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Bellipadi Chandrahasa Alva

Bellipadi Chandrahasa Alva (1923–1982) was an Indian cricketer who played first-class cricket during the mid-twentieth century. He is among the cricketers from the coastal Karnataka region recorded in the early decades of organised first-class cricket in southern India.

Key facts

Full name Bellipadi Chandrahasa Alva
Born 1923
Died 1982
Nationality Indian
Sport Cricket
Level First-class cricket

Background

The surname Alva is associated with the Bunt community of the Tulu-speaking coastal belt of Karnataka, particularly the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi regions. The toponymic prefix "Bellipadi" indicates a family connection to a locality of that name in the same region, a common naming practice among cricketers and public figures from the area.

Career

Alva was active as a cricketer in the period when domestic Indian cricket was organised primarily around the Ranji Trophy, which had been instituted in 1934. Cricketers from the Madras Presidency and, after the linguistic reorganisation of states in 1956, from Mysore (later Karnataka), competed in the south zone of the national tournament during his playing years.

Significance

Alva is one of the lesser-documented Indian first-class cricketers of his era. His inclusion in catalogued lists of Indian cricketers reflects the broader history of cricket's spread beyond the major metropolitan centres into the smaller towns and coastal districts of southern India during the mid-twentieth century.

References