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.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1940-10-06) 6 October 1940 (age 81) Kapurthala, Punjab, British India | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Opening batsman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Muni Lal (father), Arun Lal (cousin), Jagdish Lal (uncle) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1957/58 | Patiala | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1959/60–1968/69 | Delhi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1969/70–1975/76 | Punjab | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 30 December 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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]