CHENNAI: “After the Test match ended, the crowd applauded us for 15 minutes straight. I still remember that moment,” CD Gopinath told TOI a few years ago, recalling India’s historic first Test win at the (then) MA Chidambaram Stadium in Madras. The year was 1952, India beat England in the fifth Test by an innings and eight runs. Gopinath scored a breathtaking 35, one of the many heroes of this historic game – Vinoo Mankad (12 wickets), Polly Umrigar (130) and Pankay Roy (111).Aged 96, the last surviving member of that team died in his sleep here on Thursday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!“Gopi was a beautiful batsman to watch, a very natural player and a smart captain. He also kept wickets from time to time. But what always stood out was his genius,” said V Ramnarayan, former Hyderabad off-spinner and noted cricket historian who co-authored Gopinath’s autobiography, ‘Beyond World’, ‘Beyond In Cricket.Gopinath played in eight Test matches between 1951-60. But it was not without its share of controversy. “In Gopi’s own words, he was insulted by captain Vijay Hazare during the 1952 Test series in England. He felt he was targeted because he was a South Indian and decided not to go for the next West Indies series,” Ramnarayan said.Gopinath’s contribution to Tamil Nadu cricket was also immense. He was part of the Madras team that won their first Ranji Trophy title 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 towards the end of the game,” added Ramnaryan.Along with cricket, Gopinath had other interests, one of which was game hunting. In 1955-56, Gopi took the visiting New Zealand team on a hunting trip. “When they came back, they got late and came back only in the morning in the match against South Zone. But Gopi scored 175 in that match,” the historian added.Gopinath played his last Test in 1960 at the Eden Gardens and did not extend his first-class career for long either. In 1962, at the age of 32, he retired from cricket mainly because he was employed in a responsible position in the British firm Gordon Woodroffe. “He had a life outside of cricket, he was a great tennis player, his wife Comala was his mixed doubles partner. They won quite a few tournaments at that time,” said Ramnarayan.Gopinath had a sharp mind, enjoyed playing bridge, used to follow the current Indian team and was never shy of a cricket conversation. “It was sheer passion for us. We used to get just Rs 250 per Test as a ‘smoke’ and always traveled by train. We didn’t stay in hotels. Even foreign players shared accommodation as a ‘house guest’. But I have no regrets,” ‘Gopi’ told TOI, sometime back, the smile never fading from his face.
