Former India Test cricketer CD Gopinath dies at 96
New Delhi, April 9
Former India Test cricketer CD Gopinath, who was the last surviving member of India's historic first Test victory, passed away in Chennai at the age of 96, according to ESPNcricinfo.
The 96-year-old was also India's oldest Test cricketer and the second oldest worldwide after Australia's Neil Harvey, who is 97 years and 183 days old.
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) paid tribute following the death of CD Gopinath. In a post shared on X social media handle, TNCA wrote, "Rest in peace, CD Gopinath! A true pioneer of Indian cricket and the last surviving member of the historic team that scripted India's first-ever Test victory. Your legacy will forever be etched in the game's rich history."
Chingleput Gopinath was born on March 1, 1930, in Chennai, and he died at the age of 96 years and 39 days. A stylist with a wide range of strokes, Gopinath played 83 First Class matches. In 119 innings, the right-handed batter amassed 4259 runs at an average of 42.16. Gopinath had smashed nine centuries and 23 half-centuries with a highest score of 234 in first-class cricket.
Gopinath made his Test debut against England at the Brabourne Stadium in 1951 and played his last match against Australia at Eden Gardens in 1960. Batting at number eight, Gopinath made an unbeaten 50 in his first innings on Test debut, his highest score, and followed up with 42 in the second innings as India drew the match against England.
The fifth Test of his debut series was a landmark moment in Indian cricket, with India recording their first Test victory by an innings and eight runs at his home ground in Chennai. Gopinath made 35 in his only innings in that match.
Overall, in eight Test matches and 12 innings, Gopinath scored 242 runs at an average of 22, including one half-century. Following Gopinath's death, 95-year-old Chandrakant Patankar, who played one Test against New Zealand at Eden Gardens in 1956, is now India's oldest living Test cricketer.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Very sad news. 96 is a great age, but it's still a loss. We often talk about Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, and Tendulkar, but we must remember the pioneers like Gopinath who laid the foundation. His first-class average of 42+ is outstanding for that era.
Reading this from the UK. It's fascinating to learn about the early days of Indian Test cricket. To think he played his debut series against England and was part of that first-ever win. A real piece of living history has passed.
Respectfully, while we mourn his passing, I wish our media and cricket board gave these legends their flowers while they were still with us. How many of us knew he was India's oldest Test cricketer? We need to do better at preserving our sporting heritage.
Chennai boy! Proud that he was from Tamil Nadu. A stylist with a wide range of strokes, as the article says. That's the kind of elegant batting we love. Om Shanti. 🙏
The stats show he was a proper first-class workhorse with over 4000 runs. It's a shame his Test career was only 8 matches. Different times, I suppose. Condolences to his family and the cricket community in India.
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