Vasant Raiji, India’s oldest first-class cricketer, passes away at 100
Pic courtesy: BCCI
Vasant Raiji, the former Bombay and Baroda first-class player, passed away in Mumbai on Saturday. He was 100.
Raiji was the oldest Indian first-class player, having represented Bombay and Baroda in a decade-long career that was interrupted by the second World War.
“He (Raiji) passed away at 2.20am in his sleep at his residence in Walkeshwar in south Mumbai due to old-age,” his son-in-law Sudarshan Nanavati was quoted as saying by PTI.
I met Shri Vasant Raiji earlier this year to celebrate his 100th birthday. His warmth and passion for playing and watching Cricket was endearing.
His passing away saddens my heart. My condolences to his family & friends. pic.twitter.com/fi8dOP7EnI
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) June 13, 2020
Raiji, who turned 100 in January, made his first-class debut for the Cricket Club of India against Central Provinces and Berar in Nagpur in 1939, and though he didn’t fare well himself, scoring a duck and 1*, he did play alongside the likes of CK Nayudu, Lala Amarnath, Vijay Hazare and Mushtaq Ali.
Raiji scored 277 runs in nine first-class matches, after which he decided to pursue a career in chartered accountancy. However, his passion for cricket never wavered.
He authored several books on the sport, and founded the Jolly Cricket Club in the 1930s, alongside Anandji Dossa, a well-known statistician of the last 20th century.
