Name Hindi: जयसिंहराव घोरपड़े / Gender Man
Jayasinghrao Ghorpade
Jayasinghrao “Jay” Ghorpade was a renowned Indian cricket player who was one of the prominent members of India’s national cricket team in 1950s and early 60s. Born on September 30, 1930, Jay’s journey in Cricket began at an early age, making his First-Class debut for Maharashtra Rahuri Province state team when he was only 17 years old.
Early Life:
Ghorpade belonged to Dhangarpur in Nasik District of Maharashtra. He hailed from a financially sound household and his father was a traditional ruler of Sandur, Bellary (Karnataka), which provided him with comfortable conditions to explore his passion for cricket. Furthermore, it gave him access to proper training for the sport, nurturing his flaring talent that later led him towards immense success.
Career:
- Ghorpade made his test debut against New Zealand in Delhi on December 16th, 1955.
- He played eight tests in total during his career span between the years 1952 and 1961-62.
- His last international appearance was against England in February 13th, 1962,
- Out of the matches he participated; two were won by India while four ended up as draw and rest were won by other teams.
- In those eight tests, Ghorpade scored a total of 229 runs at an average of about 28.63; including a phenomenal innings best score where he run-scored a half-century i.e., ’52’ versus Australia in Mumbai 1956.
- His contribution to cricket was not limited to his batting skills but also extended to the fielding area. He took four catches during his tenure in international fixtures.
Ghorpade had an effective batting style known for his positive approach and opportunistic run-scoring ability. Even though, he never landed a centurion score in his professional career; his innate abilities and leadership capabilities were respected by both teammates and opponents.
Moreover, Ghorpade’s love for the sport went beyond being just a player as he served at administrative positions later in life like serving as selector of Karnataka Cricket Association & Viratnagar Sports club president etc.
Later Life:
After retirement from International Cricket, Ghorpade focused on contributing back to Indian cricket within different capacities – primarily selecting talented young players for training programs thus developing the future of Indian Cricket. He passed away on December 17th, 1995 but his contributions towards Indian cricket will always be remembered.
In summary, Jayasinghrao “Jay” Ghorpade is an exceptional figure in the history of Indian cricket. His versatile game-play including immense innings scoring & vigilant catching along with subsequent services post-retirement richly contribute towards development of the sport especially amongst youth events thereby shaping current vibrant face of cricket which India portrays internationally today.
