Ranjitsinhji

Ranjitsinhji, born Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji, was an Indian-born cricketer who became one of the most celebrated batsmen of the late Victorian and Edwardian era, playing first-class cricket for Sussex and Test cricket for England between the 1890s and 1900s. He is widely credited with inventing or popularizing the leg glance, a batting stroke that redirected the ball behind the batsman's legs rather than in front, an innovation that reshaped attacking batting technique and influenced generations of players who followed him. Later in life he became the Maharaja Jam Sahib of the princely state of Nawanagar in India, ruling from 1907 until his death in 1933, while remaining a celebrated cricketing figure in England. As one of the first cricketers of South Asian origin to achieve major stardom in English cricket, he opened a path later followed by many Indian players, and India's premier domestic first-class cricket championship, the Ranji Trophy, was named in his honor after his death.