A. G. Kripal Singh
Encyclopedia
Amritsar Govindsingh Kripal Singh (August 6, 1933, Madras – July 22, 1987, Madras) was an Indian
Test cricket
er.
Kripal Singh came from a famous cricketing family. His father A.G. Ram Singh was unlucky not to play for India, brother Milkha Singh
was a Test cricketer, another brother, two sons and nephew all played first class cricket. He was an attacking batsman and a useful off spin bowler.
He played a leading role in Tamil Nadu
winning the Ranji Trophy
in 1954/55 scoring 636 runs and taking 13 wickets. In the semifinal against Bengal he hit 98 and 97 - the second innings runs came out of a total of 139 allout in which no one else reached double figures http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/21/21450.html - and took 4 for 18 in the second innings. Kripal had university exams at the time of the final and was granted a postponement by the university. In the final against Holkar he scored 75 and 91 and seven wickets in a narrow victory. Earlier in the season he scored his career best score of 208 against Travancore-Cochin
.
Picked for the series against New Zealand
in the following season, he scored 100* on his debut. That was to remain his only Test hundred. He scored two other fifties, one a defiant 53 against West Indies
in 1958/59.
Kripal toured England in 1959. He hit 178 against Lancashire and played in one Test where he scored 41. A finger injury severely limited his appearances. Though he remained within the sight of the selectors, his Test appearances became thereafter.
In the sixties, he played three Tests in 1961/62 and two in 1963/64, all against England
. It was in the third Test of the former series that he took his first wicket in Test cricket. He had bowled 588 balls in nine innings and ten Tests prior to this, and no bowler has taken as many balls for his first wicket. In the same Test, he was involved in a scandal that ended the career of Subhash Gupte
.
In one of the Test matches in 1963/64 when too many English players went down with injury and illness, Kripal fielded for them almost as a permanent substitute. Towards the end of his career Kripal became more of a bowler. He captained Tamil Nadu, and South Zone in the first ever Duleep Trophy
match.
Between his Test appearances in the fifties and the sixties, Kripal fell in love with a Christian girl and converted to marry her. That makes him probably the first Test cricketer who has represented two religions.
Kripal died from a cardiac arrest at the age of 53. He was a national selector at the time of his death.
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
er.
Kripal Singh came from a famous cricketing family. His father A.G. Ram Singh was unlucky not to play for India, brother Milkha Singh
A. G. Milkha Singh
Amritsar Govindsingh Milkha Singh was an Indian Test cricketer.Mikha Singh was a left-handed batsman and an occasional right arm medium pace bowler. He came from a famous cricketing family which also produced A.G. Ram Singh and his more successful brother A.G...
was a Test cricketer, another brother, two sons and nephew all played first class cricket. He was an attacking batsman and a useful off spin bowler.
He played a leading role in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu cricket team
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Team ; , competes in the Super League of the Ranji Trophy, the top cricketing competition in India. The team finished as runners-up behind Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons establishing themselves as one of the strongest teams in the country...
winning the Ranji Trophy
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia...
in 1954/55 scoring 636 runs and taking 13 wickets. In the semifinal against Bengal he hit 98 and 97 - the second innings runs came out of a total of 139 allout in which no one else reached double figures http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/21/21450.html - and took 4 for 18 in the second innings. Kripal had university exams at the time of the final and was granted a postponement by the university. In the final against Holkar he scored 75 and 91 and seven wickets in a narrow victory. Earlier in the season he scored his career best score of 208 against Travancore-Cochin
Kerala cricket team
The Kerala cricket team is a domestic cricket team based in the Indian state of Kerala. It is in the Plate Group of the Ranji Trophy, the premier first class cricket tournament in India. Kerala has produced two Indian test cricketers, Tinu Yohannan and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth...
.
Picked for the series against New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
in the following season, he scored 100* on his debut. That was to remain his only Test hundred. He scored two other fifties, one a defiant 53 against West Indies
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
in 1958/59.
Kripal toured England in 1959. He hit 178 against Lancashire and played in one Test where he scored 41. A finger injury severely limited his appearances. Though he remained within the sight of the selectors, his Test appearances became thereafter.
In the sixties, he played three Tests in 1961/62 and two in 1963/64, all against England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
. It was in the third Test of the former series that he took his first wicket in Test cricket. He had bowled 588 balls in nine innings and ten Tests prior to this, and no bowler has taken as many balls for his first wicket. In the same Test, he was involved in a scandal that ended the career of Subhash Gupte
Subhash Gupte
Subhashchandra Pandharinath "Fergie" Gupte was one of Test cricket's finest spin bowlers. Sir Garry Sobers pronounced him the best leg spinner that it had been his pleasure to see. Gupte flighted and spun the ball sharply, and possessed two different googlies...
.
In one of the Test matches in 1963/64 when too many English players went down with injury and illness, Kripal fielded for them almost as a permanent substitute. Towards the end of his career Kripal became more of a bowler. He captained Tamil Nadu, and South Zone in the first ever Duleep Trophy
Duleep Trophy
The Duleep Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket competition played in India between teams representing geographical zones of India. The competition is named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji .-History:...
match.
Between his Test appearances in the fifties and the sixties, Kripal fell in love with a Christian girl and converted to marry her. That makes him probably the first Test cricketer who has represented two religions.
Kripal died from a cardiac arrest at the age of 53. He was a national selector at the time of his death.