Former Andhra Ranji captain Mirza N. Ravikumar died in Visakhapatnam on Friday after a brief illness.
Born in Kakinada, Ravikumar was a right-handed batsman and right arm off-break bowler. He played 47 Ranji matches and scored 1,785 runs, including one century and eight 50s. He took 39 wickets.
He captained the Andhra team for 10 matches during the 1974-75 and the 1989-90 seasons.
Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association (VDCA) secretary K. Parthasarathi, who was a contemporary of Ravikumar, remembered him as a “gentleman cricketer, an able captain and a good human being”.
Former ACA vice-president P.R. Narayanswami remembered him as a good cricketer with a keen eye for talent. He also played for Andhra Bank and had earned a name for himself in the Hyderabad league circuit.
Post his Ranji days, Mr. Ravikumar served as a talent scout for Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) for a number of years and helped give breaks to a number of budding young cricketers.
He is survived by his wife, daughter and son. His son M.N. Vikram Varma has also played Ranji Trophy matches.
Many yesteryear cricketers in the city fondly remembered him and mourned his death.
