Rajinder Goel, the most elevated wicket-taker throughout the entire existence of the Ranji Trophy with 637 strikes, has died at 77 years old after a delayed disease. On the whole, the left-arm spinner took 750 wickets – a large portion of them for Haryana – in 157 first class matches from 1958-59 to 1984-85. He stowed a mind boggling 53 five-fors and 17 ten-wicket coordinate takes.
Sourav Ganguly Pays Tribute to the Legend
Former India captain and current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly paid tribute to Goel. “The Indian cricketing community has lost a giant of domestic cricket today,” he said in a release. “His staggering record tells you about his craft and the control he had over it. To have a career that lasts more than 25 years and still be able to perform consistently speaks about his dedication and commitment towards the game. To be able to pick 750 wickets needs years and years of hard work and I salute his efforts. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family.”
In the mid-1960s, when Bishan Singh Bedi was making his mark, the question that was asked was, “is he as good as Goel?” Ironically, one reason Goel never played for India was because Bedi had cemented his spot in the India team. The closest Goel came to play for India was in the unofficial Test against Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1964-65.
RIP #RajinderGoel ji. Master of his craft. Killer line & length in our terrain. Humility personified. Condolences to the entire family 🙏 pic.twitter.com/C3YJNPob1e
— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) June 21, 2020
The Long Run Comes to an End
In September 1979, Goel got 6 for 102 against a meeting Australian side drove by Kim Hughes. He kept playing top class cricket until he was 43, with wellness demonstrating a urgent part of his long and celebrated domestic career. Even, when he was in his last season in 1984-85, Goel prepared hard; his training session would include 3500 skips of a rope and a since a long run, trailed by bowling at least to 10 batsmen in the nets.
Goel couldn’t win the Ranji Trophy as a player, however he was the administrator of the Haryana determination board of trustees in 1991 when a Kapil Dev-drove side stunned Bombay (presently Mumbai) at the Wankhede Stadium.
After his playing vocation, Goel likewise filled in as a match ref in both men’s and women’s cricket.
In 2017, Goel got the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award. He is one of the four non-Test players to have the BCCI’s Lifetime Achievement Award; the others being Padmakar Shivalkar, Bhausaheb Nimbalkar and writer KN Prabhu.
