Arun Lal is a former Indian cricketer, who is a right-handed opening batsman and cricket commentator.
Wiki/Biography
Jagdishlal Arun Lal was born on Monday, 1 August 1955 (age 68 years; in 2023) in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. He attended Mayo College, Ajmer after which he obtained a degree in Economics from St. Stephen, Delhi.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 9″
Hair Color: Salt & Pepper
Eye Color: Black
Arun Lal during the second day of the two-day player auction for the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), in Bangalore on January 9, 2011
Family
Lal belongs to a family of cricketers. His father, uncles, and cousins had played first-class cricket before him.
parents
His father, Dhir Jagdish Lal, was also an opening batsman, who represented 8 different teams in 16 first-class matches.
Wife
Arun Lal was married to Reena, but they separated by mutual decision. Despite being separated, Arun still lives with his first wife who is sick. After separating from his first wife, he was in a relationship with Bulbul Saha. Reportedly, Arun took consent from his first wife and got engaged to Bulbul in 2022.
Arun Lal with his ex-wife Reena and Bulbul Saha
The newly-found couple’s wedding invitation also went viral on social media; the wedding took place on 2 May 2022 at Peerless Inn, Esplanade, Kolkata.
Arun and Bulbul’s wedding invitation
Arun Lal and Bulbul Saha wedding pictures
Other relatives
Arun Lal’s uncle Dhir Muni Lal was a right-handed opening batsman who played for South Punjab and North India in the 1930s. Arun’s cousin Akash Lal was also an opening batsman, who played for Delhi and Punjab in Indian domestic cricket in the 1960s.
Career
International Cricket
In 1982, he made his ODI debut on 27 January against England at Cuttack. In the same year, he made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Madras, where he scored 63 runs, and he shared a partnership of 156 runs with Sunil Gavaskar. In his second test appearance, he scored 51 runs against Pakistan and again shared a partnership with Sunil Gavaskar for more than 100 runs; however, he was dropped after he could only score 49 runs in the next four innings. He scored six Test fifties including the one he scored on debut against Sri Lanka in 1982 to 1989, scoring 729 runs at an average of 26.03. His highest test score was 93, which he made against the West Indies in Calcutta in 1987. He made six Test fifties to his name including one on debut against Sri Lanka in 1982 and two against Pakistan in the same match at the Eden Gardens in in 1987. He made 13 ODI appearances, and his ODI average was 9.36. He played his last Test and ODI matches for India in the West Indies tour in 1988-89.
Domestic cricket
At the Indian domestic level, he represented Bengal and Delhi. After trying to prove his mettle in Delhi for 6 years, he decided to move to Bengal. He joined the Bengal cricket team in 1981. His unbeaten half-century in the 1989-90 Ranji Trophy final led Bengal to its first Ranji Trophy after 51 years in 1989. He was also instrumental in East Zone’s victories in the Duleep and Deodhar Trophy. He played first-class cricket until 1995 and aggregated more than 10,000 runs in 156 first-class matches with a highest score of 287 and a batting average of 46.94. He announced his retirement from competitive cricket in 2001. His last club match was for East Bengal. At the time of his retirement, he was fifth in the list of most run-getters in Ranji history, with 6760 runs, at an average of 53.23. In an interview, he said that he had to quit because of his physical limitations. He said,
It may seem strange, but this year, I had problems after playing club matches in a hot and humid summer. That’s why I decided to stop after the official end of the season today.”
He added,
Even last year in the same period I scored a hundred. However, I don’t feel as tired as I have this year. The recovery factor takes too long. This has forced me to take the decision to quit.”
He later became the head coach of the East Zone branch of the National Cricket Academy and the head coach of the Bengal cricket team. In 2017, his former teammate Sourav Ganguly called him. According to Lal, he thought it was a courtesy call from a close friend, but it turned out to be an offer to mentor the State senior team from the then president of the Cricket Association of Bengal.
Arun Lal (third from left) as the coach of the Bengal cricket team
His strict method of training the Bengal youth was criticized at first; however, under his guidance, Bengal reached the finals of India’s premier domestic competition, the Ranji Trophy, in 2020 after a huge gap of 13 years. Talking about his coaching for Bengal players in an interview, he said,
The team is paramount and everything else is secondary. First you bring your team spirit and then comes your skill, your talent, your mental capacity all.”
In an interview, when asked about his journey from a Ranji winning team to managing a Ranji finalist team, he replied,
I can’t tell you how emotional this journey has been for me. I’m like a father now. If a child does good, it makes his father happier than what he does personally. So, it will be a much bigger achievement for me if this team can win the Ranji Trophy than my victory as a player. I value my journey more than my journey that season as a player.”
According to Arun, international players should continue to play domestic cricket as well. In an interview, he stated,
The most important tournament in the country is the Ranji Trophy and not the IPL”
Arun Lal launched the IPL trophy in Kolkata on April 5, 2018
Arun Lal made comments after his retirement from cricket. He also writes a column on cricket.
Arun Lal commented
Controversy
- Lal opted for a strict approach to bring discipline to the Bengal team under his guidance. He trains the players in all conditions including scorching summer heat and rain. His hard-line approach has been heavily criticized, and some in the media have questioned whether the Bengal cricketer will compete at the Olympics. In an interview, Arun defended his coaching style and said,
When I made this boy run for 25 laps, there was a lot of criticism.”
- After the Covid-19 outbreak, the BCCI’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for state associations barred more than 60 individuals from participating in training camps due to exposure to the virus. Lal took a strong stand against the SOP and cited the example of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on how he at his age ran the country. In an interview, he said,
The Prime Minister is 69 years old and he is currently running the country. Did they tell him to back off?”
He added,
Me as a human being, whether I coach the Bengals or not is immaterial but I will live my life. Don’t expect me to be 65, so I’ll be locked in a room for the next 30 years. It doesn’t happen like this,”
Award
Arun Lal was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement award by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on 3 August 2019.
Cancer Diagnosis
In January 2016, Lal was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, which is a type of jaw cancer. He underwent intensive treatment, including a 14-hour operation and replacement of his jaw. In an interview, he briefly explained his experience and said,
It took me a year to come out of it because my whole jaw had to be recreated or I wouldn’t have a face. From my leg, they cut one of the bones (fibula) and they actually made a new jaw. I’m on crutches because of the (cut) leg and I can’t move my right arm because of all the nerves that have been cut through my neck. It was a sad experience”
He successfully recovered from cancer. In an interview, when asked about her battle with cancer and how it changed her perspective on her life, she said,
Every day is a learning for humans. You are not the same person today as you were yesterday. When things like this happen you are bound to go through a change. You have to pass the test, you are stronger now, you see life differently. I feel like I’m stronger mentally and physically. I am very satisfied with myself and as long as God is with me, I will not complain.”
Favourite
- Reviewers: Ian Chappell, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Sanjay Manjrekar, Rameez Raja, and Tony Greig
Facts/Trivia
- Arun Lal is also known as Piggy by his close friends.
- In 1979, he moved to Calcutta from Delhi and started the Bournvita Cricket Academy, which is one of the leading cricket coaching academies in Kolkata.
- He represented Bengal in Doordarshan’s national integration song “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara”.
- He has been a staunch promoter of wildlife conservation for many years.
- Arun Lal is a bird watcher and has been working to save the migratory birds at Santragachi in Howrah.
- In an interview, he mentioned that he had planted over 4,000 trees. He said,
My main interest is planting trees. Then cricket.”
- Reportedly, Arun Lal supported various underprivileged children by funding their education and being a father figure to them. The child grows up to be a successful individual. Bikash, who is the son of a washerman, is now the head of treasury at JSW Steel, Dr. Anup Sarkar is a super-specialist gastroenterologist at PG Hospital in Kolkata, Ashwini is a doctor at AIIMS in Delhi, and Sanjit is an IT professional in Sweden.
- Reportedly, Arun was instrumental in convincing the selectors to pick Ganguly for the Ranji final in 1990. In an interview, Lal revealed,
I have seen Sourav grow from the very beginning. I supported him from his early days. In fact, I was one of the people who insisted on being included in the final when the selectors were hesitant to pick him.”
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
