Cottari Subbanna Nayudu (1914–2002), commonly known as C. S. Nayudu, was an Indian first-class cricketer who represented India in Test cricket during the 1930s and 1940s. He was the younger brother of C. K. Nayudu, India's first Test captain, and was himself a prominent figure in the early decades of Indian cricket.
| Full name | Cottari Subbanna Nayudu |
|---|---|
| Born | 1914 |
| Died | 2002 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Role | All-rounder (leg-break bowler and batsman) |
| Notable relation | Younger brother of C. K. Nayudu |
| Format | Test and first-class cricket |
C. S. Nayudu came from the Nayudu cricketing family, one of the most influential in pre-Independence Indian cricket. He learnt the game in the cricketing environment shaped by his elder brother C. K. Nayudu, and emerged as a capable leg-spin bowler and useful lower-order batsman in domestic competition.
Nayudu had a long first-class career that spanned several decades, during which he turned out for various teams in the Ranji Trophy, India's premier domestic competition. He played for sides associated with the regions of Central India, Holkar, Baroda, Andhra, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh during different phases of his career, reflecting the shifting nature of regional cricket in the era of princely patronage and post-Independence reorganisation.
He was selected for the Indian Test side and featured in matches against England during the period when India was establishing itself as a Test-playing nation, having been admitted to Test cricket in 1932. As a leg-break bowler, he provided variation in attack, and he was regarded as a tireless campaigner in the domestic game.
C. S. Nayudu is remembered as part of the foundational generation of Indian Test cricketers. Together with his brother C. K. Nayudu, he contributed to the family's enduring association with the early growth of organised cricket in India, particularly in the heartland regions of Central India and the former princely states that supported the game through the 1930s and 1940s.