Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu (1895–1967) was an Indian cricketer who served as the first Test captain of India. A right-handed batsman known for powerful hitting and a right-arm medium pace bowler, he led India in its inaugural Test match against England at Lord's in June 1932 and is regarded as one of the foundational figures of Indian cricket.
| Full name | Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu |
|---|---|
| Born | 31 October 1895, Nagpur, Central Provinces, British India |
| Died | 14 November 1967, Indore, India |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| Bowling | Right-arm medium |
| Role | All-rounder; captain |
| Test debut | 25 June 1932 vs England, Lord's |
| Notable teams | Hindus, Holkar, Central India, Andhra, Uttar Pradesh |
| Honours | Padma Bhushan (1956); C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award named in his honour |
Nayudu was born in Nagpur into a Telugu-speaking family with roots in the Madras Presidency. He took to cricket early and made his first-class debut in 1916 for the Hindus in the Bombay Quadrangular tournament, then a leading competition in colonial India organised on community lines.
Nayudu came to wider attention in December 1926 at the Bombay Gymkhana, when he struck a rapid 153 against Arthur Gilligan's touring MCC side, an innings that included eleven sixes. The performance is often cited as a turning point that strengthened the case for India's admission to Test cricket.
India was admitted to the Imperial Cricket Conference and granted Test status in 1926, with its first Test played in 1932. Nayudu captained the side in that match at Lord's against an England team led by Douglas Jardine. He continued to lead India during the 1933–34 home series against England, the first Test series played on Indian soil.
Nayudu had a long association with the princely state of Holkar, leading the Holkar team in the Ranji Trophy through the 1940s and contributing to several finals appearances. He played first-class cricket for an unusually long span, continuing into his sixties, and turned out for Andhra and Uttar Pradesh in his later years.
Nayudu's stature extended beyond statistics. As India's first Test captain, he became a symbolic figure for Indian sport in the late colonial period, and his aggressive batting helped popularise the game across northern and central India. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) instituted the C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, its highest honour for former cricketers, in his memory. The C. K. Nayudu Trophy, an under-25 (formerly under-22 and under-23) domestic competition, also bears his name.