Akash Lal (born 6 October 1940) is a former Indian first-class cricketer who mainly played for Delhi and Punjab, and a former Indian team selector.

Akash Lal
Personal information
Born (1940-10-06) 6 October 1940 (age 83)
Kapurthala, Punjab, British India
BattingRight-handed
RoleOpening batsman
RelationsMuni Lal (father), Arun Lal (cousin), Jagdish Lal (uncle)
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1957/58Patiala
1959/60–1968/69Delhi
1969/70–1975/76Punjab
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 94
Runs scored 5,622
Batting average 41.64
100s/50s 15/26
Top score 209*
Balls bowled 447
Wickets 6
Bowling average 50.50
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 2/21
Catches/stumpings 55/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 30 December 2015

Life and career

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Akash Lal was born on 6 October 1940 in Kapurthala, Punjab. His father Muni Lal was also a first-class cricketer who played in the 1930s and 1940s.[1] His uncle Jagdish Lal, father of Indian cricketer Arun Lal, had also played first-class cricket for various teams.[2]

Lal was a right-handed opening batsman who made his first-class debut for Patiala in the 1957/58 season. He switched to Delhi for the 1959/60 season and played ten seasons for them. He captained Delhi for three seasons from 1965/66. He was in contention for getting selected for the Indian team in 1966. He scored 82 and 4 in a tour match against West Indies at Delhi, but due to his struggle against Garry Sobers' spin bowling and a dropped catch, he was not selected.[3] He moved to Punjab before the 1969/70 season and represented them until the 1975/76 season.

After retirement, Lal became a selector for the Indian national cricket team. He was part of the five-member selection panel that picked Sachin Tendulkar in the Indian team at the age of 16 for his first international tour against Pakistan.[4] Lal was one of the three members of the panel who voted in favour of Tendulkar's selection.[5][6]

References

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  1. ^ "Muni Lal". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  2. ^ "Jagdish Lal". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  3. ^ "Akash Lal". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  4. ^ "An emotional Akash Lal reminisces the day he selected Sachin". India Today. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  5. ^ "It was 3-2 in Sachin's favour for 1989 Pak tour: Selector Akash Lal". Zee News. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  6. ^ "Cricket ignores man who backed Sachin's inclusion". Hindustan Times. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
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