Lala Amarnath

Lala Amarnath Bharadwaj (11 September 1911 - 5 August 2000) was an Indian cricketer. He was the first batsman ever to score a century for India in Test cricket. He was independent India's first cricket captain and captained India in the first Test series win against Pakistan in 1952.[1]

Lala Amarnath
Amarnath batting at Lord's in 1936
Personal information
Born(1911-09-11)11 September 1911
Gopipur, Kapurthala State, Punjab, India
Died5 August 2000(2000-08-05) (aged 88)
New Delhi, Delhi, India
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
International information
National side
Test debut15 December 1933 v England
Last Test12 December 1955 v Pakistan
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 24 186
Runs scored 878 10,426
Batting average 24.38 41.37
100s/50s 1/4 31/39
Top score 118 262
Balls bowled 4,241 29,474
Wickets 45 463
Bowling average 32.91 22.98
5 wickets in innings 2 19
10 wickets in match 0 3
Best bowling 5/96 7/27
Catches/stumpings 13 96/2
Source: Lala Amarnath, 12 May 2020

He played only 3 Test Matches before World War 2 and thus lost all his prime years as India played no official Test matches. During this time he amassed around 10,000 runs with 30 hundreds in first class cricket which included teams from Australia and England featuring some of the most prominent Test players . After the war he played another 21 Test Matches for India. One of the prominent all rounders of the time, he later became the chairman of the Senior Selection Committee, BCCI and also served the game as a commentator and expert. He was responsible in grooming many youngsters like Chandu Borde, M.L. Jaisimha, Jasu Patel etc. who played for India. His sons Surinder & Mohinder Amarnath also became Test players for the country. His grandson Digvijay is also a current first class player.

The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan in 1991.[2]

Early life

Amarnath was born in Kapurthala, Punjab to impoverished Hindu parents. Recognizing his talent in Lahore, a Muslim cricketing household adopted Amarnath.[3] He played his debut match against England in 1933 on the Bombay Gymkhana grounds in South Bombay. Amarnath also played for the Hindus in the Bombay Quadrangular. Aside from being a tenacious batsman, Lala Amarnath was also a bowler of some repute, being the only one to dismiss Donald Bradman hit wicket.

1936 England tour

Amarnath was controversially sent back from the 1936 tour of England by the captain, the Maharajkumar of Vizianagram, for "indiscipline".[4] Amarnath and others allege it was due to politics. Vizzy, the Maharajkumar of Vizianagram, was named the captain for Indian cricket team for the 1936 tour of England, a post that he secured after lobbying and manipulation. Unfortunately, his desperately poor captaincy on the field resulted in even the normally reserved British press commenting on it. Some of the senior players in the squad, including Lala Amarnath, C. K. Nayudu and Vijay Merchant, were critical of Vizzy's playing abilities and captaincy, and the team was split between those who supported and criticised the captain. The low point in the tour occurred during India's match against Minor Counties at Lord's. Lala Amarnath had been nursing a back injury during the game. Vizzy had Amarnath pad up, but didn't put him in to bat as a succession of other batsmen were sent in ahead of him, which prevented Amarnath from resting his injury. Amarnath was finally put in to bat at the end of the day. Visibly angry after returning to the dressing room, he threw his kit into his bag and muttered in Punjabi, "I know what is transpiring". Vizzy took this as an affront, and conspired with team manager Major Jack Brittain-Jones to have Lala Amarnath sent back from the tour without playing the first test match.[5] It is also alleged that in the first test against the England, Vizzy offered Mushtaq Ali a gold watch to run out Vijay Merchant.[5]

Captain and manager

Lala Amarnath was the captain of the Indian team that toured Australia in 1947-1948. When the Partition of India took place in August 1947, Amarnath and his family had to flee the city to escape a Muslim mob. He lived in Patiala in the Indian state of Punjab till 1957, when he moved to the capital, Delhi. Lala Amarnath had received his education at Aligarh Muslim University.[6] Amarnath is widely respected for reaching out to bridge the divide between players and fans of India and Pakistan, caused by political tensions between the two countries.[7] Amarnath as captain was complimented for being straightforward and aggressive, and possessing great tactical acumen. Under his leadership, India won its first-ever Test against Pakistan in Delhi in 1952, and went on to win the series 2–1. Amarnath also managed the team when it toured Pakistan in 1954-55.

Family and legacy

His sons Mohinder and Surinder also played cricket for India and another son Rajinder played first-class cricket while his grandson Digvijay is also a first class player. Throughout his twilight years, Amarnath was considered a living legend of Indian cricket.[8]

Preceded by
Nawab of Pataudi, snr		 Indian National Test Cricket Captain
1947/48-1948/49		 Succeeded by
Vijay Hazare
Preceded by
Vijay Hazare		 Indian National Test Cricket Captain
1952/3		 Succeeded by
Vijay Hazare
Preceded by
Learie Constantine		 Nelson Cricket Club
Professional
1938–1939		 Succeeded by
Bert Nutter

References
  1. "Lala Amarnath". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  2. "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  3. https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/668924-the-twenty-two-families-of-pakistan-test-cricket-part-iii
  4. Lynch, Steven. "You're fired". www.ESPNCricinfo.com. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  5. "A right royal Indian mess". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  6. "Academics – Centres – Games Committee". Aligarh Muslim University. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013.
  7. Kureishi, Omar (9 August 2000). "Amarnath's death a sad moment in cricket". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  8. "India's most legendary of figures". ESPNcricinfo. August 1994. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
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