World's oldest first-class cricketer Vasant Raiji dies aged 100
Raiji became the oldest first-class cricketer in March
|Clayton Murzello
Former Bombay and Baroda batsman and cricket historian Vasant Raiji, who happened to be the oldest first-class cricket alive till June 13, died in his Mumbai residence today. Raiji played nine first-class matches in a career that ran from 1939 to 1950, scoring 277 runs at an average of 23.08.
At a time when making to the Bombay team was extremely difficult, Raiji made a stunning turn-around after representing Baroda in the pre-partition Ranji Trophy and subsequently made it to the reserves for the Hindus team in the 1941 Bombay Pentangular. He further played for Bombay side before ending his first-class career in 1950. Raiji had scored 277 runs at an average of 23.08, with 68 being his highest score.
After India achieved independence, Raiji slowly turned to writing and authored several important books on early Indian cricket. An accountant by profession, Raiji authored two books on the subject and later became a cricket historian. His South Bombay house has long been a treasure trove of books on Indian cricket.
"I am deeply saddened by the news of the demise of Shri Vasant Raiji. I had the good fortune of meeting him on his 100th birthday where he shared his memories about our rich cricketing history through his eyes. May his soul rest in peace and my deepest condolences to his family," Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president Vijay Patil told TOI on Saturday.
A resident of Walkeshwar area of South Mumbai, Raiji became the oldest alive Indian first-class cricketer after the death of BK Garudachar in February 2016 and celebrated his 100th birthday on January 26 this year. Steve Waugh and Sachin Tendulkar paid him a courtesy visit. Just recently, after the death of Hampshire's John Manners, who passed away at 106 on March 7, 2020, Raiji became the oldest living first-class cricketer in the world.
