CD Gopinath, the last surviving member of India‘s first Test win, has died in Chennai at the age of 96. He was India’s oldest Test cricketer and the second oldest worldwide after Australia’s Neil Harvey.
Born on March 1, 1930, Gopinath played eight Tests and 83 first-class matches for India and Madras. He 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 No. 8, 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.
In an interview with ESPNcricinfo in 2024, Gopinath reflected on that memory. “Some people from the UK came and interviewed me on the Test match that India won for the first time in 1952. I think they were going to write a book or make a video, and I said to them: How can you write a book on one Test match? One season or five Test matches, okay. Why only this Test match? What is there to write so much about? They said, ‘No, we regard that win as a turning point of the cricket history of India.’ In one way it is true. And I am very lucky. I had that for India and I had that for Madras. I asked them: Who else are you interviewing? They said, ‘Nobody else, because there’s nobody else alive. You are the only one from that team that is there.’ I said, ‘So I can say anything I want!”
He finished his Test career with 242 runs in 12 innings, to go with 4259 runs at an average of 42.16 in first-class cricket. He later served as a national selector and as manager of the Indian team during the 1979 tour of England.
“Mr CD Gopinath represented an era when Indian cricket was beginning to establish itself on the international stage. Not only did he contribute for India, but he also played a key role in Madras’ early successes,” BCCI president Mithun Manhas said. “His continued association with the game as chairman of the selection committee and team manager reflected his deep commitment to cricket. We mourn his passing and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.”
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.
