Kripal Singh

Kripal Singh Biography

Kripal Singh was the finest of all cricketers to emerge from the Singh clan of Madras. He made his mark with a hundred on Test debut, but the remainder of his 14-Test career fetched him 322 runs at 21. In the end his numbers read 422 runs at 28.

Kripal was the son of Ram Singh, the patriarch of the family who was left out of the 1936 tour of England due thanks to some mysterious zonal ‘quota’ policy. While Kripal became the first in the family to play Test cricket, his brother Milkha became the second (Satwender, a third brother, also played for Madras).

Making full use of his height, Kripal used his feet to great effects, and was extremely versatile when it came to strokeplay. He was also a useful off-spinner, a brilliant slip fielder, and at domestic level, a shrewd captain. In a Ranji Trophy match of 1964-65, he gave VV Kumar (a domestic giant) a mere 2 overs, as he thought the pitch suited off-spinners more; Kripal and Venkataraghavan shared 15 wickets, bowling out Mysore for 46 and 94.

In all First-Class cricket Kripal’s numbers read 4,939 runs at 41 and 177 wickets at 28. He played a crucial role in Madras’ maiden Ranji Trophy title, especially in the semi-final against Bengal. He scored 98 and 97 (in a team score of 139 including 12 extras), and took 4 for 18 in the fourth innings.

The final clashed with his board examination, but Kripal somehow convinced BCCI to change the date of the final. He scored 75 and 91, and took 7 for 213 in the match. His 636 runs at 106, 13 wickets at 25, and 9 catches were instrumental in Madras’ title.

He had a few odd records, including bowling most balls (651) to take his maiden Test wicket; in all he got 10 Test wickets at 58. He fielded as substitute for England in the Bombay Test of 1964-65; and he became the first Test cricketer to change his religion (to Christianity) in his active days. He changed his first two names to Arnold George from Amritsar Govindsingh, thus keeping his initials intact.

He was also the roommate who called the Imperial Hotel receptionist, thus ending the Test career of Subhash Gupte, albeit inadvertently.

Kripal later served Madras cricket as Chairman of Selectors. He drove from ground to ground during his tenure, scouting for young talents. He later became a national selector.

He passed away at 53. His sons Arjan and Swaran also played First-Class cricket.

Abhishek Mukherjee

Kripal Singh Batting & Fielding Averages

Career	M	In	R	NO	HS	Avg	BF	SR	100s	50s	4s	6s	Ct	St
Test	14	20	422	5	100*	28.13	--	--	1	2	24	--	4	0
ODIs	0	--	--	--		--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
T20s	0	--	--	--		--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
World Cup	0	--	--	--		--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

Kripal Singh Bowling Averages

Career	M	B	R	W	Avg	EC	SR	5WI	10WM	BBI	BBM
Test	14	1518	584	10	58.40	2.308	151	0	0	3/43	3/90
ODIs	0	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
T20s	0	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
World Cup	0	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--		--

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