J. G. Greig

Who was J. G. Greig?

Canon John Glennie Greig was an Englishman who played most of his cricket in India.

Born in Mhow near Indore in 1871, he lived in India till 1921. In his time, he was the finest batsman to play for the Europeans in the annual Bombay Presidency tournaments. He possessed a slight physique but strong wrists and was a useful right arm slow bowler. In India, he was affectionately called "Jungly" Greig. He was ADC to the Governor of Bombay.

Greig made his first class debut for the Europeans against the Parsis in the Bombay Presidency match of 1893/4. In the next year, he carried his bat for 79* out of 190 against the same opponents. His 184 five years later was the highest ever individual score made in India and in 1898 in Poona, he took 13 for 58 against the Parsis.

Against the touring Oxford Authentics in 1902 he scored 204, the first double hundred made on Indian soil. In December 1915 in a match styled India v England, he hit 216 which resulted in a win of an innings and 263 runs for England. Greig served as a selector when the All India side was chosen for their first official tour to England in 1911.