C. K. Nayudu

Colonel Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu (31 October 1895 – 14 November 1967) was an Indian cricketer and cricket administrator who served as the first-ever captain of the Indian national cricket team. He is widely regarded as one of India's greatest cricketers. His first-class cricket career spanned over 47 years from 1916 to 1963, a world record. He was a right-handed batsman, an accurate medium pace bowler, and a fine fielder. His ability to hit long sixes sent crowds into frenzy and became a part of Indian cricket folklore. He was chosen as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1933. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan in 1956 — the first cricketer to be conferred the honour.

Born into an illustrious family of lawyers, Nayudu excelled at various sports from an young age. Encouraged by his father, he adopted an aggressive batting style. His first scoring shot in first-class cricket was a six. His prime days were with the Hindus team in the Bombay Quadrangular tournament in the 1920s and 1930s, where he was the highest run-scorer in the history of the tournament. In 1926–27, his innings of 153 runs, in 116 minutes with 11 sixes, for the Hindus against the visiting Marylebone Cricket Club paved way for India's elevation to Test status.

Nayudu led India in their first-ever Test match in the 1932 England tour. He was the leading run-getter for India in the tour and also picked up 65 wickets as a bowler. He also led the Indian team in three more Tests when the England team visited India for their first official tour in 1933–34. Post-retirement from Test Cricket, he led the Holkar team to eight Ranji Trophy finals in nine years, out of which they won four. His career-best innings was 200 in the Ranji trophy, made at the age of 51. He was one of the few players in first-class cricket to have scored a double century after the age of 50. Later, he became the vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the chairman of the national selection committee. He was also instrumental in the formation of Andhra Cricket Association and was its founder president.

In 1923, the ruler of Holkar State invited Nayudu to stay in Indore and honoured him first with the rank of a captain and later a colonel in his state's army. Nayudu is generally considered as 'India's first cricket superstar'. Historian Ramachandra Guha noted of him, "C. K. Nayudu was the first Indian cricketer to be a popular hero, whose appeal transcended the barriers of caste, class, gender and religion. Each of his sixes was interpreted as a nationalist answer to the British Raj." In 1994, the BCCI instituted the C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honour it bestows on a former player. C. K. Nayudu Trophy, India's under-25 domestic tournament is also named after him.