Sports News | Vasant Raiji, India's Oldest First-class Cricketer, Dies at 100
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Vasant Raiji, who was India's oldest first-class cricketer at 100, died here in the wee hours of Saturday.
Mumbai, Jun 13 (PTI) Vasant Raiji, who was India's oldest first-class cricketer at 100, died here in the wee hours of Saturday.
Raiji was 100 years old and is survived by his wife and two daughters.
"He (Raiji) passed away at 2.20 am in his sleep at his residence in Walkeshwar in South Mumbai due to old-age," his son-in-law Sudarshan Nanavati told PTI.
Raiji, a right-handed batsman, played nine first-class matches in the 1940s, scoring 277 runs with 68 being his highest score.
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He made his debut for a Cricket Club of India team that played Central Provinces and Berar in Nagpur in 1939.
His Mumbai debut happened in 1941 when the team played Western India under the leadership of Vijay Merchant.
Raiji, also a cricket historian and chartered accountant, was 13 when India played its first Test match at the Bombay Gymkhana in South Mumbai.
Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and former Australian skipper Steve Waugh had paid a courtesy visit to Raiji at his residence in January when he had turned 100.
It has been learnt that the cremation will take place at the Chandanwadi crematorium in South Mumbai on Saturday afternoon.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)