Former Delhi and Indian test cricketer Rajinder Pal passes away at his Dehradun residence yesterday. Pal represented India in one test match in 1963 against England. He bowled 13 overs in the match and conceded just 22 runs but returned wicket-less. This forced the selectors to replace him with Ramakant Desai for the 3rd test match.
“My elder brother Rajinder Pal passed away yesterday at his Dehradun residence. He was 80 years old and is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter,” his younger brother Ravinder Pal, also a former first-class cricketer said.
Pal represented Delhi in the domestic cricket and scalped 337 wickets in just 98 matches at an average of 21.89. He also played for Southern Punjab, who he captained in 1966-67 and played for Punjab as the new team’s inaugural captain in 1968-69. Pal finished his career with Haryana in 1973-74.
Post his retirement he became a coach and ran the Rajinder Pal Cricket Academy in New Delhi. The great “Kapil Dev” spent a week learning from him before touring England for the first time in 1979.
