Saurashtra in Ranji Finals; Know about Kathiawar and Nawanagar

The premier domestic tournament of India ~ the Ranji Trophy concluded recently… Mumbai captained by Ajit Agarkar won it for the 40th time.  This post was made by me on 30th Jan 2013 ~ but posted on my blog in the evening of 3rd Feb 2013………. For we had SYMA Quiz today AN and one of the questions was on ‘Nava Nagar’ …………. If you wonder NavaNagar – where or what, please do read on !!

The Ranji Finals was  played between Mumbai and .. Saurashtra, who spun their way into their first Ranji Trophy final since 1937-38. Much water has flown under the bridge during these 3 quarters of a century. Saurashtra is in fact a region of western India, located on the Arabian Sea coast of Gujarat state. It consists of 7 districts of Gujarat, including Rajkot District. It is a peninsula also called Kathiawar after the Kathi Darbar who ruled part of the region once.

Heard of Kathiawar, a peninsula in Northern India.  It consists of the major cities of Rajkot in the center of the peninsula, Jamnagar on the Gulf of Kutch, Bhavnagar on the Gulf of Khambhat, Surendranagar and the historic city Wadhwan in the central portion of Gujarat, Porbandar on the west coast, historic city of Junagadh on the South. Diu, an island town formerly part of Portuguese India and now part of the Indian union territory of Daman and Diu, lies off the south coast of Kathiawar. The city of Somnath and its famous temple are also located on the south coast. Reliance Industries Limited founded by Dhirubhai Ambani, operates the oil refinery at Jamnagar, which is the world's largest grass-roots refineries. The world's largest shipbreaking yard is in Gujarat near Bhavnagar at Alang. Somnath is one of the 12 Jyotirlings in India.  That is not all ~ there is most sacred Dwaraka, the place of Lord Krishna Himself.  There is  Palitana, a place  sacred to the Jains.   Kathiawar also possesses the only habitat of the Asiatic Lion in Asia – the Gir Forest.  

Navanagar was an Indian princely state, in Kathiawar region, situated on the south of the Gulf of Kutch. It was ruled by the Jadeja dynasty from its formation in c 1540 until 1948 when it seceded to newly formed, India. The district is now known as Jamnagar. It had an area of 3,791 square miles (9,820 km2) and a population estimated at 336,779 in 1901. Its rulers, who used the title of "Jam Sahib" were Jadeja Rajput of the same clan as the Rao of Cutch and followed the Hindu religion. They were entitled to a 13-gun salute. The state flag was a rectangular red flag with a white elephant, near and facing the hoist. During the British Raj, the state was part of the Kathiawar Agency, within the Gujarat Division of Bombay Presidency. The state had a pearl fishery and much of its wealth came from this.

Nawanagar has got a rich legacy of Cricketing background as the trophy itself was named after one of  its former ruler Jam Saheb Ranjitsinhji (died 1933),   a famous cricket player who was  at Cambridge in England before his accession to the throne.  K. S. Ranjitsinhji was one of the world’s greatest cricket players and, later, became Jam Sahib in 1907 until 1933. After his death, Ranji Trophy, the  domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, was started in 1934 by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

In 1949 after the former princely states of Nawanagar and Dhrol, Dhrafa Thana and part of Jalia Dewani in Kathiawar merged into new the state of Saurashtra. On June 19, 1959, the boundaries of the district were enlarged by the inclusion of the adjoining Okhamandal, and the district was renamed Jamnagar. This district became part of the new State of Gujarat on the division of the State of Bombay on May 1, 1960.  

Getting back to Cricket, Saurashtra without Ravindra Jadeja and Cheteshwar Pujara proved no match for Mumbai who breezed past to their 40^th Ranji title.  For records,  Mumbai made 355 aided by Wasim Jaffer’s 132; defeated Saurashtra by an innings and 125 runs ~ Saurashtra made  148 (Kulkarni 4-24) and 82 (Kulkarni 5-32).

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

30^th Jan 2013.