| Akash Lal | |
| Country: | India |
| Birth Date: | 6 October 1940 |
| Birth Place: | Kapurthala, Punjab, British India |
| Family: | Muni Lal (father), Arun Lal (cousin), Jagdish Lal (uncle) |
| Batting: | Right-handed |
| Role: | Opening batsman |
| Club1: | Patiala |
| Year1: | 1957/58 |
| Club2: | Delhi |
| Year2: | 1959/60–1968/69 |
| Club3: | Punjab |
| Year3: | 1969/70–1975/76 |
| Columns: | 1 |
| Column1: | First-class |
| Matches1: | 94 |
| Runs1: | 5,622 |
| Bat Avg1: | 41.64 |
| 100S/50S1: | 15/26 |
| Top Score1: | 209 |
| Deliveries1: | 447 |
| Wickets1: | 6 |
| Bowl Avg1: | 50.50 |
| Fivefor1: | 0 |
| Tenfor1: | 0 |
| Best Bowling1: | 2/21 |
| Catches/Stumpings1: | 55/– |
| Date: | 30 December |
| Year: | 2015 |
| Source: | http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/26654.html ESPNcricinfo |
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.
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]