End of an era: Last member of India’s first Test win, CD Gopinath, dies at 96

Chennai, July 11 — When the final wicket fell at Madras’s MA Chidambaram Stadium in February 1952, the stands erupted in a 15-minute ovation that still echoed in CD Gopinath’s memory more than seven decades later. “The crowd applauded us for 15 minutes at a stretch after the Test match was over. I still remember that moment,” he recalled to this newspaper in a recent interview. That day, India beat England by an innings and eight runs to register the country’s maiden Test victory, and Gopinath, batting with characteristic flair, contributed a breezy 35 to a cause also shaped by Vinoo Mankad’s dozen wickets and centuries from Polly Umrigar (130) and Pankaj Roy (111).

Gopinath, the last surviving architect of that landmark win, passed away in his sleep here on Thursday. He was 96.

A stylish right-hander who played eight Tests between 1951 and 1960, Gopinath’s international career was brief yet eventful. “Gopi was a lovely batsman to watch, a very natural player, and a shrewd captain. He also kept wickets from time to time. But what always stood out was his geniality,” said V Ramnarayan, former Hyderabad off-spinner and co-author of Gopinath’s autobiography, Beyond Cricket — A Life In Many Worlds.

Controversy dogged him on the 1952 tour of England, where, by his own account, captain Vijay Hazare slighted him. “He felt he was being targeted because he was a South Indian and chose not to go for the next West Indies series,” Ramnarayan noted.

Domestically, Gopinath’s influence was profound. He was pivotal in Madras’s first Ranji Trophy triumph in 1954-55, striking 133 in the final against a star-studded Holkar side that included Mushtaq Ali and assuming the captaincy in the crunch stages. A year later, after escorting the touring New Zealanders on a hunting expedition that stretched into match-day morning, he arrived at the ground and smashed 175 for South Zone.

His final Test came at Eden Gardens in 1960, and two years later, aged 32, he stepped away from first-class cricket to focus on a senior role with British firm Gordon Woodroffe. “He had a life beyond cricket,” Ramnarayan said. A keen tennis player, Gopinath and his wife Comala dominated mixed-doubles tournaments of the era, while his sharp mind found outlet in bridge and animated discussions on contemporary Indian cricket.

“For us, it was sheer passion. We used to get only Rs 250 per Test as ‘smoke money’ and always travelled by train. We didn’t stay in hotels. Even foreign players used to share accommodation as ‘house guest’. But I have no regrets,” Gopinath said, the smile never leaving his face.

With his passing, the final link to Indian cricket’s first golden day is severed, leaving only the roar of that Madras crowd to linger in the nation’s sporting folklore.