CHENNAI: “After the Test match, the crowd applauded us for 15 minutes. I still remember that moment,” CD Gopinath told TOI a few years ago, recalling India’s historic first Test win at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Madras. It was 1952, and India defeated England by an innings of eight runs in the fifth Test. Gopinath easily scored 35 points and became one of the many heroes of this historic game – Vinod Mankad (12 wickets), Polly Umrigar (130) and Pankay Roy (111).He died in his sleep on Thursday at the age of 96, the last living member of the team.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!“Gopi is a lovely batsman, a very natural player and a shrewd captain. He also keeps wickets at times. But what stood out most was his affability,” V Ramnarayan, former Hyderabad off-spinner, renowned cricket historian and co-author of Gopinath’s autobiography, Beyond Cricket – A Life in Many Worlds, told TOI.Gopinath played eight Test matches between 1951-60. But it’s not without controversy. “In Gopi’s own words, he was insulted by captain Vijay Hazare during the 1952 Test series in England. He felt he was being targeted because he was South Indian and chose not to play in the next West Indies series,” Ram Narayan said.Gopinath’s contribution to Tamil Nadu cricket is also immense. He was part of the Madras team that won the first match ranji trophy Championship in 1954-55. “In the final, against a strong Holkar team that had Mushtaq Ali, he scored 133 in the first innings and had to take over the captaincy at the end of the game,” Ramnarayan added.Apart from cricket, Gopinath had other interests and hunting was one of them. In 1955-56, Gopi took a visiting New Zealand team on a hunting expedition. “They came back late and didn’t come back until the morning of the match against South Zone. But Gopi scored 175 in that match,” the historian added.Gopinath played his last Test at the Eden Gardens in 1960, but his first-class career didn’t last long either. He retired from cricket in 1962 at the age of 32, largely because he was employed by Gordon Woodroffe in a senior position in a British company. “He had a life beyond cricket, he was a great tennis player and his wife Komala was his mixed doubles partner. They won a lot of matches back then,” Ramnarayan said.Gopinath, who had a sharp mind and loved to play bridge, used to follow the latest updates of the Indian team and never shied away from cricket-related topics. “For us, it was purely a passion. We used to get only Rs 250 as ‘cigarette money’ per exam and always traveled by train. We didn’t stay in hotels. Even foreign players used to share rooms as ‘guests’. But I have no regrets,” ‘Gopi’ once said in an interview with the Times of India, always with a smile on his face.
