Brave Hearts

Author(s): Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: Eye Care Foundation

Page 39

The Brave Hearts
The history of the game of cricket so far had on record four batsmen who had played with only one eye intact. One of them was Shafakat Hussain. He had toured England as a member of the team sponsored by the ruler of Patiala in 1911. During that tour he played in all 27 innings and scored only 232 runs with an average of 10 runs, and could capture 12 wickets from 99 overs with an average of 34 runs. This showed that he could not achieve much during the tour. Another player was from South Africa by the name of Nupen. He had lost one eye during a battle in the First World War. Thereafter he played test cricket on behalf of his country and became the greatest pace bowler of South Africa to date. One can become a bowler with one eye, but can one become a batsman ? That was Bakwa Jeelani, who had to his credit the first hat-trick ever in the Ranji Trophy matches. Jeelani was a right hand medium pace bowler who made a hat-trick in 1934-35 in the very first Ranji Trophy match that he played on behalf of Northern India against Southern Punjab. He had toured England in 1936 as a member of the Indian team and had an opportunity to play the third test at Oval. He had also played two unofficial test matches against Australia in 1935. This medium fast bowler and a fairly good batsman met with a fatal accident in July 1941.
The fourth player in this series of one eyed players was none other than the great Jam Ranjitsinha who was known as a magician of the game of cricket. Before losing one eye, the eyes of this great player were so powerful that the bowlers who used to bowl against him used to say that Ranjitsinha could even see the stitches of the ball which was approaching him with great speed. He had lost the right eye in an accident in 1915. Thereafter he played only three first class matches in August 1920 and had scored 16 runs in the first match, 9 and 13
38