Colonel H. H. Shri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II, CSI GBE, commonly known as K.S. Ranjitsinhji, was born on September 10, 1872, in Kathiawar, Gujarat under the rule of British India. He was the ruler of the princely Indian state of Nawanagar from 1907 to 1933. He was also a noticed test cricketer who played for the English cricket team, he also played first-class cricket for Cambridge University and county cricket for Sussex. BCCI Furious Over Star All-Rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s Knee Injury: Sources

Ranji was regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, he revolutionized the game by bringing in a new style. When every batsman generally pushed forward, Ranji took advantage of the good pitches in his era and played on the back foot in both defence and attack. He particularly associated with one shot, leg glance, which he popularised. A couple of years later after his death, the first-class cricket tournament in India, The Ranji Trophy was named in his honuor and inaugurated by Maharaja Bhupendra Singh of Patiala. Celebrating the birth anniversary of Maharaja Jam Saheb and a legendary cricketer Shri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II, we will be looking at some of the lesser-known facts about him:

  • Ranji was born in a Rajput family and was a son of a framer, Jiwansinhji, who was the cousin of the Jam Saheb Vibhaji.

  • He was secretly adopted by the Jam Saheb, so he can be the heir to the throne as his son was deemed not suitable to become the maharaja.

  • He started his education at Rajkumar College with the help of a financial allowance given by Vibhaji and later went to Cambridge University because of his amazing academic progress.

  • In June 1891 he joined the recently re-formed Cambridgeshire County Cricket Club and represented the county in several games in September.

  • Ranji made his first-class debut for Cambridge on May 8, 1893, against the team selected by Charles Thorton. He batted at number nine and scored 18 runs.

  • His highest and most notable score came from a defeat against an Australian touring team when he scored 58 runs in 105 minutes.

  • After failing the bar exam to return to India, his allowance was stopped hence he started playing cricket for Sussex county as being friends with the team captain, for the financial support.

  • In his debut match for Sussex against MCC, he scored 77* runs and took six wickets. In his second match for the county, he scored his maiden century

  • In April 1898 he retired to India with an intention of pursuing his claim to the throne of Nawanagar.

  • On his return to England at the beginning of the 1899 cricket session, he became the first person to pass the 3,000 first-class runs in a session. He also scored eight centuries in that session.

  • After a year of Jassaji’s death, Ranji was made Jam Saheb of Nawanagar due to their financial problems.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 10, 2022 09:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).