Jamshedpur: Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) today condoled the death of former Indian medium pacer and Bihar Ranji Trophy skipper Randhir Singh, who passed away on Wednesday in Bokaro.
A host former cricketer and JSCA official including Ranji trophy cricketer Manoj Yadav and former Secretary of JSCA Rajesh Verma “Bobby” were present in the meeting held in JSCA office in Keenan Stadium premises.
A one minute silence was observed in memory of the departed soul.
Expressing shock over the death of 65-year-old Randhir Singh, Yadav said he was a very sincere and hardworking throughout his cricketing career.
I had the opportunity to play with and against him in first class cricket and league matches, Yadav said.
A native of Haryana, Randhir had represented Odisha and undivided Bihar in Ranji Trophy, Yadav said while lauding the hard work of Randhir that reserved a berth in the Indian team against England in 1982.
Randhir had played two One-day International against England including in Ahmedabad and bagged one wicket while he grabbed 146 wickets off 65 plus first class domestic matches.
Randhir made the debut in the Indian team when the country was in dearth of medium pacer, he said adding cricket in the state had suffered an irreparable damage with the death of Randhir.
Rajesh Verma ‘Bobby” said Randhir was not only a brilliant cricketer but also a perfect gentleman.
Recollecting the cricketing days, Bobby said Randhir’s contribution in shaping the game in Bihar/Jharkhand was laudable.
Medium pacer Randhir Singh was one of several surprise choices in the Indian squad which toured England in 1982. He didn’t score a run on the entire tour, but in fairness his batting opportunities were restricted to three first-class outings. Even his bowling chances were limited, and it was a most unhappy trip for him.
After finishing wicketless on his ODI debut against England at Ahmedabad in 1981-82, he was brought back to play a game against West Indies two years later when regulars Kapil Dev and Madan Lal were absent. He picked up the wicket of Gordon Greenidge, bowling six overs for 30 runs. That remained the extent of his international career, although he continued to play for several more seasons in the Ranji Trophy.
