| Rusi Cooper | |
 Rusi Cooper on his 100th birthday in 2022. | |
| Birth: | 14 December 1922 Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India (now Mumbai, Maharashtra, India) |
| Death: | 31 July 2023 South Mumbai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Age: | 100 years, 229 days |
| Country: |  IND
|
| Centenarian | |
Rustom Sorabji "Rusi" Cooper (14 December 1922 – 31 July 2023) was an Indian centenarian, first-class cricketer, and lawyer.
Biography[]
Early Life and Career[]
Cooper was born on 14 December 1922 in Bombay, where he was also educated. He attended Elphinstone High School and St. Xavier's High School.
A right-handed batsman, Cooper made his first-class debut in the 1941–42 Bombay Pentangular Tournament, playing for the Parsees. In the 1943–44 and 1944–45 seasons, he represented Bombay in the Ranji Trophy.
Selected to play for the Rest of India against Western India States in February 1944, Cooper went in to bat at number eight and made his maiden first-class century. He finished the season with 383 runs at an average of 76.60.
Cooper improved further in 1944–45, scoring 551 runs at an average of 91.83 with two centuries, one of them in the Ranji Trophy final against Holkar to help Bombay win the title.
Cooper moved to England in 1946 to study at the London School of Economics. He was signed by Middlesex and played one game in the 1949 County Championship. The following season, he got a longer run in the side but struggled to make an impact, averaging just 19.63 for the county.
Later Life and Death[]
Cooper was a champion batsman for the Hornsey Cricket Club for several seasons, scoring 1,117 in 19 innings in 1953 at an average of 139.62, before returning to India with his English wife to practise as a barrister.
A serious knee injury ended Cooper's playing career soon after his return to India. He practised in India as a maritime lawyer until he retired in his nineties.
On 14 December 2022, Cooper celebrated his 100th birthday, becoming a centenarian. He died in South Mumbai on 31 July 2023, at the age of 100 years, 229 days.
Recognition[]
Cooper was the last surviving player from the Pentangular Tournament, which ceased after the 1945–46 season. He is also the longest-lived first-class player in the history of Middlesex.
Gallery[]
References[]
- Veteran Rusi Cooper floors MIG Cricket Club audience Mid-Day, 1 April 2018
- Rustom Cooper Becomes Oldest Living Middlesex First Class Cricketer Parsi Khabar, 16 June 2020
- RUSSI COOPER BECOMES MIDDLESEX’S OLDEST FIRST-CLASS CRICKETER Zoroastrians.net, 16 June 2020
- Rusi Cooper Scores The Ton Of Life! Parsi Times, 17 December 2022
- Rusi Cooper, oldest living first class cricketer passes away at 100 Lokmat Times, 31 July 2023