Ranjit Singh was one who introduced cricket to India: Kapil Dev

NEW DELHI - Ace cricketer Kapil Dev said cricketing legend Ranjit Singh was one of the first Indians who introduced the game to the rest of the country.

Dev said that Singh, who was known as ‘Ranji’ by his British teammates, made a mark for himself as well as for India during the British rule.

“If we see at a glance the people of that era and talk about them who came from India and went there, and played cricket. It was amazing. I wish I can take the clock backwards and try to see how he must have played the game and kept the reputation of the game so high. He is the one who brought cricket to India, I personally believe, because those type of people (are those) who played the game and introduced it to India,” said Dev.

From rules to ethics, many things have changed during cricket’s journey from its initial years to the days of Twenty-20 tournaments, said Dev.

“I think today’s era is totally a different (one), it’s a television era. During that period people used to read books and people used to describe. Whatever we read about him, that he was truly a gentleman and he played with the ethics he had. He played for England and carried the name of India; this must have been very tough and very difficult. I wish that we had television during those days to see what a great person and cricketer he was,” said Dev.

Commenced in 2009, the memorial event is organized by the Nehru Center in London.

Singh was born Kumar Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji Jadeja, Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, on September10 1872.

He played test cricket for the English cricket team as well as county cricket for Sussex.

The second annual Ranji Memorial Lecture would held in London on Friday. (ANI)