CK Nayudu: The most important innings in the history of Indian cricket

CK Nayudu

By 1926, Bombay’s – presently known as Mumbai – relationship with cricket was now over a hundred years old. For the people of all classes – rich and poor, Muslim and Hindu – cricket was still the favourite tool for recreation. There were those Bollywood films and various religious and cultural festivals, but for the people of Bombay, cricket was still the best option to get relieved from the monotony of daily life.

According to Mudar Patherya’s “Wills Book of Excellence – Cricket”, the earliest record of cricket’s presence on Indian soil goes back to 1721. To get free from the stress of heavy workloads and ship voyages, the traders placed stumps at Cambay and got engaged in a hurriedly conducted match.

As the British rule continued to become permanent in the Indian subcontinent, cricket entrenched itself further. Matches between the Army and officials of East India Trading company were common. The establishment of the Calcutta Cricket Club in 1792 was a reflection of the game’s enormous popularity in this part of the world. Five years later, Mumbai recorded its first cricket match.

The Parsi community of Bombay took the lead and formed a cricket club in 1848 on Esplanade Maidan. The Parsi community was highly passionate about cricket and they were hungry for success. The Parsi community’s first tour to England was dull and gave it a more experimental status, but their second tour was a highly improved one.

Six foot tall pace bowler Mehellasa Pavri, a doctor by profession, was a sensation during those days. In the late 1880s and 90s, the touring English sides were given a run for their money by the Parsi teams and Pavri’s round-arm fast and accurate pace bowling was instrumental behind this. Bombay embraced cricket cordially and cricket started to become a part and parcel of the Bombay community.

In the course of time, the hey days of Parsi cricket started to dwindle. The competitiveness had sapped away and thus, when the MCC touring team reached Bombay towards the end of November 1926, very few were expecting the local boys to do well. As because before reaching Bombay, the MCC tourists had beaten teams from Sind, Rajputana and Punjab and thus, landed in Mumbai as undefeated. Captained by Arthur Gilligan, the MCC tourists included players like Maurice Tate, Andrew Sandham, George Geary and the future England captain Bob Wyatt. Surely, this MCC team was expected to steamroll the local side.

The MCC team’s first opposition were the Hindus. Famous Indian historian Ramachandra Guha in his article ‘First action hero’ had written: “In its pre-match report, a nationalist paper, newly started, captured the feelings of its likely readers: ‘The tents are pitched and the field set for the reception of the MCC on Monday next and thousands are in their throes of anticipation. India expects Bombay to do its duty – to check the victorious career of the visitors’. Thus far only the Parsis had defeated visiting teams – Vernon’s side in 1889-90, Lord Hawke’s three years later, the Oxford Authentics in 1902-03. ‘Those were the Palmy days of Parsi cricket,’ commented the paper, ‘but now we depend on the Hindus to resist the invaders’.”

Almost twenty-five thousand people had turned out to enjoy the action at the Bombay Gymkhana. The Hindus led by Vithal Palwankar had done pretty well by bowling out the visitors for 363 on day one. MCC’s Guy Earle smashed a swashbuckling 130 which included eight sixes.

The Hindus’ start was a nervy one. The Bombay Gymkhana track still had enough life in it for the pace bowlers and the English pacers utilized it by dismissing one of the Hindu openers. At the end of the first day, the Hindus were 16 for 1 with Janardan Navle and L P Jai at the crease.

The Hindus started the second day steadily. But the MCC bowlers broke their resistance – Geary dismissed Navel and at 67 for 2, a tall and handsome looking bloke walked towards the crease. His eyes were focused and his face beaming with confidence.

The name of the bloke was Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu. The world of cricket knows him by the name C K Nayudu and his teammates used to call him Colonel. He was born in Nagpur in 1895. Nayudu played and captained for Hislop Collegiate High School, Nagpur and while still at school appeared for Modi, of which club he also became captain.

Nayudu was an allround cricketer. He could bat well, bowl his gentle medium-pacers with effectiveness and as a fielder he was quite brilliant. But he was more popular for his attacking batsmanship. Surprisingly, in his early days, Nayudu was a defensive batsman but in the course of time, Nayudu’s batting philosophy changed. Nayudu’s father had been highly influential in transforming him into a more aggressive batsman. Again, Nayudu’s sporting abilities were not only restricted to cricket, but he also shone in hockey and soccer as well.

On that eventful day at the Bombay Gymkhana, Nayudu came at the crease and immediately lofted the third ball, he faced from the left-arm spinner Stuart Boyes onto the roof of Gymkhana pavilion. By the time, Nayudu was getting accustomed to the situation, the Hindus had lost one more wicket and were in a bother with the score at 84 for 3. It was a drastic situation and demanded drastic measures.

India’s first Test team – L-R: Lall Singh, S Nazir Ali, Jehangir Khan, S Wazir Ali, SR Godambe, CK Nayudu (Captain), Amar Singh, J Naoomal, SHM Colah, PE Palia, JG Navle.

CK Nayudu unleashed an assault. LP Jai was playing as the sheet-anchor role as Nayudu continued to play his strokes in a carefree manner. Nayudu raced to a half-century quickly. That brisk half-century included four sixes.

During the lunch interval, the news about Nayudu’s onslaught spread across the city. People from all corners of Mumbai rushed towards the Bombay Gymkhana Maaidan. Play resumed after lunch and the scene at Bombay Gymkhana Maaidan was absolutely electrifying. People occupied the trees and rooftop to watch CK Nayudu’s fantastic batting display.

The match started after lunch and CK Nayudu proceeded from where he left. Nayudu’s bat was unstoppable – sixes and fours poured off the bat continuously. Each of Nayudu’s boundaries was met with loud cheering. In no time Nayudu had reached a hundred and then in the twinkle of an eye, he raced off to a hundred and fifty.

Two more powerful drives landed on the roof of the Bombay Gymkhana. A high profile English attack which included four Test bowlers was murdered in the most ruthless manner. Eventually, Nayudu was out – caught in the deep – for 153. He had batted for less than two hours and had hit 13 fours and 11 sixes.

During that epic knock, Nayudu’s footwork was quick and was never afraid to come dancing down the wicket and smash the bowlers for sixes. His ability to pick the length quickly was one of the greatest assets of his batsmanship. He could drive the ball – pitched on a good length – powerfully over the bowler’s head and while executing those attacking shots Nayudu’s balance had always remained superbly perfect.

Nayudu’s innings against the MCC tourists had been the most important phenomenon in the history of Indian cricket. As El Docker has written, “importance of the day lay in the emotional scene at the finish when outside the pavilion in the quickening dusk people began to gather in little craning their necks, straining every muscle to catch glimpse of their hero, touch him, garland him with flowers, press gifts into his hand. How he had raised them up! What glories he had shown them!”

CK Nayudu’s 153 was Indian cricket’s moments of arrival. It helped India to achieve Test status. MCC captain Arthur Gilligan had lobbied for India’s elevation to Test status, which also led to the formation of the Indian cricket board in 1928, and India’s first Test match in 1932. It was all possible due to CK Nayudu’s brutal, but majestic hundred at the Bombay Gymkhana.