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*Migration Histories > South Asian > Culture and Festivals
* Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji (1872-1933) 
 
A Rajput, Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji grew up in the Kathiawar peninsula of Gujarat. Ranjitsinhji first took up cricket at Rajkot College.

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Portrait of the legendary Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji. A year after his death, an annual tournament, The Ranji Trophy was founded in his memory. Today, The Ranji trophy is one of the most prestigious Indian National tournaments.
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Portrait of the legendary Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji. A year after his death, an annual tournament, The Ranji Trophy was founded in his memory. Today, The Ranji trophy is one of the most prestigious Indian National tournaments.
* Moving Here catalogue reference (MOL) 82.580/21
In 1888 he came to Britain to enrol at Trinity College, Cambridge. Although he left without obtaining a degree, he had acquired a reputation on the sports field, gaining a cricket blue in 1893, becoming the first Indian to play for an university side and later a major county team, Sussex. However, the cricketing establishment was reluctant to let an Indian play for England. They were eventually forced to relent and in 1899 he captained the English team on a tour of America and played in 15 test matches between 1896-1902.

"The 'native' is after all, not the poor spiritless fellow that John Bull thinks him to be, and ... is capable of holding his own with the Englishman, even on the playground."
S. Sattianadhan as quoted in Asians In Britain: 400 Years of History by Rozina Visram.

Ranjitsinhji became a sporting hero and acquired celebrity status in turn-of-the-century Britain and around the world, with hoards of admiring fans. He was the first player to reach 3,000 runs in an English season in 1899, repeating the same feat again in 1900.

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Batting stance of Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji.
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Batting stance of Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji.
* Moving Here catalogue reference (LMA) GLC/DG/PUB/01/195/1679
His sporting success is even more remarkable given the fact that he suffered from bronchial problems, which affected his ability to play. Many inches of newspaper columns were devoted to Ranjitsinhji, or 'Ranji' as he was known. He was represented in the newspapers as an exotic oriental and was described as a juggler, panther and wizard.

"... graceful as a panther in action ...; wrists supple and tough as a creeper of the Indian jungle, and dark eyes which see every turn and twist of the bouncing ball, he has adopted cricket and turned it into an Oriental poem of action."
A. Ross as quoted in Asians In Britain: 400 Years of History by Rozina Visram.

In 1896 he published a cricket manual The Jubilee Book of Cricket. He also wrote articles for the Sun newspaper. During the early years his base in Britain was the village of Gilling, where he lived lavishly, indulging his passion for cars and involving himself in the political and social life of the village. In 1924 he purchased Allyrinch castle near Connemara where he was yet again able to take on the lifestyle of an English aristocrat.

In 1907 he inherited the princely title of Jam Sahib of Nawanagar and remained throughout his life a defender of the political interest of Indian princes, clashing publicly with the Indian nationalist press and the British government, just before his death in 1933.

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Today, the number of Asian cricketers playing in England continue to increase, some going on to represent England in both forms of the game, most notably the English Test Captain Nasser Hussain.
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Today, the number of Asian cricketers playing in England continue to increase, some going on to represent England in both forms of the game, most notably the English Test Captain Nasser Hussain. Pictured is the Deane and Derby Cricket Club, established in 1969, one of the first Asian sides in England, and one of the first to have their cricket ground with a clubhouse. The team of 1981. A Portrayal Of Barbodhan Muslims Living In Bolton Between The 1950s & 1970s by Ibrahim Dawood Kala

Asians In Britain: 400 years of History by Rozina Visram (Pluto Press, 2000); Tigers In The Stars by C Seecharan (Warwick University, Caribbean Studies, 1997); A Holiday Trip To Europe And America by S Sattianadhan (Madras: Srinivasa, Varadachari & Co, 1897); Ranji Prince of Cricketers by Allan Ross (London: Collins, 1983); A Portrayal Of Barbodhan Muslims Living In Bolton Between The 1950s and 1970's by Ibrahim Dawood Kala.


Creators: Dr. Shompa Lahiri

 
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