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C.K. Nayudu’s Journey from Nagpur to National Glory

C.K. Nayudu’s Journey from Nagpur to National Glory
C.K. Nayudu’s Journey from Nagpur to National Glory

In one of Nagpur’s earliest cricket matches, held on a dusty ground long before India had a Test team, the crowd held its breath as a boy no older than 15 stepped forward and hit the kind of shot the city had never seen.


His name was Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu, and though he would go on to become India’s first cricket captain, Nagpur already knew he was theirs.

Born in Vidarbha’s Nagpur on October 31, 1895, Nayudu’s story begins long before he wore the national colours. It starts in schoolyards and narrow lanes, on modest pitches set up beside law offices and public grounds.

 



In those early years, the game was still finding its feet in India, and so was the boy who would help shape its future.


Nagpur, though not often cited among India’s major cricketing powerhouses, played a surprisingly central role in nurturing one of its most significant cricketing icons.


For those who’ve passed through C.K. Nayudu Road or stood before his statue at the old Vidarbha Cricket Association ground, the connection is more than just symbolic. It’s personal.


From School Fields to Central Provinces


C.K. Nayudu wasn’t just raised in Nagpur, he was shaped by it. His family had deep roots in the city. His grandfather, Cottari Narayanaswamy Nayudu, had settled there in the late 19th century and participated in the Indian National Congress when political dissent still required discretion.


His father, educated in England, returned with a law degree, a bat and a mission to introduce cricket to his hometown.


That mission quickly became a legacy. As a schoolboy, Nayudu attended St. Francis De’Sales High School and then Hislop College, institutions that would proudly recall their connection to him for generations to come.

He led his school and college teams, and by his teens was captaining Modi Cricket Club, a local side that benefited from his aggressive batting and fearless leadership.



What stood out about him was his intent and technique. Even in an era of defensive batting, Nayudu played like someone who believed the bat was a weapon, not a shield. In a city still navigating its colonial boundaries, he played the game like it belonged to him.


His early performances in provincial matches were notable. They were foundational for Nagpur cricket.


Representing the Central Provinces in the 1922-23 tournament, he played a memorable inning against Bombay, scoring a defiant 56 under pressure. Matches like these laid the groundwork for Nagpur's cricketing identity.

The city saw its own in him. When he travelled elsewhere to play, it was Nagpur’s confidence, skill, and sporting promise being broadcast to the rest of the country.



A Cricketer's City

C.K. Nayadu Padded Up to Play Against England
C.K. Nayadu Padded Up to Play Against England

Even after moving to Indore to play for the Holkar team, Nayudu’s ties with Nagpur remained firm. He returned regularly, both to play and to mentor.


Exhibition matches were a common feature in the years following Independence, and one such game in 1946 saw Nayudu lead a side against the celebrated Mushtaq Ali at a Nagpur ground.


He was past his prime by then, but to the thousands gathered to watch, it didn’t matter. This was still “their” captain.

Young cricketers in Nagpur grew up on stories of his sixes, tales told not with exaggeration but reverence.


Some were lucky enough to play against him. Others, years later, would speak of spotting him quietly watching matches from the sidelines during his visits to the city. He was never loud in his influence, but it lingered. Whether it was a few words of advice or just his presence at a school tournament, the effect was real.



The city's cricketing structure evolved around the standard he set. The Vidarbha Cricket Association, now a fixture in the Indian domestic scene, owes a part of its stature to the legacy Nayudu helped establish.

Though he didn’t hold administrative roles in the region, his name was often enough to open doors, secure funds, and draw attention. In cricketing terms, he gave Nagpur credibility before credibility could be measured in trophies or TV ratings.


Even in later years, when cricket in India became more about packed stadiums and broadcast rights, the memory of Nayudu’s early games at Civil Lines remained a sort of quiet anthem for Nagpur cricket.



More Than a Name


Cricket may have been his profession, but in Nagpur, it was also his heritage. The Nayudu family was socially prominent, and the young C.K. was no stranger to the conversations of political change that echoed through their home.


It’s no stretch to say that playing against British officers and outshining them on the field had a deeper resonance in the pre-independence years. For a local boy to dominate a colonial game was not just impressive but also revolutionary.


That subtle nationalism was part of his appeal. He didn’t shout slogans or engage in politics, but each authoritative shot off a British bowler was its own statement.

In cities like Nagpur, where colonial power was present, sport became a kind of soft resistance, and Nayudu, unknowingly perhaps, was its frontman.


He was fluent in several languages and comfortably moved between his Telugu-speaking home and the Marathi-speaking streets of Nagpur.



This ease reflected the cultural melting pot that the city has always been. It allowed him to connect with players, officials, and spectators across class and community divides, even before sport became the diverse and televised industry it is today.


As cricket moved into the modern age, many of its early pioneers faded from public memory. But in Nagpur, C.K. Nayudu’s name was celebrated.


A road bears his name today, guiding motorists through a part of the city where he once honed his craft. A statue stands in the stadium where he played some of his earliest and most formative matches.


Every 31st October, local cricket administrators garland his bust and speak of his achievements not as distant history but as local pride.

Every time a young player in Nagpur takes the field, they walk in the footsteps of someone who once did it with little more than a passion for the game. They may not always know the details of his scores or the texture of the wickets he played on, but the presence lingers.

It’s there in the old clubs, the school fields, the encouragement from coaches who know the city’s cricketing past.


In many ways, C.K. Nayudu was the city’s first cricketer-hero. Not just because he went on to captain India but because he brought cricket into its homes, its schools, and its imagination.

He played for Holkar. He led India. He wowed crowds across the country.


But in Nagpur, he was always more than a visiting star. He was a native son who never truly left.


A batsman who turned boundaries into belief and a captain whose leadership began not in dressing rooms but in the sun-baked fields of a city that still remembers every run.



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