Rajesh Chauhan (; born 19 December 1966) is a former 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 21

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), ...

and 35

One Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...

s from 1993 to 1998. He was part of the Indian spin trio of Kumble (

Leg break Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action. The leg spinner's normal delivery causes the ball to spin from right to left (from the bowler's perspective) when the ball bounces on the ...

) -

Raju The Raju are a Telugu caste found mostly in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Varna Status The Raju caste, which A. Satyanarayana calls the "locally dominant landed gentry", claims Kshatriya status in the varna system despite there being ...

(

Left arm orthodox Left-arm orthodox spin, Left-arm off spin also known as slow left-arm orthodox spin bowling, is a type of left-arm finger spin bowling in the sport of cricket. Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left-arm bowler using the fingers to spin ...

)-Chauhan (

Off break Off spin is a type of finger spin bowling in cricket. A bowler who uses this technique is called an off spinner. Off spinners are right-handed spin bowlers who use their fingers to spin the ball. Their normal delivery is an off break, which spi ...

), in the 1990s. Although his own contributions were only of limited value,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

lost none of the 21 Tests in which he played. The record, for which he is perhaps remembered most for his last-over six off

Saqlain Mushtaq Saqlain Mushtaq BND ( ur, ; born 29 December 1956) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former international cricketer who, as of February 2022, is the head coach of the Pakistani national cricket team. Regarded as one of the best spin bowlers in t ...

at Karachi in 1997, which sealed a four-wicket win for India against Pakistan.

Early life

His father Govind Raja Chauhan, who lived in

Ranchi Ranchi (, ) is the capital of the Indian state of Jharkhand. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern Odisha, western West Bengal and the eastern area ...

, was also a cricketer and played

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 ...

in 1957 &

Duleep Trophy The Duleep Trophy, also known as Mastercard Duleep trophy due to sponsorship reasons, is a domestic first-class cricket competition played in India. Named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji of Nawanagar (also known as 'Duleep'), the competition wa ...

in 1964. Their ancestral village is

Vidi :''Vidi can also refer to Vidi, Prince of Albania.'' :''Vidi can also refer to Hungarian Football Team MOL Vidi FC.'' Vidi or Videe or Virdee is a village near the town Anjar, the taluka of Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is ...

in Kutch and he belongs to a small community known as

Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya (also known as Mistri or Mestri) are a minority Hindu and one of the Socially and Educationally Backward communities of Gujarat in India, who claim to be Kshatriyas. They are an artisan community related with Kadia wor ...

. Rajesh also served as Chairman of All-India Youth Wing of Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya community for years 1993–96 and is an active social member of the community.Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya Samaj : A brief History & Glory by Raja Pawan Jethwa. (2007)

Later life

In April 2007 he was seriously injured in a car accident. He suffered multiple fractures as well as bruising on his leg, back, hand and head. He currently resides in

Bhilai Bhilai is a city in Durg district of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Chhattisgarh, in eastern central India. With population exceeding 1 million, it is the second-largest urban area in Chhattisgarh after Raipur. Bhil ...

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...

running a business. He is now Professional in

Bhilai Steel Plant The Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP), located in Bhilai, in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, is India's first and main producer of steel rails, as well as a major producer of wide steel plates and other steel products. The plant also produces steel and ...

. On 7 July 2014 suffered a massive cardiac arrest at his residence in Bhilai, however, survived.

References

1966 births Living people India Test cricketers India One Day International cricketers Indian cricketers Central Zone cricketers Madhya Pradesh cricketers People from Ranchi People from Kutch district People from Bhilai Gujarati people Gujarati sportspeople Cricketers from Bihar {{India-cricket-bio-1960s-stub