A blue-blooded cricketing genius
Long before the arrival of T20 cricket and the Indian Premier League, an Indian prince took the English cricket scene by storm with his sublime stroke play and sizzling scoring rate. Born on the 13th of June 1905, Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji belonged to the royal family of Jamnagar.
Cricket was in Duleep’s blood - he was the nephew of the legendary K S Ranjitsinhji, better known as Ranji - after whom the Ranji Trophy is named. Like his uncle, Duleep was sent to England to study where he fell in love with cricket and went on to carve out a legacy that immortalized him in the sport’s history.
Duleepsinhji's unmatched skill
Every year from 1928 to 1930, Duleep, representing Sussex, made more than 2500 runs in county cricket. His most iconic performance came at the Hove cricket ground in May 1930 when he made 333 runs in a little over five hours against Northamptonshire! To this day, this record has been bettered only once.
Duleep also went on to play twelve Test matches for England and shared the field with legends like Sir Don Bradman and Herbert Sutcliffe. He finished with a batting average of 58.50, ahead of contemporary greats like Sir Jack Hobbs, Wally Hammond, and Douglas Jardine.
In his Ashes debut at Lord’s, Duleep went on to score a commanding 173. “When the occasion demanded it, he exercised restraint and at other times hit beautifully all-round the wicket” stated Wisden’s match report.
A man of excellence despite challenges
Duleep’s life was unfortunately plagued by a recurrent pulmonary disease, which often forced him to put cricket on hold. Unfortunately, owing to this health concern, he was forced to quit the sport at 27.
When India were set for their test debut in 1932, Duleep was the preferred choice to lead the side. But on his uncle Ranji’s advice, he withdrew. Later, he served as a selector and joined the Indian Foreign Service, being posted as the High Commissioner of India in Australia and New Zealand.
Duleep died of a heart attack at the age of 54. His Wisden obituary said: “… among the best batsmen ever to represent England, and certainly one of the most popular…. In natural gifts of eye, wrist, and footwork he was certainly blessed far above the ordinary measure.”
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