – 5 December 1959) was a cricketer who played for England. Playing in the era before the Indian cricket team, he is considered one of India's first great batsmen, alongside his uncle Ranjitsinhji, who also ...
, both of whom also played Test cricket. His cousins included
Suryaveer Singh
Suryaveer Singh (23 December 1936 – 6 August 2002) was an Indian first-class cricketer. His brother Hanumant Singh, cousin Kumar Indrajitsinhji, uncle Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji and great uncle Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, all played Test cricket. ...
and
Hanumant Singh
Hanumant Singh ( )(29 March 1939 – 29 November 2006) was an Indian cricketer. He played in 14 Test matches for the Indian cricket team from 1964 to 1969. He was later an International Cricket Council match referee in 9 Tests and 54 One Day ...
. He was educated at
Rajkumar College, Rajkot
The Rajkumar College (or RKC) in Rajkot, Gujarat is one of the oldest K-12 institutions in India. RKC has a 26-acre (105,000 m²) campus in Rajkot.
History
The foundation stone of Rajkumar College was laid in 1868. The institution was designe ...
.
Family tree
External links
Profile Cricinfo
Cricket Archive
Cricinfo, 16 March 2011
Indrajitsinhji: A blue-blooded cricketer who was born at the wrong time
References
1937 births
2011 deaths
India Test cricketers
Indian cricketers
People from Jamnagar
Cricketers from Gujarat
Saurashtra cricketers
Delhi cricketers
North Zone cricketers
West Zone cricketers
Indian Universities cricketers
Associated Cement Company cricketers
L. C. Stevens' XI cricketers
Wicket-keepers
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