Raj Singh Dungarpur dies, cricket world mourns (Roundup)

MUMBAI - Former president of the Indian cricket board Raj Singh Dungarpur died here Saturday after a protracted illness, leaving the entire cricket world in mourning. He was 73.

Raj Bhai, as he was fondly known, was the man who never hesitated to take bold decisions. As chief selector he picked Sachin Tendulkar after first watching him play for Cricket Club of India (CCI). It was he who, out of the blue, made Mohammad Azharuddin the India captain. “Mian, kaptaan banoge,” (will you become captain?) is what he asked Azhar before making him the captain and the line is now part of India’s cricket folklore.

Hailing from the erstwhile royal family of Dungarpur in Rajasthan, he was the youngest son of Lakshman Singhji, the ex-ruler.

A right-arm medium-fast bowler who represented and led Rajasthan successfully in the

Ranji Trophy in the 1960s, Dungarpur took 206 wickets in 86 first-class matches.

He dedicated his post-retirement life to cricket administration and rose to become the board president 1996-99.

Dungarpur’s capabilities as a visionary were also evident in the form of the critical role that he essayed in the institution of the National Cricket Academy at Bangalore in 2000.

A veritable encyclopaedia on cricket, Dungarpur went out of his way to encourage junior cricketers and even cricket writers. It was during his long and eventful stint as president of the CCI that the game returned to the club in a big way, in the form of the ICC Champions Trophy in 2006.

BCCI president Shashank Manohar called him as “a self-effacing individual who always put the sport, and Indian cricket in particular, above everything else.

“It is a great loss to Indian cricket. Raj Bhai served Indian cricket diligently and with distinction in several capacities.”

Former board president Purshottam Rungta, who was also president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), said Dungarpur did a lot for Indian cricket though he played all his cricket for Rajasthan.

“I have lost a great friend and a good human being. Raj was an Indian first and a Rajasthani next as he always looked at the broader picture. In the formative years of Rajasthan cricket, he did a lot. He lived for cricket, nothing else.”

Another former board president Inderjit Singh Bindra said Dungarpur was synonymous with Indian cricket overseas and was highly respected in international cricket circles.

“Raj was a great servant of Indian cricket as he excelled in whatever job he took up, be it as board chief, chairman national selection committee or Indian team’s manager. He was a walking cricket encyclopaedia,” Bindra said recalling his association with him.

“This afternoon, the Punjab cricket Association executive met to pay homage in the hall where he took over as board president succeeding me. Mohali will miss him as he used to say that he enjoyed watching cricket at the venue and seldom missed an international there. He was one of the very few cricket administrators known the world over and he had worked behind the scenes to help the board sort out a lot of critical bilateral issues with his proximity to almost all cricket chiefs.”

Another ex-BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya remembered him as an “institution”.

“No one can take away his contribution to Indian cricket. He was associated with the game for over 50 years and was an institution by himself.

“Indian cricket will find it hard to fill the void created today,” Dalmiya said.

Kishen Rungta, a long-time Rajasthan Ranji Trophy teammate of Dungarpur and also a former chief national selector, said the state owed him a lot for development of cricket there.

“He was my captain and then I was his and we had a wonderful time playing for Rajasthan. He was instrumental in getting His Highness Maharana of Udaipur Bhagwat Singh to take over the reins of state cricket.

“Long before people knew about professional cricket as it is known today, Raj brought professionals to Rajasthan and he himself employed some of them. That’s how cricket started in Rajasthan and he himself was a good cricketer. A handsome player, not many may know that he has 200 wickets in Ranji Trophy. His burning desire to do well made him think big right from his early days and that’s how Rajasthan could figure in Ranji Trophy finals eight times during his time.”

Former board treasurer and RCA secretary Kishore Rungta said if Indian cricket has a National Cricket Academy (NCA) it is only because of Dungarpur’s initiative.

“Raj Bhai was in a hurry to get it on stream defying odds and objections from some board members. Many of us thought he was in a hurry without going into the nitty gritty, but he was proved right as a lot of things were rectified on the way. He was the one who insisted on players getting single rooms during his time as president, but board’s finances did not allow it. A couple of years later the players got single rooms.”

Tributes poured in from outside the cricket world as well.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) general secretary Randhir Singh, recalled his association with Dungarpur.

“He was a great leader and sport administrator. I have known him closely because he his related to my family. He has done so much for CCI. His contribution to Indian sport is immense.”