In its 89 years of history, Indian cricket has achieved so many great heights. With time, the Indian cricket team went on to become better than before. Throughout this journey, many players were represented in the game. Many records were shattered and created. Many milestones were achieved. The Indian team witnessed so many great innings throughout the years that became a nightmare for the opposition bowlers. But there was an innings played almost 100 years ago, that made the Indian cricket team come into existence. And that innings was played by none other than the first-ever captain of the Indian cricket team, ‘Cottari Kanakaiya Nayadu’.
In 1926, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the guardian of worldwide cricketing laws, sent its team to tour India. This team was led by Arthur Gilligan, Englands' captain of the 1924-25 ashes series. At that time, teams in India were divided into Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Parsis. On that tour, MCC played a match against the Hindus at Bombay gymkhana.
In their first innings, MCC put a total of 363 runs. Now it was Hindus turn to bat. C. K. Nayadu came to the crease and did what no one expected. He scored 153 runs including 13 fours and 11 sixes. This was a record at that time. He smashed the experienced test bowlers like Maurice Tate, William Astill, and Robert Wyatt. In one of Wyatt's overs, Nayadu smashed 22 runs with the help of 2 sixes and 2 fours. His daughter, Chandra Nayadu also said that one of his sixes broke the Bombay tower's clock. Because of Nayadu's innings, Hindus managed to score 356 in their first innings. Just 7 runs short of MCC's score. The special thing about this innings was Nayadu scored those 153 runs in less than 2 hours.
MCC captain Arthur had a profound impact on him of what he witnessed that day. Watching Nayadu and the rest of the Indian players performing on that tour, Arthur realized that it was high time that India should get its test status. In February 1927, a meeting was held between one of the founding members of BCCI, Anthony De Mello, Maharaja of Pratap, Arthur in Delhi. Arthur proposed that if a single body of the Indian cricket team is formed, then he will continue to strive to make India an ICC member.
After this, a provisional board of Indian cricket was formed. Then in 1928, BCCI was established. The Indian team now became the full-time member ICC and went on to play their first-ever test match in 1932 at the home of cricket, Lords in England. C. K. Nayadu was the one to lead the team and with this, he became the Indian Cricket team’s first ever captain. So, looking at all this, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that those 153 runs by C. K. Nayadu literally gave birth to Indian cricket.