'Maharaja' after whom Ranji Trophy is named

When we talk about cricket, few millennials would know about Ranjitsinhji Jadeja after whom India’s premier domestic first-class championship — the Ranji Trophy — is named. Born on September 10, 1872, in the princely state of Nawanagar (now Jamnagar, Gujarat), and later anointed ‘maharaja,’ he was monikered ‘Ranji’ by his English teammates. He was not just a cricketer, but a man who bridged the Indian and English cultures and changed the way the game was played.

Making his debut with the England cricket team, his passion for cricket transcended the confines of his royal status. Playing at a young age, he exhibited a natural talent for the game. In 1896, cricket took him to England, where he joined the ranks of the prestigious Sussex County Cricket Club. With a different style of play, Ranjitsinhji’s glance on the leg side made him a favourite among his contemporaries. In his first season with Sussex, he scored a thousand runs! A feat that had never been achieved by a player in his debut. Ranjitsinhji also popularised backfoot punch and drive, hitherto unheard of. In June 1899, he was appointed Sussex captain. He played 15 Test matches for England, scoring two centuries and six half centuries at an average of 44.95.

He was a unifying force for cricket fans of India and England, at a time when strong colonial prejudices prevailed. His success became a source of pride and a symbol of accomplishment that inspired a generation of cricketers like Lala Amarnath, Vijay Merchant, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and others born in the early 1900s.

Apart from his cricketing skills, he also earned the rank of a Colonel in the British Indian Army when he fought in World War I. He later lost sight in one eye. One of his teammates from his playing days at Sussex, Gilbert Jessop once said about him, “I played often with him and it seemed his eyesight was infallible. He could judge the length or flight of the ball so quickly that he had enough time to decide which shot to play.”

After a distinguished career, Ranjitsinhji returned to India, where he continued to contribute to the sport, both as a player and an administrator. As a progressive ruler, he ushered in an era of modernisation in Jamnagar where he got a seaport built, besides getting access to roads, railway line and irrigation modes. He died in 1933. A year later, 'The Cricket Championship of India', was renamed Ranji Trophy in his memory and the trophy was donated by Bhupinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala.

He died on April 2, 1933. Following in his footsteps was his nephew Duleepsinhji Jadeja, after whom another cricket trophy —the Duleep Trophy — is named. From the same lineage is yet another cricketer, Ajay Jadeja, who too has played for India.