Before Kapil, there was Amar: A family’s untold cricket legacy

By K.R. Nayar
From Rajkot 

Very little is known about Rajkot-born Amar Sinh, the man who holds the unique distinction of being the first player to receive the India Test cap. While working on 318 Whispers of the India Test Cap, a book on cricketers who have donned India’s Test cap that is scheduled for release on January 13, I spent a lot of time researching this remarkable yet forgotten figure. Amar Sinh was a fast bowler who struck fear into batters, but fate permitted him a tragically short life of just 29 years. One of the key reasons for launching the book in Rajkot is this simple fact that the very first Indian to earn a Test cap hailed from this city.

Shailesh Vijay Sinh holds the photo of his grandfather in action

Ahead of the book launch, I was keen to trace the roots of this cricketer who occupies a sacred space in the history of Indian Test cricket. Gopal Jasapara, who conceptualised the book and belongs to this city, shared an exciting news one day that Amar Sinh’s grandson, Shailesh Vijay Sinh, lives in this city. It did not take long before we reached out to him. 

With Gopal Jasapara, Shailesh and his wife in front of their home named Amar Villa 

When Shailesh heard why we wanted to meet him, he warmly invited us to his home — a modest, double-storeyed house named Amar Villa. He runs a ladies’ garment shop for a living, but his home quietly preserves a priceless cricketing legacy.

A pencil sketch of Amar Sinh on an old destop calendar displayed in their drawing room

Shailesh was visibly surprised and deeply touched that someone had reached out to him looking for stories about his grandfather. In the drawing room, displayed on a showcase, stood an old desktop calendar issued by the Saurashtra Cricket Association, bearing a pencil sketch of Amar Sinh’s portrait. As I wondered whether this sketch was the only visual memory left behind—given that Amar had passed away in 1940 at the tender age of 29—Shailesh gently said, “I have preserved many of my grandfather’s belongings, which I received from my father.” Saying that, he led us upstairs, sat cross-legged on the floor, and carefully opened a vintage metal trunk box.

Shailesh with the ball Amar Sinh had bowled

What followed felt like opening a time capsule. With each item he lifted from the trunk, a story emerged, each breathing life into the tale of India’s first Test cap winner, who happened to be a fast bowler. In a country long celebrated for its spinners, and often lamenting the absence of genuinely intimidating pacers until Kapil Dev’s arrival decades later, Amar Sinh’s story stands out as extraordinary.

‘318 Whispers of the India Test Cap’ to be launched on January 13

Shailesh began with something seemingly small, yet deeply significant—the spelling of his grandfather’s name. “In every record and profile, his name is written as Amar Singh,” he said. “But in Gujarat, there is no Singh; it is written as Sinh.” This quiet correction helped me restore the authentic spelling in the book, just as history intended.

A newspaper report on Amar's first tour to England in 1932

From the trunk emerged a photograph that had begun to fade and turn yellow. It was that of his 6 ft 2-inch tall grandfather in action.. At first glance, I mistook it for an image of the legendary West Indian fast bowler Wes Hall, such was the similarity in action. Amar Sinh was devastatingly quick; so quick that former England captain Wally Hammond once described him as “the most dangerous opening bowler I have ever seen, coming off the pitch like the crack of doom.” Another England great, Len Hutton, had echoed that sentiment, declaring: “There is no better bowler in the world today than Amar.”

A 1932 newspaper clipping on Amar Sinh 

Shailesh then showed us the ball with which Amar Sinh had bowled. Once red, it had now turned almost black, its leather splitting with age. Growing up, Shailesh had heard countless tales of his grandfather’s pace. He recalled that the Maharaja of Mangrol had once remarked that even the great Don Bradman did not wish to face his grandfather. 

Fond memories- Top photo- Amar's wife with Shailesh's father. Below:  Amar with the legendary Polly Umrigar.

When I asked him if he could recall any more tales about his grandfather, Shailesh shared several fascinating details—many of which had never found their way into written records and had eluded even my intense research. “My grandfather went for a swim at a friend’s place,” he said softly. “There he fell sick. It turned into pneumonia, and he died.”

 Shailesh fondly holds the album that has clippings and photos of Amar Sinh

It is said that Amar Sinh had shared a deep friendship with the legendary Vijay Merchant. So intimate was their relationship that both had agreed to name their first child after each other if they had a son. True to that promise, Vijay Merchant named his son Amar Merchant, while Amar named his son Vijay Sinh—Shailesh’s father.

But what left us stunned was something else. “My grandfather was born on 4-12-1910. I was born on 4-12-1962, and I got married on 4-12-1994,” said Shailesh. “That date is very special for us,” he added. He also revealed that Amar’s elder brother, Ramji Ladha, was a fearsome fast bowler in his own right, famously known as Ramji the Terror. Ramji was the 16th Indian to receive a Test cap and played just one Test match. Like Amar, he too was claimed by an early death, passing away at the age of 48. The brothers studied at Alfred High School in Rajkot—the same institution once attended by Mahatma Gandhi.

Amar's brother -Ramji Ladha - was known as Ramji the Terror

I was curious to know whether any of Amar’s caps or coats had survived. Shailesh smiled and said: “My father told me that my grandfather gave away everything he received from cricket to friends or to anyone who asked him. In those days, no one thought of preserving mementos.” Even so, Rajkot has not forgotten him entirely—a street near the European Gymkhana still bears Amar Sinh’s name.

A book in Gujarati where Amar Sinh is mentioned as the ‘Prince of Pace’

As we handed over the invitation for the launch of our book—where Amar Sinh’s name appears first—Shailesh grew emotional. “My grandfather’s brother Ramji did not have children. I will be more than happy to attend the function,” he said with quiet pride. In return, he handed Gopal and me a small Gujarati book containing the stories of both his grandfather and grand-uncle, interwoven with verses from the Bhagavad Gita. Within its pages, Amar Sinh is lovingly remembered as the ‘Prince of Pace.