India’s former first-class player, Vasant Raiji celebrated his 100th birthday on January 26, 2020 (Sunday). He is the oldest living first-class cricketer of India and on this special occasion, cricketing legends Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh celebrated with Raiji at his residence in Walkeshwar, South Mumbai. Tendulkar shared a video on his social media of him and Steve Waugh cutting the cake with the former cricketer and posted a heart-warming message for him. Born on January 26, 1920, Vasant Raiji played for Bombay and Baroda in Ranji Trophy. Sachin Tendulkar Says 'Next Decade Should Be About Children and Their Dreams'.
Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar posted a video with Vasant Raiji and Steve Waugh as all of them celebrated the Raiji’s 100th birthday. ‘Wishing you a very special 100th birthday, Shri Vasant Raiji. Steve & I had a wonderful time listening to some amazing cricket stories about the past. Thank you for passing on a treasure trove of memories about our beloved sport.’ Tendulkar captioned his post. Raiji opened the batting for Bombay and Baroda in the Ranji Trophy and was a reserve for the Hindus team in the 1941 Bombay Pentangular cricket tournament. Taj Hotels Finds Employee Who Advised Sachin Tendulkar About His Elbow Guard, Thanks Master Blaster for Sharing the Memorable Encounter.
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Wishing you a very special 1⃣0⃣0⃣th birthday, Shri Vasant Raiji.
Steve & I had a wonderful time listening to some amazing cricket 🏏 stories about the past.
Thank you for passing on a treasure trove of memories about our beloved sport. pic.twitter.com/4zdoAcf8S3
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) January 26, 2020
Vasant Raiji played nine matches in his first-class career which lasted for more than a decade. He scored 277 runs with an average of 23.08 which includes two half-centuries. His to highest scores came in Baroda’s victory over Maharashtra in 1944-45 when he made 68 and 53. He made his debut for Bombay in 1941 against Western India under the captaincy of legendary Bombay player Vijay Merchant.
At the end of his playing career, Vasant Raiji turned to writing and has written several books on early Indian cricket. He is an accountant by profession and has written two books on that subject. Raiji is one of the founding members of the Jolly Cricket Club.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 26, 2020 12:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).