Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu (English: Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu, born- 13 October, 1895, Nagpur, Maharashtra; died- 14 November, 1967, Indore) was the first Test captain of the Indian cricket team. C.K. Naidu continued playing cricket till that age, even thinking about which is a daydream for today’s players. Nayudu’s fitness at that time is a lesson for today’s players who get injured only after the second or third match. At the age of 37, when players start retiring today, C.K. Naidu started playing test matches. He remained fit and played cricket for 68 years.
Captain of India’s first Test team, C.K. Naidu was born on October 13, 1895 in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Colonel Kottari Kankaiah Naidu is fondly known as C.K. Used to call by saying. He was the captain of the Indian team in India’s first test match. This match was played against England in 1932. Although the England team was completely strong, C.K. Under the captaincy of Naidu, the Indian team competed fiercely.
C.K. Naidu’s height was more than six feet tall. He was a right handed player. His physical structure was strong like that of an athlete. Hence, due to his strong strokes and fast hits, he used to reduce the playing pressure of his opponents. Seeing his physical strength, Holkar Maharaj made him captain in his army and from here he became Colonel C.K. Naidu became.
The first Test captain, he gained great popularity in the year 1926-1927, when he scored 153 runs in 187 balls in 100 minutes in Bombay (now Mumbai), which included 11 sixes and 13 fours. This match was played by ‘Hindu’ team A. E.R. Gilligan’s M.C.C. Were playing against. He was also presented with a silver bat on his last innings for the ‘Hindu’ team at the Gymkhana ground in Bombay. When cricket used to be a game of the elite and kings, it was an occasion for him to be made the captain of the Indian team going to England. In the year 1932, the captain of that team was Porbandar Maharaj, but due to health reasons he could not go and then Colonel C.K. Nayudu had the honor of becoming the first captain of the Indian team.[1]
C.K. Naidu played cricket for ‘Andhra Pradesh Central India’, ‘Central Provinces and Berar’, ‘Hindu’, ‘Holkar United Provinces’ and Indian teams. During his tour of England in 1932, C.K. Nayudu played in all 26 first-class matches, scoring 1618 runs at an average of 40.45 and taking 65 wickets. In 1933 C.K. Nayudu was named ‘Cricketer of the Year’ by Wisden. C.K. Nayudu also holds the record for hitting most sixes (by a foreign player) in England in a single season. In 1932 C.K. Naidu played brilliantly and hit 32 sixes. Although C.K. Naidu’s international career was very short. He played only 7 test matches, but he made an important place for himself in the Indian cricket world. For his achievement, he was awarded ‘Padma Bhushan’ by the Government of India in 1956, which is India’s third highest national award.
Nayudu was chosen ‘Cricketer of the Year’ by Wisden in 1933.
C.K. Nayudu was the first Indian cricketer to be honored by the government with ‘Padma Bhushan’ (1956).
Taking part in 26 first-class matches, he scored 1618 runs at an average of 40.25.
Playing for ‘Hindu’ team in Bombay (1926-27), he scored 153 runs in 100 minutes with 11 sixes and 13 fours.
CK, who took Indian cricket to new heights. Naidu died on 14 November 1967 in Indore.