About Ranjitsinhji
Colonel Kumar Sri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II (10 September 1872 – 2 April 1933), often known as Ranji or K. S. Ranjitsinhji, was an Indian cricketer who later became ruler of his native Indian princely state of Nawanagar, (present day Jamnagar) from 1907 to 1933. The main part of his cricket career was from 1893 to 1904 when, as one of the greatest batsmen of his time, he played for Cambridge University, Sussex, London County and, in 15 Test matches, for England. Ranjitsinhji was an unorthodox batsman whose fast reactions and individual style were to revolutionise the game. Previously, batsmen had generally played forward and made shots to the off side; Ranjitsinhji took advantage of the improving quality of pitches in his era and played more on the back foot, both in defence and attack. He is particularly associated with one shot, the leg glance, which he popularised and may have invented. He has been called the "Father of Indian Cricket", as he was the earliest top-class Indian cricketer, but he has been criticised for his refusal to aid and encourage the development of cricket in India itself. The annual first-class championship of India, the Ranji Trophy, was named in his honour by Bhupinder Singh of Patiala who inaugurated the competition in 1935. Ranjitsinhji's nephew Duleepsinhji followed his path as a batsman playing first-class cricket for Cambridge, Sussex, and England.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.