Excise Commissioner Rishi Raj Singh pads up for office tourney

KANNUR: Rishi Raj Singh might be a daring cop and a commanding boss, but none of his subordinates from Palakkad spared him on the cricket field. The State Excise Commissioner, who padded up for Thiruvananthapuram during the semifinal match of the cricket tournament conducted as part of the State Excise Sports Meet at Thalassery Cricket Stadium, was bowled by M Suresh of Palakkad for one run after facing just four balls. Rishi Raj Singh, who represented Rajasthan at junior levels during his school days, however was active on the field and even bowled one over conceding eight runs although his team lost to Palakakad in the semi-finals.

Rishi Raj Singh’s participation in the match also gave a boost to the Excise staff. “Usually higher officials like Commissioner attend the function as part of official duty in uniform. However he participated wholeheartedly which actually encouraged the participants and the excise fraternity. He told the players that on the field there ‘is no commissioner and we are all same’ and that really filled their hearts,” said Kozhikode Excise Deputy Commissioner P.K. Suresh.

“Despite his age, he was very active on the field and we could see him chasing the ball till the boundary line. He behaved just like any other cricketer with utmost professionalism,” added M Madhusudanan, the BCCI umpire who officiated at the match. Cannanore District Cricket Association office bearers presented the Excise Commissioner with the photo album taken during his earlier visit to the Ground in 2013 for a Ranji match.