PR Man Singh

Some Lesser Known Facts About PR Man Singh

• PR Man Singh is a former Indian cricketer and the manager of an Indian cricket team during the 1983 and 1987 World Cups. He was accredited for selecting Kapil Dev as the captain of the Indian side who took India to their maiden World Cup title in June 1983. He was the only one who accompanied the Indian team to England for the tournament.

  

• After India’s victory in the World Cup, Man Singh wrote a letter to Wisden’s editor David Frith who downplayed the Indian team and declared that he will “eat his words” if India won the tournament, reminding him of his promise. In September’s edition of Wisden magazine, a photo was published where David Frith was seen eating his words with the caption
  

  “India made me eat my words”.

  

• He was the right-handed batter and off-break bowler who has played five first-class games for the team Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy and Hyderabad Blues in the Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup Tournament between 1965 to 1969.

• Besides this, he also managed Hyderabad Blues in the Moin-ud-Dowlah Tournament and served as the secretary of the Hyderabad Cricket Association.

• Man Singh’s house named “Pavilion” was inaugurated by Sachin Tendulkar in 2003. This house has a collection including hundred of books, ties, and bats which, he has assembled since the 1950s.

  

• He started his career as an assistant manager for India on its tour of Pakistan in 1978. This Pakistan tour was after almost 20 years. According to experts, this tour was more of a political tour than cricket. Cricket tour is just been used as an excuse. Later it was decided that the manager for the Indian team should politician. Within a few days, this responsibility was handed over to the Maharaja of Baroda. But Maharaja had the demand that he would only accompany the Indian team as a manager if Man Singh will be my deputy. Sharing the experience on Wisden, he told ^[3]The Better India
  

  “That’s how I became his assistant on that trip”.

  

• He was part of the six-member selection committee that appointed Kapil Dev as the captain of the tournament. During his tenure as a full-time manager of the team, he disregarded many board rules to support his players. He allowed four of its players to accompany their wives on the tour. Also, he allowed them to take with them by bus when going outside London. Recalling that time, PR Man Singh told, ^[4]ScoopWhoop
  

  “We had four players with their wives and I gave them permission to stay in the hotel. I also allowed them to travel on the team bus when going to venues out of London. This was unthinkable then. Good the Board today allows the players to bring their families for some time.”

  Former Indian cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi wrote in the Foreword of Man Singh’s book ‘Agony and Ecstasy’ that

  “Honestly, I cannot think of another Indian who is so thickly involved with cricket globally and his personal museum at his residence is ample testimony to his cricket-crazy intensity. He is the warmest cricket person, through and through.”

• Man Singh once quashed the myth about the stopping of coverage between India and Zimbabwe during the 1983 World Cup due to BBC’s strike. He said,
  

  “Just because BBC were on strike, the India-Zimbabwe match was not telecast is wrong. That match had no significance. BBC was only concentrating on matches where West Indies, Pakistan, England, and Australia were involved. It was played at Tunbridge Wells – that is the only international played at the venue till date. If it was not telecast, I am not surprised. Let’s not blame the BBC. It became big because we were 17-5 and suddenly Kapil went and made 175 and we won the match.”

• The first book he bought was “End of an Innings by Dennis Compton” published in 1950 in Bangalore (now Bengaluru). Besides this, He has a large number of ties, mementos, flags, cufflinks, autographed miniature bats, and around cricket video cassettes which are now converting to DVDs.

  

• On 24 December 2021, a Bollywood movie named ’83’ was released where Pankaj Tripathi has played the role of PR Man Singh.