Amar Singh (cricketer) facts for kids
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| Full name |
Ladhabhai Nakum Amar Singh
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| Born | 4 December 1910 Rajkot, Gujarat, British India |
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| Died | 21 May 1940 (aged 29) Jamnagar, Gujarat, British India |
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| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm fast-medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | All-rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Ladha Ramji (brother) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 1) | 25 June 1932 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 15 August 1936 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: ESPN Cricinfo, 9 May 2020
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Amar Singh (born December 4, 1910 – died May 21, 1940) was a famous Indian cricketer. He was a right-arm fast-medium bowler and a good batsman too. This made him an "all-rounder" – someone great at both bowling and batting! Amar Singh played seven Test matches for India before World War II. He took 28 wickets in these important games.
He made history as the first fast bowler and all-rounder from India. He was also the very first Indian player to get a Test cap, which is like a special award for playing in a Test match. In India's first-ever Test match, he scored India's first half-century, which means he scored 50 runs or more in one turn at bat.
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Amar Singh's Cricket Journey
Amar Singh played first-class cricket for nine years. In 92 first-class matches, he took an amazing 508 wickets. A "wicket" is when a bowler gets a batsman out. He also scored five centuries, which means he scored 100 runs or more five times!
In Indian domestic cricket, he was the first player to achieve a special "double." This means he scored over 1000 runs and took over 100 wickets in the Ranji Trophy tournament.
Playing for India
Amar Singh played against England in Chennai in 1933–34. He took 7 wickets for 86 runs in England's first turn at bat. Later, he scored 48 runs himself.
At Lord's in 1936, he was incredible, taking 6 wickets for only 35 runs. In the next Test match, he scored 48 runs without being out, which helped save India from losing the game badly.
Amar Singh and Mohammad Nissar were a powerful duo of fast bowlers for India. Many famous cricketers praised Amar Singh. Wally Hammond, a legendary English player, said Amar Singh was "as dangerous an opening bowler as I have ever seen."
In 1940, another great English player, Leonard Hutton, said, "There is no better bowler in the world today than Amar Singh." Hutton knew this because he had played against Singh.
Amar Singh also played for a club called Colne in England. He was their first international professional player. When he joined, the club's ticket sales and memberships doubled because everyone wanted to see him play!
Amar Singh passed away on May 21, 1940, from pneumonia in Jamnagar.
Amar Singh's Test Match Highlights
Amar Singh was a key player in the Indian team. In India's first-ever Test match at Lord's, he and his bowling partner Nissar were the stars. Nissar quickly got the English opening batsmen out.
England was in trouble, but Wally Hammond and his captain, Douglas Jardine, started to score runs. Then, Amar Singh got his first-ever wicket in Test cricket! India's captain, CK Nayudu, and Amar Singh finished getting the rest of the English batsmen out. England scored 259 runs. Amar Singh took 2 wickets for 75 runs.
What Wisden Said
Wisden, a famous cricket publication, wrote that Amar Singh bowled "almost as well, making the ball curl in the air... and causing it to come off the pitch at a tremendous pace." This was a big surprise because England had many strong batsmen.
India didn't bat as well and were out for 189 runs. England started their second turn at bat, and Amar Singh quickly got one of their openers out. Wisden praised Amar Singh again, saying he bowled "even better than before."
His Fighting Half-Century
India needed to score 346 runs to win. They struggled at first, losing many wickets. But then, Amar Singh showed his batting skills! He scored 51 runs, including one six (a big hit that goes out of the field). He and another player, Lall Singh, added 74 runs together. Amar Singh was the last player out, and India lost the match.
Amar Singh played six more Test matches against England. He had some amazing performances, like taking 7 wickets for 86 runs in Chennai in 1934. He often bowled many overs, showing how strong and reliable he was for the team.
Amar Singh's Cricket Style
Amar Singh was a tall man, over six feet two inches. He used his height to make the ball bounce and move in tricky ways. He had a smooth bowling action and could generate a lot of power. English conditions, with their grassy pitches, suited his bowling style very well.
He was great at using the new ball, making it swing both ways. Even when the ball got older, his "breakback" delivery was very hard to play. This delivery would often sneak past a batsman's defense and hit the stumps, getting them out.
Smart Field Settings
Amar Singh was known for setting up his fielders in an aggressive way. He always aimed to hit the stumps when he bowled. He usually had two or three fielders in "slips" (close behind the batsman), a "gully," a "cover point," and a "third man" on one side of the field. On the other side, he would have a "short fine leg," a "forward short leg," a "silly mid-on," and a "long leg." He kept this setup for all batsmen.
A Powerful Batsman
Amar Singh's batting was also very aggressive. He was a "pinch-hitter," meaning he could hit the ball very hard and score runs quickly. Sometimes, he even batted higher up the batting order. He scored four times over 40 runs when batting in the top five positions. In the summer of his first Test match, he scored an unbeaten 131 runs against Lancashire, even though he was batting at number 10!
Besides his bowling and batting, Amar Singh was also an excellent fielder and catcher. In 92 first-class matches, he took 77 catches. Some people said he was as good at catching as famous players like Bob Simpson or Wally Hammond.
