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Madras, officially renamed as Chennai in 1996, is one of the oldest cities in India. The city is said to be found on 22 August 1639 when it was purchased (Madraspatnam or Chennapatnam village) by the East India Company from Vijayanagar Empire.
Based on a journalist's idea, since 2004, Madras Day is widely celebrated across different parts of the city through exhibitions, films, etc. The Indian cricket has always been closely associated with this city because of its fond memories from the past.
Named after the former president of BCCI, M.A. Chidambaram stadium is one of the oldest and iconic arenas in India. Located in Chepauk, it is the home ground for Tamil Nadu cricket team and Chennai Super Kings.
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The Indian team registered their first ever Test victory in 1952 in a match against England at this ground. Sunil Gavaskar broke the record of most centuries in Test cricket (29 by Don Bradman) in 1983 at this venue. Virender Sehwag's Fastest Triple century (319) came against South Africa in Chennai. Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored his only double hundred (1st by an Indian wicket-keeper) in Test cricket against Australia in Chepauk.
Chennai spectators are widely regarded by many international teams as "sensible crowd" due to their appreciable nature. In 1999, Pakistan team got a standing ovation from the crowd after their hard-fought win against India. As a mark of appreciation, the Pakistani team made a lap of honour for spectator's sporting behaviour.
Some eminent international cricketers have originated from this beautiful city. So let's have a look at the pride of Chennai:
#6: Murali Karthik
The left-arm spinner is a domestic veteran who represented the Indian team in 8 Tests and 37 ODIs. Though his international appearance was irregular, Murali Karthik was a vital part of many domestic teams in first-class cricket.
Murali Karthik is one the few Indian cricketers to have played County Championship. In 203 first-class matches, he scalped 644 wickets with 36 fifers. He also scored 4423 runs which included 21 fifties.
#5: Sadagoppan Ramesh
The classy left-handed batsman was considered as one of the gifted cricketers with immense talent.
Though Ramesh had a rollicking start to his career, he failed to capitalize on his talent and consequently lost his place in the Indian side. In his international tenure, Ramesh played 19 Tests and 24 ODIs for India. He scored two Test centuries.
Ramesh, with his part-time off-break bowling, became the first Indian cricketer to take a wicket off his first ball in ODI cricket.
#5: Lakshmipathy Balaji
The right-handed medium-fast bowler made his international debut (ODI) against West Indies in 2002. With some stellar performances for Tamil Nadu in the domestic circuit, he also earned a spot in the playing XI in a Test match during New Zealand's tour of India in 2003.
Balaji was instrumental in India's series victory over Pakistan in 2004. Though he had an immense ability, his fitness level was always a concern throughout his career. He was marred by a list of injuries which set him aside from international cricket for most of his career.
#4: Subramaniam Badrinath
Tamil Nadu's former domestic heavyweight, Subramaniam Badrinath is considered as one of the top class cricketers to have played first-class cricket. In 145 first-class matches, Badrinath scored 10245 runs at a whopping average of 54.49 with 32 centuries.
Though his performances were tremendous in first-class cricket, he did not get enough opportunities in international cricket. Former Indian team selector Dilip Vengsarkar once claimed that picking Virat Kohli over Badrinath in the Indian squad in 2008 led to his removal as chairman of the selection committee.
#3: Krishnamachari Srikanth
During his cricketing career, the aggressive right-handed batsman was a role model for many future opening batsmen to adopt an attacking approach from the start of the match. In 145 ODI matches, Srikanth scored 4091 runs with 4 hundreds. He was the top scorer of 1983 World Cup final against West Indies.
The former captain was the first Indian player to score a half-century and pick up 5 wickets in the same match (against New Zealand in 1988). He was also the part of India's first ever 100-run partnership in ODI cricket.
Incidentally, Sachin Tendulkar made his debut in 1989 under Srikanth's captaincy.
#2: Nasser Hussain
Many would be wondering why a former England captain is part of the list!
Nasser Hussain was born in Madras (Chennai) in 1968. In the search for a better standard of living, Nasser's family moved to England when he was 7 years old. Initially, he was a leg-break bowler until his trajectory was affected by sudden growth in height at the age of 15.
Since Nasser lost his natural bowling ability, he concentrated more on his batting skills and scored tons of runs in county cricket. Though he earned his international debut in 1990, Nasser had a stop-start career until he sealed his spot as No.3 batsman with 2 hundreds in India's tour of England, 1996.
In 96 Test matches, Nasser racked up 5764 runs with 14 hundreds. He also achieved a rare feat of scoring a century (103 not out) in his final Test match against New Zealand at Lord's.
Nasser has been one of the successful captains in England's cricket history, winning 17 out of 45 Test matches (4th most as England captain).
#1: Ravichandran Ashwin
When we talk about Chennai, the first Indian player that comes on to a youngster's mind is Ravichandran Ashwin. Fondly known as 'Ash', Ashwin has been a vital cog in the Indian team for the past 7 years.
Though Ashwin's performance in first-class cricket was exceptional, he came into limelight during his tenure with Chennai Super Kings. His economical bowling earned him a place in the ODI and Test XI.
Ashwin is the fastest Indian to reach 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300-wicket mark in Test cricket. He lost his place in the ODI team after a lacklustre performance in Champions Trophy 2017. Since then, the wrist-spinning duo of Kuldeep and Chahal have effectively kept him out of the ODI squad.
Ravi Ashwin won ICC Cricketer of the Year award (only 3rd Indian) in 2016 for his mind-boggling performances in the home season of Test cricket.
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