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 1963 at the age of 68. In 1923, the ruler of

Holkar The Holkar (Pronunciation: �o(ː)ɭkəɾ dynasty was a Maratha clan of Dhangar origin in India. The Holkars were generals under Peshwa Baji Rao I, and later became Maharajas of Indore in Central India as an independent member of the Mara ...

invited him to

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous 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 the only city to ...

and made him a captain in his army, conferring on him the honour of a Colonel in Holkar's Army. Arthur Gilligan led the first MCC tour to India in the 1926–27 season. For the Hindus at

Bombay Gymkhana The Bombay Gymkhana, established in 1875, is one of the premiere gentlemen clubs in the city of Mumbai, India. Bombay Gymkhana Rugby Club (rugby union) are tenants. It is located in the Fort area of South Mumbai area and was originally built a ...

, Nayudu hit 153 in 116 minutes with 11 sixes. One of the sixes, off

Bob Wyatt Robert Elliott Storey Wyatt (2 May 1901 – 20 April 1995) was an English cricketer who played for Warwickshire, Worcestershire and England in a career lasting nearly thirty years from 1923 to 1951. He was born at Milford Heath House in Surrey ...

, 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 The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

in 1956.

Birth

Nayudu was born on 31 October 1895 in Bara Bada

Nagpur Nagpur (pronunciation: aːɡpuːɾ is the third largest city and the winter capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nagpur is projected to ...

to Cottari Surya Prakash Rao Nayudu, son of Rao Bahadur Cottari Narayana Swamy Nayudu, a rich

Kapu (caste) Kapu refers to a social grouping of agriculturists found primarily in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Kapus are primarily an agrarian community, forming a heterogeneous peasant caste. They are classified as a Forwa ...

Naidu person from

Machilipatnam Machilipatnam (), also known as Masulipatnam and Bandar, is a city in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Krishna district. It is also the mandal headquarte ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

, 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 party. C. K. Nayudu's younger brother

C. S. Nayudu Cottari Subbanna Nayudu (; 18 April 1914 – 22 November 2002) was an Indian cricketer who played in eleven Tests from 1934 to 1952. He was the younger brother of the cricketer C. K. Nayudu. Career C. S. Nayudu played his first first-class ...

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 Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 650 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to Cambridge University between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the olde ...

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

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 Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar Sawai Shri Sir Shivaji Rao Holkar Bahadur XII (Indore, 11 November 1859 – Maheshwar, 13 October 1908) was the Maharaja of Indore ( Holkar State) belonging to the Holkar dynasty of the Marathas. He was the son of ...

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 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, who was an Indian athlete and Indian police services officer. His daughter, Chandra Nayudu, 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. 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 in 1956–57, aged 62, scoring 52 in his last innings for

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 ...

. Earlier in the season he had made 84 against

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

, striking

Vinoo Mankad Mulvantrai Himmatlal "Vinoo" Mankad (; 12 April 1917 – 21 August 1978) was an Indian cricketer who appeared in 44 Test matches for India between 1946 and 1959. He was best known for his world record setting opening partnership of 413 runs wi ...

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 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 The Colonel C. K. Nayudu Trophy is a domestic cricket championship played in India between under-25 teams representing various state and regional cricket associations. It is organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and is nam ...

, India's under-25 domestic tournament is named after him. * There is a statue of him in his hometown

, which was inaugurated by former Indian team captain

Anil Kumble Anil Kumble (; born 17 October 1970) is a former Indian cricket captain, coach and commentator who played Test and One Day International cricket for his national team over an international career of 18 years. Widely regarded as one of the best ...

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