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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1895-10-31)31 October 1895 Nagpur,Central Provinces,British India[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 14 November 1967(1967-11-14) (aged 72) Indore,Madhya Pradesh, India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm slow-medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 7) | 25 June 1932 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 15 August 1936 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1916/17–1940/41 | Hindus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1926/27 | Madras | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1931/32 | Hyderabad | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1932/33–1938/39 | Central Provinces-Berar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1934/35–1937/38 | Central India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1941/42–1952/53 | Holkar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1953/54 | Andhra | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1956/57 | Uttar Pradesh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:ESPNcricinfo,10 May 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Colonel Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu (31 October 1895 – 14 November 1967) was an Indian cricketer and cricket administrator who served as the first captain of theIndian national cricket team. He is widely regarded as one of India's greatest cricketers.[7] Nayudu'sfirst-class cricket career spanned 47 years, from 1916 to 1963, a world record.[8] He was a right-handed batsman, an accurate medium pace bowler, and a fine fielder. Known for his aggressive batting style, his ability to hit long sixes sent crowds into a frenzy and became legendary in Indian cricket folklore.[15] Nayudu was named one of theWisden Cricketers of the Year in 1933 and, in 1956, became the first cricketer to receive thePadma Bhushan from theGovernment of India.[16]
Nayudu's prime days were with theHindus team in theBombay Quadrangular tournament in the 1920s and 1930s, where he was the highest run-scorer in the history of the tournament.[17] His standout performance came in 1926–27 when he scored 153 runs in 116 minutes, hitting 14 fours and 11 sixes, then a world record, against the visitingMarylebone Cricket Club (MCC), which paved the way for India's elevation toTest status.[18][19] Nayudu led India in their first-ever Test match in the1932 England tour. He was the leading run-getter for India in the tour and also picked up 65 wickets as a bowler. He also led the Indian team in three more Tests when the England team visited India for theirfirst official tour in 1933–34.
After retiring from Test cricket, Nayudu led theHolkar team to eightRanji Trophy finals in nine years, winning four titles. His career-best score of 200 came at the age of 51, making him one of the few players to score a double century in first-class cricket after turning 50.[20] Beyond his playing career, Nayudu served as vice-president of theBoard of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the chairman of thenational selection committee. He was also instrumental in establishing theAndhra Cricket Association and served as its founder president.[21][22]
In 1923, theruler ofHolkar State invited Nayudu to stay inIndore and conferred upon him the rank ofcolonel in the state's army. Nayudu is generally considered as 'India's first cricket superstar'.[23] HistorianRamachandra Guha noted of him, "C. K. Nayudu was the first Indian cricketer to be a popular hero, whose appeal transcended the barriers of caste, class, gender and religion. Each of his sixes was interpreted as a nationalist answer to theBritish Raj." In recognition of his legacy, the BCCI instituted theC. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994, and theC. K. Nayudu Trophy, an under-25 domestic cricket competition, is named in his honour.
C. K. Nayudu's ancestors belonged toTelugu-speaking[24][25] people fromMachilipatnam inKrishna district ofAndhra Pradesh.[26][27] Nayudu's great-grandfather moved from Machilipatnam toHyderabad, where he worked as an interpreter to theNizam of Hyderabad.[28] Nayudu's grandfather, Cottari Narayanaswamy Nayudu settled in Nagpur. Narayanaswamy studied law there and became a well-known lawyer in the city. He was also a landlord and an early member of theIndian National Congress.[28]
Narayanaswamy was affluent enough to send both his sons toEngland for further studies.[29] The younger son, Surya Prakash Rao Nayudu, C. K. Nayudu's father, studied law atCambridge University, where he was a contemporary ofRanjitsinhji.[30][31] Later, he came back to Nagpur and practiced there as a lawyer.[28] After his return from England, he also brought the sport of cricket to the city. The Nayudus are considered as the pioneers of cricket in Nagpur.[28][32] He was a Justice in High Court ofHolkar State for some years.[33] He had four sons and two daughters.[29]
Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu was born on 31 October 1895 inNagpur,Central Provinces to theTelugu-speakingKapu family of Cottari Surya Prakash Rao Nayudu and Mahalaxmi.[34][35][33] In 1896, at a cricket match played between soldiers and the Nayudu Club XI, Narayanaswamy distributed copper coins to mark the birth of his grandson.[32] C. K. Nayudu was the eldest of four brothers.[36] He was drafted into the school team at the age of seven, and showed promise for a bright future.[37] He studied atSt. Francis De'Sales High School and later joinedHislop College.[38]
Nayudu captained his school and college at cricket. He also excelled inhockey andfootball.[31] He reportedly ran 100 yards (91 m) in 11 seconds in his youth.[39] While still in high school, he became the captain of Modi Cricket Club. In his early playing days, he received coaching from R. Rajanna.[31] Initially, Nayudu had been a defensive batsman. But, his father, Surya Prakash Rao, changed his outlook and encouraged him to attack more.[39]
Nayudu made hisfirst-class debut in 1916 in theBombay Quadrangular.[40] Playing for theHindus against the Europeans, he came in to bat at No. 9 with his team tottering at 79 for 7. His first scoring shot was a six.[41][42] But, he only managed 37 runs in the two innings – 27 in the first and 10 in the second. As a bowler, he picked up four wickets for 97 runs.[43]
In 1917, he hit an unbeaten 80 in the final of the Bombay Quadrangular against theParsis. In 1918, he scored his first hundred playing for an Indian XI againstLord Willingdon's England side atBombay. He scored 122 as the hostswon by an innings.[39] He represented the Central Provinces in 1919 and Madras in 1920.[31]
Over the next few years, his consistent big hitting became a part of the Indian cricket folklore. In December 1920, he scored 120 runs against theEuropeans inMadras.[39] One of the sixes cleared the boundary wall of theChepauk compound and landed 50 yards (46 m) beyond the ground.[9] The six was estimated to be about 150 yards (140 m).[39]
An innings which terrified the fieldsmen, dazzling everybody's eyes. It broke all rules of batting science and logic and stirred the crowd to wonder and delight.
Nayudu burst onto the cricketing scene with his knock of 153 in 116 minutes at theBombay Gymkhana, playing forHindus against the visitingMarylebone Cricket Club (MCC) led byArthur Gilligan in 1926–27.[43][5] MCC's bowling attack included the likes ofMaurice Tate,George Geary, andBob Wyatt.[45] His century came in just 65 minutes.[44] The knock included 11 sixes which was a new world record in first-class cricket.[46][41] As per the statisticianAnandji Dossa, "Nayudu took 16 scoring strokes to get to fifty, 17 more to reach his century and another 16 to get to his final score." MCC presented a silver bat to Nayudu for his spectacular innings.[39]
Simon Barnes writing forWisden India Almanack 2016 remarked on Nayudu's innings as follows:
"Here was an innings that changed sporting history and perhaps affected real history as well. Certainly it subverted the archetype of the Indian cricketer, at least as viewed by the English, as someone under-sized, meek, and rather devious. Here was an innings that stood for extravagance, high spirits and flamboyance."[5]
Gilligan was an influential person in English cricket and he lobbied for India's entry intoTest cricket.[45][19] His efforts bore fruit and led to the formation of theIndian cricket board in 1928 and India was granted Test status.[47] Nayudu's innings paved way for India's elevation to Test status.[18][19][48][45]
India gained Test status in 1931 and a national team representing India was set to tour England in 1932 as part of their first Test series. In the immediate months before the England tour, theViceroy of India,Lord Willingdon believed that the team ought to be captained by an English player.[49] It was suggested that an Englishman playing in India, likeAlec Hosie,C. P. Johnstone orReginald Lagden, should captain the team, to placate the factions within the tour party.BCCI resolved that the captain would be an Indian.[50]
Indian cricket at the time was financially patronised by princes and various people of royal background were lobbying for the captaincy.[51] By this time, Nayudu was already considered a legend in Indian cricket.[39] Despite Nayudu's overwhelming credentials to captain the side, theMaharaja of Patiala and thePrince of Limbdi were appointed as captain and deputy captain respectively.[43]Maharajkumar of Vizianagaram "Vizzy" was made the deputy vice-captain.[52] Two weeks before the tour, Maharaja of Patiala withdrew, being busy with his state affairs, and theMaharaja of Porbander was appointed as the captain.[43] Vizzy withdrew from the tour apparently on reasons of health and form.[53]
Maharaja of Porbander relinquished captaincy on the English tour and it was passed on to Prince of Limbdi, who was injured on the eve of the first Test. The captaincy was finally passed down to Nayudu.[50] However, some of the Indian players protested the decision. In the middle of the night, they had woken up the tour captain, the Maharajah of Porbandar, and told him they only wanted to be led by royalty and not by a 'commoner' like Nayudu.[54][49] Cables were exchanged with officials in India and the Maharaja of Patiala ordered the players to accept Nayudu's captaincy.[49][55] Thus, Nayudu became the first ever captain of the Indian national team in Test cricket.[43] He was 36 by the time of his test debut. Despite a painful hand injury while fielding, he top scored with 40 in the first innings.[56][49] He also took the key wickets ofDouglas Jardine andEddie Paynter.[57]The Cricketer wrote of Nayudu's bowling as, "Nayudu is a clever bowler. Medium pace he flights the ball, can spin it from the off and sends down a faster delivery."[50]
Earlier in the tour, Nayudu recorded a century scoring 118 not out on his first appearance atLord's, against theMCC.[31][58] He had a great run throughout the tour. He was the leading run-getter for India in the tour aggregating 1,618 runs, with fivecenturies, at anaverage of over 40. As a bowler, he took 65 wickets at anaverage of 25 runs per wicket and his best performance came when he took five wickets for 21 runs againstLeicestershire.[31][50] Only strike bowlersMohammad Nissar andAmar Singh took more wickets on the tour. One of Nayudu's sixes atEdgbaston, was said to have cleared the county, crossing theRiver Rea, which then formed the boundary betweenWarwickshire andWorcestershire.[59][9] Overall, 26 matches were played in the tour with India winning 9 matches, losing 9, and 8 matches ending up as a draw.[43] His leadership skills and all-round performances on the tour ledWisden to name him as one of their five 'Cricketers of the Year' for 1933. This made him the first cricketer who played for India to be honoured byWisden.[44]
Nayudu also led the Indian team in three more Tests when the England team captained byDouglas Jardine visited India for theirfirst official tour in 1933–34.[60][54] In the first Test at Bombay,Lala Amarnath and Nayudu put up a partnership of 186 for the third wicket.[61] Nayudu scored 67, while Amarnath became the first Indian batsman to score a Test century with a knock of 118 runs.[62] Nayudu was the captain of India in their first four Test matches, losing three and drawing one atEden Gardens in 1934.[63]
Nayudu was also a part of the Indian team thattoured England in 1936. However, the captaincy had passed to Maharajkumar of Vizianagaram who got the role through lobbying and manipulation.[64][65] Nayudu played his last Test match in the tour. In that match, despite a painful blow fromGubby Allen, he scored 81 runs—his highest score in Test cricket.[16][66] He scored 1,102 runs at anaverage of over 26, and captured 51 wickets at anaverage of 31.78 runs per wicket in the tour.[44]Wisden noted about his performance as, "So brilliant a success on his previous visit to England, C. K. Nayudu disappointed both himself and his friends." But, Nayudu bowled well, and took the largest number of wickets next only to Nissar.[67]
Nayudu ledHolkar to eight Ranji Trophy finals in nine years, out of which they won four.[68] In 1944–45 season, the cricket board celebrated his50th birth anniversary by organising a match between theCricket Club of India and CK Nayudu's XI.Gul Mohammad andDenis Compton played for Nayudu's team in the match.[39] In the next season, Nayudu scored 101 againstMysore and 200 againstBaroda in back to back matches. He led Holkar to a win in the 1952–53 Ranji finals againstBengal and retired from first-class cricket. He also resigned from his post as a Colonel of Holkar state.[39]
However, in 1956–57, Nayudu was asked to come out of retirement to assistUttar Pradesh in their Ranji Trophy campaign. Early in the season he had made 84 againstRajasthan, strikingVinoo Mankad for two sixes.[3] He made his last appearance in Ranji Trophy in the same season, aged 62, scoring 52 in his last innings againstBombay.[37] His final outing was in a charity match in 1963–64. Aged 68, he played for the Maharashtra Governor's XI against the Maharashtra Chief Minister's XI.[3]
He played for various domestic teams in his career includingHindus,Madras,Hyderabad,Central India, Holkar,Andhra,Uttar Pradesh.[16] He made over 12,000 runs in first class cricket. He holds the world record for the longest first-class career lasting over 47 years.[8] His career-best innings was 200 in the Ranji Trophy, made at the age of 51.[43] He was one of the few batsmen in first-class cricket to have scored a double century after the age of 50.[20] He made 2,567 runs with five centuries in the Ranji Trophy at an average of 36.67.[69] He was also the highest run-scorer in the history of theBombay Quadrangular tournament with 2,156 runs at an average of 45.87.[17]
Post-retirement, Nayudu served as the chairman of thenational selection committee, vice-president of theBCCI, and as a radio commentator.[70][71][33] As the chairman of the selection committee, he personally conducted selection trials for promising first-class cricketers. Though in his late 50s, he would face the young bowlers withoutleg guards, abdomen and thigh guards, and would ask them to bowl at full pace.[66][72]
He was instrumental in the formation ofAndhra Cricket Association and was its founder president.[21][22][73][23] He and his brother, C. S. Nayudu, played inGuntur and mentored the local Andhra cricketers.[74] Aged 58, C. K. Nayudu led theAndhra team in its firstRanji Trophy match againstMysore in the1953–54 season.[21][74] He also scored the team's first-ever fifty in that match.[75]
The pre-war batsman of stature most notable for hitting was an outsider. C. K. Nayudu was a straight hitter of withering force. A six out ofChepauk in December 1920 ended up near a coconut tree 50yards beyond the ground. Six years later, 11 sixes in a two-hour 153 againstMCC atBombay Gymkhana advanced India's case for Test recognition. And one of Nayudu's 32 sixes onIndia's 1932 tour of England, atEdgbaston, was said to have cleared the county, crossing theRiver Rea, which then formed the boundary betweenWarwickshire andWorcestershire.
Nayudu played in an era when hitting lofted shots was considered risky and transgressive.[9] But, he was always ready to go for his shots. He was particularly known for hitting long sixes.[15] His ability to hit sixes nonchalantly sent crowds into a frenzy.[43] His very-first scoring shot in first-class cricket was a six.[42] According to him, batting should involve the use of entire body and it's not just about 'elbow up' and 'left leg forward' alone as mentioned in cricket manuals.[16]Bob Wyatt, who played against Nayudu, noted that he was not a mere slogger, for 'his perfect poise, high backlift in a long pendulum swing brought beauty to his strokes'.[76]
Nayudu taught himself to bear physical pain. In one Ranji Trophy match, he was struck on the mouth by a ball which broke two front teeth. He refused medical assistance, brushed the teeth off the wicket with his bat.[43] He requested his rival captain,Mumbai'sMadhav Mantri to instruct the bowlerDattu Phadkar to continue bowling fast. In theOval Test of 1936, despite receiving a painful blow fromGubby Allen, he made a successful attempt to continue batting and hooked the next ball to theboundary.[2] He scored 81 runs—his highest score in Test cricket and denied England aninnings victory.[16] He was tough and expected others to have the same kind of toughness.[2]
Nayudu moved with his family fromNagpur toIndore after he was commissioned by the ruler ofHolkar State,Tukojirao Holkar III, with the rank of acaptain in his state's army.[44][77][33] His home had a Telugu milieu even though they were based outsideAndhra.[33] He was a strictdisciplinarian both on the field and with his family too.[78][79] On off days between matches, he would regularly host his teammates at his house and would regale them with stories from his cricketing career.[79] He was achain smoker.[80] He was also eccentric on particular issues. He routinely asked players to not consume water in the drinks break as he thought it wasn't good for their fitness.[2]
His first wife, Chandramma died only a few years after their wedding. He later married Gunawati.[81] He had nine children from his two marriages—seven daughters and two sons.[28] His son,Prakash Nayudu was a sportsperson who representedMadhya Pradesh cricket team and was a National JuniorTable Tennis champion.[81] Prakash was also anIndian Police Service officer. His other son, C. N. Nayudu also played first-class cricket for Madhya Pradesh.[82] His daughter,Chandra Nayudu was India's first female cricket commentator.[83] His grandson, Vijay Nayudu represented Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy.[84] His granddaughter Manjula Rao is an advocate and served as a special public prosecutor in theBest Bakery case.[85][86] His younger brother,C. S. Nayudu also playedTest cricket for India.[87] His other younger brothers — C. L. Nayudu and C. R. Nayudu were first-class cricketers.[88]
A few months before his 72nd birthday, Nayudu suffered a stroke. It left him unconscious and he was confined to a bed from then on till his death half-a-year later. He lost his speech during his last days and visitors were not allowed to meet him.[39] He died on 14 November 1967 in Indore at the age of 72.[89][90]D. B. Deodhar attributed Nayudu's death to his habit of chain-smoking.[80]
C. K. Nayudu was the first truly mass hero of subcontinental sport, each of his sixes was interpreted as a nationalist answer to the British Raj. He was the first Indian cricketer to be a popular hero, whose appeal transcended the barriers of caste, class, gender and religion.
Nayudu is widely regarded as one of India's greatest cricketers.[7] He was the first Indian cricketer to endorse a brand in 1941.[92][77][93] His name was even used to promote movies.V. Shantaram'sDuniya Na Mane (1937) featured Nayudu's name in hoardings to advertise the film.[94]
TheGovernment of India awarded NayuduPadma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour, in 1956.[95] He was the first ever cricketer to be conferred the award.[16][40] In 2006, theBCCI instituted an award named theCol C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, given to individuals for their unparalleled lifetime contribution to Indian cricket.[96][97] From the 1973–74 season, India's under-25 domestic tournament has been known asC. K. Nayudu Trophy.[97] One of the banquet halls inCricket Club of India, the C. K. Nayudu Hall is named after him.[98][99] He was inducted into the Wisden India Hall of Fame in 2014.[100]
In Nayudu's birthplaceNagpur, a street has been named after him and a bronzebust with his likeness stands in the premises of theVidarbha Cricket Association Ground.[101][102]Nehru Stadium inIndore sports a statue of Nayudu, outside its main entrance.[103] One of its stands and a pavilion block in the same stadium were also named after him.[104] Another statue was installed at theHolkar Stadium, Indore in 2023.[89]
C. K. Nayudu is India's greatest cricketer. Whether it was bowling, batting, fielding, captaincy, physical fitness, positive approach to the game, there will never be Nayudu's equal among Indians. Nayudu's name will be cherished and remembered as long as cricket is played in this country.
A road was named after him in his ancestral hometownMachilipatnam by the thenChief Minister of Andhra PradeshKasu Brahmananda Reddy.[106][33] In 2018, a statue of Nayudu was inaugurated in Machilipatnam by the former Indian team captainAnil Kumble.[107] On 4 April 2005, a bronze statue of Nayudu titled 'The Colossus of Cricket' was unveiled near the entrance of theACA-VDCA Stadium inVisakhapatnam.[108][109]
Cricket historianRamachandra Guha called Nayudu 'the first great Indian cricketer'.[110] In 2001, Guha included him in his All-Star Eleven team of great Indian cricketers with a countrywide popularity whose stardom persisted beyond retirement. Nayudu was also chosen as the captain of the team.[111]
Various other commentators have remarked on him as 'India's first cricket superstar',[43][23][13] and as 'the first world-class cricketer from India'.[39]Dicky Rutnagur, the sports journalist, once wrote that schoolboys left their classes and businessmen stopped trading to be atBombay Gymkhana when they heard that C. K. Nayudu had arrived at the crease.[66]Syed Mushtaq Ali rated him as the best captain he had played under.[43][112] CommentatorRavi Chaturvedi wrote of him, "It was his lyrical style that made him one of the greatest players that the country has ever produced. He gave the game the grace of aballet that was applauded by its spectators, who otherwise used to witness it as a combat."[4]Vasant Raiji called Nayudu 'the Shahenshah of Indian Cricket' (transl. The Emperor of Indian Cricket).[113]
Citations
CK Nayudu (last match: 1963-64): One of India's greatest cricketers and one of a handful to have played in six decades.
But you can't have a list of great Indian cricketers without CK Nayudu.
C. K. Nayudu is today universally acknowledged as one of the greatest Indian cricketers that ever lived.
The pre-war batsman of stature most notable for hitting was an outsider. C. K. Nayudu was a straight hitter of withering force. A six out of Chepauk in December 1920 ended up near a coconut tree 50 yards beyond the ground. Six years later, 11 sixes in a two-hour 153 against MCC at Bombay Gymkhana advanced India's case for Test recognition. And one of Nayudu's 32 sixes on India's 1932 tour of England, at Edgbaston, was said to have cleared the county, crossing the River Rea, which then formed the boundary between Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Including Nayudu among the Five Cricketers of the Year,Wisden reported: "Possessed of supple and powerful wrists and a very good eye, he hit the ball tremendously hard but, unlike the modern Australian batsmen, he lifted it a fair amount." Most did not: Hobbs hit eight sixes in 61 Tests, Bradman six in 52, Walter Hammond 27 in 85. Nayudu was even an outlier among his countrymen: Vijay Merchant's best first-class score, an unbeaten 359, was unaided by a single six; B. B. Nimbalkar's record-breaking unbeaten 443 included just one.
In the popular imagination, Nayudu is remembered most of all as a legendary hitter of sixes. In Hyderabad, they will tell you of a six he hit out of the Secunderabad Gymkhana into the Plaza Cinema. In Madras, they still speak of a straight drive that sailed out of Chepauk, clearing the tall trees that then ringed the ground to land beyond the canal outside. Urban Indians of an older generation are wont to remember two things: where they were when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, and their first sight of C.K. at bat.
Just as every district in India takes pride in a legendary visit of Rama and Sita, so every cricket ground has a story of a famous six hit out of its premises by C. K. Nayudu.
He was a wonderful striker of a cricket ball, famous across India for the massiveness of his hits.
The earliest personality the game threw up was C. K. Nayudu. There were heroes before Agamemnon, but he came to stand for Indian cricket as a whole. It was fortunate for Indian cricket that there was a C.K. Nayudu in the initial stages of its first-class development to make it popular among the masses. His was a commanding presence, and he utilised it to make the game popular among the people. It seems strange that the "patron saint" of Indian cricket should have been of a temper so very different from the generality of Indian batsmen. Nayudu always strove to establish his mastery over the bowling and, with his natural gifts, he often succeeded. Hence the innumerable sixes with which his memory will always be connected. It was this which made not only him but also the game popular.
Nayudu was an exception among his compatriots when it came to six-hitting; there were only four sixes by Indian batsmen in Tests in large Australian grounds in 20 Tests from 1947 to 1990.
Nayudu's majestic personality and his dashing century against Arthur Gilligan's MCC side paved the way for India's baptism in international cricket. ..... But his hard-hitting for The Hindus at the Bombay Gymkhana impressed Gilligan, who carried the message to the authorities in England that India was ready to play Test cricket.
"It was February 1953 when Col CK Nayudu, the first captain of the Indian team, became the founder president of ACA," local cricketologist Prof Prasanna Kumar told TOI. "He was 58-years-old when he led Andhra in their first Ranji match against Mysuru and coming to bat in the middle, smote a huge six off pacer Kasturirangan," Prof Kumar reminisced."Col Nayudu and his brother CS Nayudu played in Guntur and taught the boys discipline, from how to don the flannels to doing their laces; they instilled the quintessence of cricket in Andhra boys," he added.
CK Nayudu was India's first homegrown cricketing hero. His first scoring shot in first-class cricket was a six.
In Edgbaston in 1932, India's captain CK Nayudu hit a ball "into the next county", clearing the River Rea which runs by the ground. The landing point is not described, but 110 to 115 metres would be sufficient to clear the river.
Nayudu, in fact, had the title given to him by the King of Holkar. The king, a fan of his, invited him to stay in Indore and honoured him first with the rank of a Captain and later a Colonel in his state's army. Nayudu is also credited with being the first cricketer to endorse a consumer product — Bathgate Liver Tonic.
Bibliography
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