Indravijaysinhji

Indravijaysinhji was a son of Maharaj Shri Dilawarsinhji (1883–1930). His father's family were prominent in Sarodar (or Sadodar), a village in Nawanagar State on Gujarat's Kathiawar peninsula. His paternal grandfather was descended from the Jam Sahibs of Nawanagar, and his paternal grandmother was a daughter of Takhatsinhji, the Maharaja of Jodhpur. Indravijaysinhji was educated at the Rajkumar College in neighbouring Rajkot State. The family were prominent in cricketing circles – his uncle, Ranjitsinhji, and first cousin, Duleepsinhji, played Test cricket for England, while three other first cousins played first-class cricket. Indravijaysinhji was briefly an officer in the British Indian Army, with the rank of lieutenant.

Indravijaysinhji made his first-class cricket debut at the age of 19, during the inaugural 1934–35 edition of the Ranji Trophy.[1] He appeared for a combined Western India side, playing little part in the game,[2] and also played a first-class match for the Cricket Club of India against Bombay late in the season.[1] Indravijaysinhji played two further matches for Western India in the following season of the Ranji Trophy, under the captaincy of the Ghulam Moinuddin Khan, Nawab KhanSaheb of Manavadar.[3][4] From the 1936–37 tournament, a Nawanagar team participated, for whom he made most of his first-class appearances.[1]

A middle or lower-order batsman, Indravijaysinhji's first notable innings came during the final of the 1936–37 Ranji Trophy, in which Nawanagar defeated Bengal by 256 runs to win its only title. After a duck in the first innings, he top-scored in the second, making 91 runs.[5] Indravijaysinhji served as captain of Nawanagar in seven matches, from 1938 to 1941, of which the team won three, drew three, and lost one.[6] Nawanagar's team at times included Indravijaysinhji; his brothers, Ranvirsinhji, Yadvendrasinhji, Jayendrasinhji. The side's most notable player during this time was Vinoo Mankad, who later played at Test level for India.[7] Playing against Sindh during the 1938–39 tournament, Indravijaysinhji scored his only first-class century, an innings of 121 not out.[8]

Indravijaysinhji's final Ranji Trophy match for Nawanagar came during the 1943–44 season.[2] Outside of Indian domestic competition, he had also appeared for several combined teams against touring international sides, playing against the touring Australians during the 1935–36 season and a touring English team led by Lord Tennyson during the 1937–38 season. Nine years after his previous first-class appearance, now aged 38, Indravijaysinhji played one final match for a Saurashtra team in the 1953–54 Ranji Trophy.[1] He finished his first-class career with 1,039 runs made at an average of 25.97, with no wickets and 16 catches. Indravijaysinhji died in Jamnagar in June 1981.[9]