Raj singh dungarpur biography of barack

Raj Singh Dungarpur was the most influential and controversial president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). This prince of the erstwhile state of Dungarpur had the same reputation when he was the chairman of national selectors, and manager of the Indian team on the tours of England in 1982 and 1986 and Pakistan in 1984-85 and 2005-06: he had a special talent to make friends and foes.

Dungarpur's imposing personality commanded awe and respect in any circle, and his command of English and gift of the gab were such that he would dominate meetings, debates and discussions, dwarfing his administrative colleagues. Even his political rivals, like Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former president of the BCCI and the International Cricket Council, struggled to be severe in their criticism.

The BCCI president from 1996 to 1999, he admitted he held the position "at the wrong time" and got "mixed up in the muddy waters of politics and the likes and dislikes of individuals". Dungarpur, who regarded the post of chairman of the selection committee as "the most thankless job in Indian cricket", had encouraged and promoted many talented cricketers, but allegedly ruined the careers of some stalwarts at the same time, particularly Mohinder Amarnath.

When dropped for the home series against New Zealand in 1988 and the subsequent tour of the West Indies in 1989, despite being in excellent form, Amarnath labelled Dungarpur and his fellow selectors as "a pack of jokers". Since Amarnath's father, Lala, had also been treated unfairly by the selectors in the past, he went on to say that the "jokers" either did not like his "face" or "surname" or "both".

Dungarpur, who had preconceived notions about people and usually reacted impulsively, seemed to have a grudge against Amarnath. He never gave a rational explanation for his omission. He told an interesting story, apocryphal or true, conc

Indian cricketer (1935–2009)

Raj Singh Dungarpur (19 December 1935 – 12 September 2009) was a president of Board of Control for Cricket in India. He played first class cricket for 16 years and was in and out of the Board of Control for more than 20 years. He was a selector of the national team for two terms. He also managed the Indian cricket team four times on overseas tours.

As the chairman of the selection committee, Dungarpur introduced Sachin Tendulkar to international cricket by selecting him for India's 1989 tour of Pakistan when he was just 16 years old. He is also credited for establishing the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.

Biography

Maharaj Raj Singh was born in the erstwhile princely state of Dungarpur in Rajasthan (then called Rajputana) on 19 December 1935. He was the youngest son of Maharawal Lakshman Singhji, the ruler of Dungarpur. He has two brothers, namely, Jaisinghji and Mahipalsinghji, and three sisters, one of whom is the Maharani of Bikaner. He studied at Daly College, Indore. He was the long-term romantic partner of Lata Mangeshkar, the legendary singer.

He played for the Rajasthan cricket team and Central Zone cricket team, appearing in 86 first class cricket matches from 1955 to 1971, and taking 206 wickets as a medium-pace bowler. In Rajasthan's victory over Vidarbha in 1967-68 he took his best figures of 7 for 88 and 5 for 55. He was appointed as the Manager of the Indian cricket team on a number of tours.

He was also the president of Cricket Club of India, Mumbai for 13 years. He served as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India for two terms. His last cricketing stint was as the manager of the Indian team to Pakistan.

He died on 12 September 2009, after a prolonged battle with Alzheimer's disease, in Mumbai, aged 73. His f