#lala amarnath

5 incidents tagged

Lala Amarnath Leads Independent India to Australia — 1947-48

India v Australia

1947-11-28

Lala Amarnath became Independent India's first Test captain when he led the tour party to Australia in November 1947, only weeks after Partition. Vijay Merchant's withdrawal had thrown the captaincy open; Amarnath was confirmed by the new Indian Cricket Board ahead of departure. India lost the series 0-4, but Amarnath's personal contributions — 228 not out v Victoria and 172 not out v Queensland — and his courteous handling of Bradman's century moment at Sydney made him a popular figure on tour.

#lala-amarnath#india#captain

🔥Explosive

Lala Amarnath Sent Home from England — June 1936

India

1936-06-21

On 21 June 1936, midway through India's tour of England, Lala Amarnath — the country's first Test centurion — was ordered home by tour captain the Maharajkumar of Vizianagaram (Vizzy) and tour management. The decision, made on disciplinary grounds that almost no contemporary account took at face value, became one of the worst administrative episodes in Indian cricket and set the political tone for the BCCI's later reform.

#lala-amarnath#vizzy#1936

🔥Explosive

Vizzy's Captaincy and the 1936 Indian Tour Farce

England v India

1936-06-27

The 1936 Indian tour of England was captained by the Maharajkumar of Vizianagram — 'Vizzy' — a princely Test cricketer whose 8-Test record at 8.25 was earned through an absurd political appointment. Vizzy mismanaged a talented squad, alienated CK Nayudu, sent the brilliant Lala Amarnath home before the first Test on a discipline charge, and led India to a 2-0 series defeat. The tour became a byword for princely interference in Indian cricket and was cited for decades afterward in arguments for democratic selection.

#india#vizzy#1936

⭐Serious

Lala Amarnath's 118 — India's First Test Century, Bombay, 1933

India v England

1933-12-17

On 17 December 1933 Lala Amarnath, batting at No. 5 on his Test debut, scored 118 to become the first Indian to make a Test century. The innings, made out of 219 added with C.K. Nayudu, came against an MCC attack of Nichols, Clark and Verity and was greeted by spectators tearing off jewellery to throw onto the field.

#lala-amarnath#india#england

⭐Serious

India's First Home Test — Bombay Gymkhana, December 1933

India v England

1933-12-15

On 15 December 1933 India played its first home Test, against Douglas Jardine's MCC at the Bombay Gymkhana Ground, a colonial members' club from which most Indians were excluded by membership rules. Lala Amarnath produced India's first Test century, 118 in 117 minutes on debut, and the new ground hosted only this single Test before the Brabourne Stadium took over Bombay's international cricket. England won by nine wickets; Indian Test cricket finally had a home address.

#india#first-home-test#1933