KOCHI: He played cricket at a time when there was no money involved in it and cricketers played the game for pure passion. Yet, Paliath Ravi Achan (96), who passed away at his residence in Tripunithura due to age-related ailments on Monday night, carved a niche for himself on state's cricketing map.
The leg-spinning allrounder played 55 first-class matches for the Travancore-Cochin and Kerala teams from 1952 to 1970. Ravi Achan was the first Malayali cricketer to achieve the allrounder's double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets as he finished his first-class career with 125 wickets and 1107 runs.
