Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu (31 October 1895 – 14 November 1967), also known as CK, was the first captain of the

Indian cricket team The India men's national cricket team, also known as Team India or the Men in Blue, represents India in men's international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is a Full Member of the International ...

Test matches Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

. He played first-class cricket regularly until 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 Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in his army, conferring on him the honour of a Colonel in Holkar's Army.

Arthur Gilligan Arthur Edward Robert Gilligan (23 December 1894 – 5 September 1976) was an English first-class cricketer who captained the England cricket team nine times in 1924 and 1925, winning four Test matches, losing four and drawing one. In fi ...

led the first MCC tour to India in the 1926–27 season. For the Hindus at Bombay Gymkhana, Nayudu hit 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 innings. He was also the first Indian cricketer to endorse a brand (Bathgate Liver Tonic) in 1941. The Government of India awarded him the third highest (then second highest) civilian honour of Padma Bhushan in 1956.

Birth

Nayudu was born on 31 October 1895 in Bara Bada Nagpur to Cottari Surya Prakash Rao Nayudu, son of Rao Bahadur Cottari Narayana Swamy Nayudu, a rich Kapu (caste) Naidu person from Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, a lawyer and landlord owning several villages and sizable chunk in Nagpur. Besides being a flourishing lawyer, he was a pioneer member of

All India National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern Nationalism, national ...

party. C. K. Nayudu's younger brother C. S. Nayudu also played test cricket for India.

Family

Narayana Swamy was affluent enough to send both his sons to England for further studies. His elder son, Cottari Vekatramana Nayudu, was married to the daughter of Raja Prabhakar Moorthy of Eluru and had one son by the name of Cottari Ranga Rao Nayudu who was also an advocate from England. The younger son, Cottari Surya Prakash Rao Nayudu, had four sons and two daughters, did his B.A. and M.A at Downing College, Cambridge University and was called to the Middle Temple Bar in 1891. He was acclaimed for his physical prowess and known as Hercules in Cambridge varsity campus. He was Justice in High Court of Holkar State for some years and functioned as Chief Justice for some time. Maharaja Shivaji Rao Holkar was ruler in those days. The Maharajah had put on record that he had faith in only two persons- Surya Prakash Rao being the first and

K.S. Ranjitsinhji Colonel H. H. Shri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II, Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, (10 September 1872 – 2 April 1933), often known as Ranji or K. S. Ranjitsinhji, was the ruler of the Indian princely state of Nawanagar from 1907 to 1933, as Ma ...

of Nawanagar, who played for Sussex and England and was contemporary of C. Surya Prakash Rao Nayudu while at Cambridge. Nayudu had nine children from his two marriages, seven girls and two sons, namely C Narayana Swami Nayudu and

Prakash Nayudu Prakash Rao Nayudu (20 November 1937 – 12 March 1997) was an Indian athlete and police officer. During his athletic career he represented the Madhya Pradesh cricket team and participated in the World Table Tennis Championships in singles ...

, who was an Indian athlete and Indian police services officer. His daughter,

Chandra Nayudu Chandra Nayudu (1933 – 4 April 2021) was an Indian cricketer, cricket commentator, teacher, and author. She was India's first female cricket commentator, as well as one of India's earliest woman cricketers. Life and family Chandra Nayudu wa ...

, was India's first female cricket commentator.

Cricket career

Nayudu 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 The Bombay Quadrangular was an influential cricket tournament held in Bombay, British India between 1892–93 and 1945–46. At other times it was known variously as the Presidency Match, Bombay Triangular, and the Bombay Pentangular. Presidency ...

. For the Hindus against the Europeans, he came in to bat at No.9 with his team tottering at 79 for 7.He made his last appearance in the

Ranji Trophy The Ranji Trophy (also known as Mastercard Ranji Trophy for sponsorship reasons) is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations. Board of Control for Cr ...

in 1956–57, aged 62, scoring 52 in his last innings for Uttar Pradesh. Earlier in the season he had made 84 against Rajasthan, striking Vinoo Mankad for two sixes. That innings of 84 made Nayudu a record-breaker as the oldest player to score his age or more in a first class cricket match. His final outing was in a charity match in 1963–64, when he played for the

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

Governor's XI against the Maharashtra Chief Minister's XI.

Death

Nayudu died in 1967 in Indore at the age of 72.

Legacy

* In 2006, the BCCI instituted an award named the 'Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award', which is given to individuals for their unparalleled contribution to Indian cricket. The award carries a trophy, citation and cash award. * CK Nayudu Trophy, India's under-25 domestic tournament is named after him. * There is a statue of him in his hometown Machilipatnam, which was inaugurated by former Indian team captain Anil Kumble.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nayudu, C. K. 1895 births 1967 deaths Hyderabad cricketers India Test cricket captains India Test cricketers Indian cricketers Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in sports Telugu people People from Machilipatnam People from Krishna district Cricketers from Nagpur Cricketers from Indore Wisden Cricketers of the Year Tamil Nadu cricketers Hindus cricketers Central India cricketers Holkar cricketers Uttar Pradesh cricketers East Zone cricketers Central Zone cricketers Andhra cricketers Roshanara Club cricketers