Indian-born former England cricketer KS Ranjitsinhji achieved a unique feat of two first-class tons on the same day. We take a look at some interesting records and trivia about him
K S Ranjitsinhji. Pic courtesy: The Illustrated History of Indian Cricket
On this day in 1896, Indian-born former England cricketer KS Ranjitsinhji achieved a uniq feat of scoring two first-class hundreds on the same day. Let's take a look at some interesting trivia about the graceful batsman who invented the leg glance.
- KS Ranjitsinhji was the first Indian to represent England. He made his Test debut for England on 16 July 1896 and scored an impressive 62 in the first innings and 154 not out in the second innings
- He was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year for his performances in 1896
- In the1899-cricket season in England, he scored 3,159 runs with 8 centuries to become the first batsman to pass 3,000 first-class runs in a season
- He represented England in 15 Tests with a batting average of 44.95, scoring 2 hundreds and six fifties
- On August 31, 1915, he lost an eye in a hunting accident that affected his cricket in the latter part of his career as he found it difficult to focus on the ball properly with one eye.
- Away from cricket, Ranjitsingh was Chancellor of the Indian Chamber of Princes; and represented India at the League of Nations
- Ranjitsinhji became Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar in 1907
- After his death, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) started the Ranji Trophy in 1934, with the first fixtures taking place in 1934-35
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