Vasant Ranjane
Encyclopedia
Vasant Baburao Ranjane is a former India
n cricket
er who played in 7 Tests
from 1958 to 1964.
Vasant Ranjane was a 'slightly built, unlikely looking figure for an opening bowler' who relied more on line and length than speed for his wickets, but could 'swing both ways and cut the ball off the seam'.
As a young boy, Ranjane used to frequent the grounds of the Shivaji Preparatory School grounds in Poona where Madhusudan Rege
used to coach. He put this to practice at the Sangam Wadi Union Club, from where he was picked by the talent scouts of the Vilas Club. This paved the way for playing in the first division and first class cricket.
Ranjane had a fabulous start to his first class career when he took nine wickets for 35 in an innings on his debut (13 for 71 in the match) including a hat-trick
for Maharashtra
against Saurashtra
in 1956-57. The role was reversed when he played his first Test two years later against West Indies
at Kanpur
, when his only wicket was the one missed by Subhash Gupte
who took 9 for 102.
He was recalled to the Test side three years later against England where he took ten wickets in three Tests. This was followed by the tour to West Indies in 1961-62. Partly due to the presence off too many all-rounder
s in the side, Ranjane played only in the final Test where he took the wickets of Conrad Hunte
, Rohan Kanhai
, Garry Sobers and Frank Worrell
.
Ranjane came from a very poor background. After his father, who was a factory worker, died when Ranjane was ten, his mother worked as a maid in a hospital to support the family. Ranjane dropped out of the school after the seventh standard. He managed to find a job as a fitter in the Indian railways where he continued till 1994, but it was hardly sufficient to maintain his six children.
When his sufferings got exposure in the media in the early 1980s, the Board of Control for Cricket in India
allotted him a benefit match at Nagpur
between India and the touring West Indies side in 1983. He also received an ex gratia
payment from the BCCI when his house was damaged in the floods in Poona in the 1960s. His son Subhash played cricket for Maharashtra.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played in 7 Tests
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...
from 1958 to 1964.
Vasant Ranjane was a 'slightly built, unlikely looking figure for an opening bowler' who relied more on line and length than speed for his wickets, but could 'swing both ways and cut the ball off the seam'.
As a young boy, Ranjane used to frequent the grounds of the Shivaji Preparatory School grounds in Poona where Madhusudan Rege
Madhusudan Rege
Madhusudan Ramachandra Rege is a former Indian cricketer who played in one Test in 1949. Later, in 1959, playing a test for Maharashtra Vs MCC, he became the first Indian player ever to be called for throwing....
used to coach. He put this to practice at the Sangam Wadi Union Club, from where he was picked by the talent scouts of the Vilas Club. This paved the way for playing in the first division and first class cricket.
Ranjane had a fabulous start to his first class career when he took nine wickets for 35 in an innings on his debut (13 for 71 in the match) including a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
for Maharashtra
Maharashtra cricket team
The Maharashtra cricket team is a domestic cricket team based in the Indian state of Maharashtra in the city of Pune. It is in the Plate Group of the Ranji Trophy...
against Saurashtra
Saurashtra cricket team
Saurashtra is one of three cricket teams based in Gujarat which competes in the Ranji Trophy . Formerly known as Nawanagar cricket team it won the Ranji Trophy in 1936-37.-Competition history:...
in 1956-57. The role was reversed when he played his first Test two years later 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,...
at Kanpur
Green Park
-External links:*...
, when his only wicket was the one missed by 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...
who took 9 for 102.
He was recalled to the Test side three years later against England where he took ten wickets in three Tests. This was followed by the tour to West Indies in 1961-62. Partly due to the presence off too many all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
s in the side, Ranjane played only in the final Test where he took the wickets of Conrad Hunte
Conrad Hunte
Sir Conrad Cleophas Hunte, KA was a Barbadian cricketer. Hunte played 44 Test matches as an opening batsman for the West Indies.-Early life and career:...
, Rohan Kanhai
Rohan Kanhai
Rohan Bholalall Kanhai is a former West Indian Cricket player of Indo-Guyanese descent. He is widely considered as one of the best batsmen of the 1960s. Kanhai featured in several great West Indian teams, playing with, among others, Sir Garfield Sobers, Roy Fredericks, Lance Gibbs, and Alvin...
, Garry Sobers and Frank Worrell
Frank Worrell
Sir Frank Mortimer Maglinne Worrell is sometimes referred to by his nickname of Tae and was a West Indies cricketer and Jamaican senator...
.
Ranjane came from a very poor background. After his father, who was a factory worker, died when Ranjane was ten, his mother worked as a maid in a hospital to support the family. Ranjane dropped out of the school after the seventh standard. He managed to find a job as a fitter in the Indian railways where he continued till 1994, but it was hardly sufficient to maintain his six children.
When his sufferings got exposure in the media in the early 1980s, the Board of Control for Cricket in India
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered at Mumbai, is the national governing body for all cricket in India. It's not the apex governing body in India. The board was formed in December 1928 as BCCI replaced Calcutta Cricket Club. BCCI is a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu...
allotted him a benefit match at Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
between India and the touring West Indies side in 1983. He also received an ex gratia
Ex gratia
Ex gratia is Latin for "by favour", and is most often used in a legal context. When something has been done ex gratia, it has been done voluntarily, out of kindness or grace...
payment from the BCCI when his house was damaged in the floods in Poona in the 1960s. His son Subhash played cricket for Maharashtra.