Duleepsinhji Dead

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29071, 7 December 1959, Page 13

Duleepsinhji Dead

(Rec. 9.30 p.m.) BOMBAY, December 5.

Mr K. S. Duleepsinhji, the former Sussex, England, cricketer, died today of a heart attack. He was 54.

Mr Duleepsinhji, a former High Commissioner in Australia, died in his sleep. He was the nephew of another great England batsman, Ranjit Sinhji, and was educated at Cheltenham College and Cambridge. He is survived by his wife.

American Associated Press called Duleepsinhji “one of cricket’s greatest stars.” He played for England against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and was regarded universally as one of the finest styled batsmen. He captained the Sussex County team in 193132. He was born in 1905, the son of Maharaja Juwansinhji, of Jamnagar State, and was a rackets blue for Cambridge, for which he also played cricket Reuter said Duleepsinhji, a prince whose full name was Kumar Sri Duleepsinhji, repeated his uncle’s feat when in 1930 he scored a century in his first test against Australia. He went on to establish himself as one of the world's finest batsmen, but because of ill-health never reached the superlative heights of “Ranji.” He gave up active cricket on medical advice and later devoted his time and experience as coach, adviser and selector of English and of Indian cricket teams. His first-class career in Eng-

land, during which he scored 15,537 runs at an average of 50.11, began at Cambridge University in 1925. The next season, when he qualified for Sussex, he had the best average both for the university and the county. He then proceeded to accomplish remarkable feats, in spite of periodic bouts of serious illness which curtailed his activities, especially in 1927, and brought his English career to a close in August, 1932. Altogether, he made 12 test appearances for England, playing once against South Africa in 1929. four times against Australia in 1930, and, seven times against New Zealand from 1929 to 1931.