Chandra Nayudu (1933 – 4 April 2021) was an Indian

cricketer Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

cricket commentator __NOTOC_is a list of notable media commentators and writers on the sport of cricket from around the world. A number of famous players have had a second career as writers or commentators. However, many commentators never played the game at a prof ...

, 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 was born in 1933. Her father,

C. K. Nayudu Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu (31 October 1895 – 14 November 1967), also known as CK, was the first captain of the Indian cricket team in Test matches. He played first-class cricket regularly until 1958, and returned for one last time in ...

, was a well-known cricketer and the captain of India's first test cricket team.

Career

Nayudu graduated with a degree in English, and taught English at a government college in

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is t ...

, Madhya Pradesh. Nayudu competed briefly in domestic women's cricket, leading the first

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

women's cricket team, and played cricket for her college, before taking up cricket commentary in the 1970s. She was India's first female cricket commentator. She began her career in commentary in a match between the Madras Cricket Club vs. Bombay in the 1976-77 season, and continued to comment for domestic and international matches in Hindi and English. She was also a commentator during the English team's tour of India in 1979-1980 for India's public broadcaster,

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, and later recorded her experiences in cricket commentary for an interview with cricket historian

David Rayvern Allen David Leonard Rayvern Allen (5 February 1938 – 9 October 2014)Michael Dow"David Rayvern Allen obituary" ''The Guardian'', 26 October 2014 was a cricket writer and historian, as well as a radio producer and presenter, a speaker and a musician. Hi ...

, archived with

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's. According to Nayudu, she was the first female international cricket commentator, preceding an Australian woman commentator. In an interview with ''

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,'' she stated that her interest in cricket commentary began as a way of honoring her father's achievements in cricket. She was a life member of the

Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association The Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA), headquartered at Indore, India, is the governing body of cricket in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the Madhya Pradesh cricket team. The board was formed in 1940 as the Holkar Cricket Associati ...

, and undertook several efforts to promote women's cricket in the region, including establishing an inter-university tournament. According to her nephew, former cricketer Vijay Nayudu, she created several trophies in memory of her parents for cricket tournaments, including the presentation of a silver bat to the

Cricket Club of India Cricket Club of India (CCI) is a cricket club in India. It is located on Dinsha Wacha Road, in Churchgate of Mumbai, India. It was conceived as India's counterpart to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). It is considered one of the most prestigiou ...

, and a collegiate memorial trophy for her mother. In 1995, she published a memoir of her father titled ''C.K. Nayudu: A Daughter Remembers''.

Publications

* Chandra K. Nayudu, ''C.K. Nayudu: A Daughter Remembers'' (New Delhi, Rupa Publications 1995),

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nayudu, Chandra 1933 births 2021 deaths Cricket commentators Indian cricket commentators Women cricket commentators Indian women cricketers Indian women writers