The Indian Cricket Legends: Indian Criket before Independence II

Thursday 28 April 2011

Indian Criket before Independence II

C.K.NAYUDU

The first international exposure in the history of Indian Cricket came in the year 1926. In that year, a team from the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), led by A.E.R Gilligan toured India. Though it was an unofficial tour, the Indian people were quite interested and enthusiastic about the matches that MCC played during the tour.For the Hindus at Bombay Gymkhana,The legendary Indian cricket player, C. K. Nayudu played brilliantly during that tour and he also scored 153 in 116 minutes with 11 sixes. One of the sixes, off Bob Wyatt, landed on the roof of the Gymkhana. The MCC presented him with a silver bat in recognition of that heroic innings.The tour was responsible to redefine the contours of Indian cricket. It ultimately spearheaded to the formation of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in the year 1928.

C.K.NAYUDU

Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu (31 October 1895 – 14 November 1967) was an Indian cricketer who served as India's first Test captain. He was born in Nagpur Mahasrashtra.An outstanding solid batsman, Nayudu fondly known as CK was known for his ability as a hard hitter of the ball. He was the first cricketer to be honoured with the Padma Bhushan.
Nayudu originally spoke Telugu, but he grew up in Nagpur and played almost all his cricket for Central India. He was drafted in the school team at the age of seven, and showed promise for a bright future.
He made his first class debut in 1916 in the Bombay Triangular. For the Hindus against the Europeans, he came in to bat at No.9 with his team tottering at 79 for 7. He blocked his first three balls and hit the fourth for six. He played first-class cricket regularly till 1958, and returned for one last time in 1963 at the age of 68.
In 1923, the ruler of Holkar invited him to Indore and made him a Captain in his army. Thus he received an honour of a Colonel in Holkar's Army.

India made its debut at Lord's under Col C K Nayudu . In its first Test tour of England with the Maharaja of Porbandar as captain and Ghanshyamsinhji of Limbdi as vice-captain. Two weeks before the trip, Porbandar dropped out on reasons of health and Limbi took over. It was just before the start of India's inaugural Test, Nayudu was appointed captain of the Indian team as Limbdi suffered a back injury that ruled him out of the Test.
Nayudu took part in all twenty six of the first-class matches on the tour, scoring 1,618 runs at an average of 40.45 in the first-class matches and 1,842 overall, and taking 65 wickets. Wisden chose him as a Cricketer of the Year the next year. Nayudu hit 32 sixes, which was the most by anyone in the season. Naydu's best stint was playing at Edgbaston, he hit a ball into the River Rhea and thus into the next county.
Tall and debonair, often with a kerchief knotted jauntily round his neck, CK was popularly known for his apparel style on field. Naydu's close companion Syed Mushtaq Ali known for his fearless and dashing cricket played with CK in several matches together. Mushtaq Ali fondly called CK- a tiger on the field.
In the 1933-34 season, Douglas Jardine visited India with a formidable, though not full strength, MCC team. For Punjab Governor's XI, Nayudu scored a hundred. He was retained as the captain of the Test series. The first ever Test in India, held at the Bombay Gymkhana between December 15 and 18, was watched by over 100,000 spectators. India lost the series by two Tests to nil.

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