Gulabrai Ramchand
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Gulabrai Sipahimalani Ramchand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 26 July 1927 Karachi, Sind, British India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 8 September 2003 (aged 76) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium-fast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut | 5 June 1952 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 23 January 1960 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1945/46–1946/47 | Sind | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1948/49–1962/63 | Bombay | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1956/57 | Rajasthan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: ESPNcricinfo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gulabrai Sipahimalani "Ram" Ramchand ⓘ (26 July 1927 – 9 September 2003) was an Indian cricketer who represented the national team in 33 Test matches between 1952 and 1960. In his only series as captain, he led India to its first win against Australia. According to Wisden Asia, he was one of the first cricketers to have endorsed commercial brands.[1]
Early life
Ramchand was born on 26 July 1927 in Karachi, British India (now in Pakistan) into a Sindhi family. He began his cricket career playing for Sind, and, after the Partition of India, settled in Bombay.[2]
Playing style
Ramchand was an aggressive middle-order batsman who also often opened the bowling.[3] Wisden Asia, in its obituary, described him as "a brilliant all-rounder: an explosive batsman, a very good opening bowler and a superb close catcher."[1] Although strongly built,[3] Ramchand was a medium-pace swing bowler and mainly relied on the inswinger.[4] Cricket writer Sujit Mukherjee once said that Ramchand "looked every inch a fast bowler until he actually bowled."[2]
As a captain, Ramchand was remembered by his teammates as a leader who instilled self-belief in them and motivated them.[5][3]
Later life and death
Ramchand worked as the manager of the Indian team at the 1975 Cricket World Cup. He worked 26 years for Air India, having served as station manager in Bangkok and Hong Kong.[6][7] In 1995, he recovered after suffering a cardiac arrest.[6]
Ramchand suffered three heart attacks in the two months preceding his death. He was admitted to the Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai on 1 September 2003, and, days before his death, asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for financial help for his treatment. The BCCI granted ₹2 lakh for the treatment, saying further financial assistance would be provided if required.[4] On 5 September, it was reported that he had been discharged from the intensive care unit (ICU). His wife Leela Ramchand stated that "he had to be shifted out of the ICU as we cannot afford it."[8] He died on 8 September in the hospital due to "heart complications".[6]
References
- ^ a b "Gulabrai Ramchand". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Wisden - GS Ramchand". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ a b c Pandya, Haresh (15 September 2003). "Obituary: Gulabrai Ramchand". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ a b Vasu, Anand (7 September 2003). "GS Ramchand, former Indian captain dead". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ Gollapudi, Nagaraj (8 September 2003). "Former cricketers react to Ramchand's death". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ a b c "Former India captain Ramchand dead". Rediff. 8 September 2003. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ Vijayakar, Pradeep (7 September 2009). "Air India cricket, not carrier flying high". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ "Ailing Ramchand asks for financial assistance from board". ESPNcricinfo. 5 September 2003. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
External links
- Gulabrai Ramchand at ESPNcricinfo
- Gulabrai Ramchand at CricketArchive (subscription required)