Pravin Hansraj is an Indian cricketer known for his services to the country in domestic cricket. Even though not much time elapsed during his lively cricketing career, he must have played a pretty substantial role within Indian cricket. In addition to being a professional, he also happens to be the father of Bollywood actor Jugal Hansraj.
Early Life and Background
Pravin Hansraj was born on July 24, 1938, in Karachi, British India. His early life was influenced by partition at that time, and thereafter, he had to shift to India with his family. He was keenly attracted to cricket at the early stage of his life and kept on working hard to make his place in cricket.
Cricketing Career
Pravin Hansraj was a right-handed batsman and a left-arm medium-pace bowler. His cricketing career was from 1963 to 1966, during which he played for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy, India’s premier domestic cricket tournament.
In his first-class career, he played nine matches. As a batsman, he played 14 innings with the highest score of 20 runs and a batting average of 9.22. His major strength was bowling. He bowled 908 deliveries, gave away 516 runs, and took 16 wickets. His best bowling performance was 5 wickets for 57 runs, where he could trouble the batsmen with his left-arm medium pace.
Although his cricketing career was not very long, his contribution to cricket was admired in the domestic circuits.
Family and Personal Life
Pravin Hansraj also holds fame as a father to the actor, director, and writer of the Bollywood industry, Jugal Hansraj. Jugal Hansraj rose into stardom due to being a child artist in the film “Masoom” (1983), but he later became an actor and a director as well.
The Hansraj family has contributed a lot in sports and entertainment. Their contribution is very memorable in both fields.
Hansraj Cricket Foundation
To commemorate the passion of Pravin Hansraj for cricket, his family set up the Hansraj Cricket Foundation in 2015. The foundation focuses on developing the game and helping young cricketers with a dream to play cricket. His love for the game should not be forgotten, and the passion for the game should continue inspiring generations.
Death and Legacy
Pravin Hansraj passed away on January 28, 2014, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, at the age of 75. His journey from a budding cricketer to a respected figure in Indian sports left a great mark. His legacy lives on through his family’s continued contributions in cricket and cinema.
