Itsadarshchaturvedi at 03:44, 13 September 2023

2023-09-13T03:44:08Z

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{{short description|Indian cricketer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = Lala Amarnath
| image = Lala Amarnath at Lord's 1936.jpg
| caption = Amarnath batting at Lord's in 1936
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1911|9|11|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Kapurthala]], [[Punjab (British India)|Punjab]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2000|8|5|1911|9|11|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[New Delhi]], India
| batting = Right-handed
| bowling = Right-arm medium
| international = true
| internationalspan = 1933–1955
| country = India

| testdebutagainst = England
| testcap = 12
| testdebutdate = 15 December
| testdebutyear = 1933
| lasttestdate = 12 December
| lasttestagainst = Pakistan
| lasttestyear = 1955

| columns = 2
| column1 = [[Test cricket|Test]]
| matches1 = 24
| runs1 = 878
| bat avg1 = 24.38
| 100s/50s1 = 1/4
| top score1 = 118
| deliveries1 = 4,241
| wickets1 = 45
| bowl avg1 = 32.91
| fivefor1 = 2
| tenfor1 = 0
| best bowling1 = 5/96
| catches/stumpings1= 13
| column2 = [[First-class cricket|First-class]]
| matches2 = 186
| runs2 = 10,426
| bat avg2 = 41.37
| 100s/50s2 = 31/39
| top score2 = 262
| deliveries2 = 29,474
| wickets2 = 463
| bowl avg2 = 22.98
| fivefor2 = 19
| tenfor2 = 3
| best bowling2 = 7/27
| catches/stumpings2= 96/2
| source = http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/26223.html Lala Amarnath
| date = 12 May
| year = 2020
}}

'''Lala Amarnath Bharadwaj''' (11 September 1911 – 5 August 2000) is considered to be the father figure of Indian cricket. He scored the first ever century for India in Test Cricket in 1933 <ref>{{cite web |title=Full Scorecard of India vs England 1st Test 1933/34 – Score Report {{!}} ESPNcricinfo.com |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/england-tour-of-india-1933-34-61789/india-vs-england-1st-test-62616/full-scorecard |access-date=2022-05-04 |publisher=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref> He was independent India's first cricket captain and captained India in their first Test series win [[Pakistani cricket team in India in 1952–53|against Pakistan in 1952]].<ref name="Bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/26223.html |title=Lala Amarnath|access-date=12 May 2020 |publisher=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref>

He played only three Test Matches before [[World War II]] (India played no official Test matches during the war). During this time he amassed around 10,000 runs with 30 hundreds in first-class cricket which included teams from Australia and England. After the war, he played another 21 Test Matches for India. He later became the chairman of the Senior Selection Committee, [[Board of Cricket Control in India|BCCI]] and was also a commentator and expert. His proteges include [[Chandu Borde]], [[M.L. Jaisimha]], and [[Jasu Patel]] who played for India. His sons [[Surinder Amarnath|Surinder]] and [[Mohinder Amarnath]] also became Test players for India. 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.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |date=2015 |access-date=21 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 }}</ref> Amarnath received the inaugural [[C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award]] in 1994, the highest honour bestowed by BCCI on a former player.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |date=2013-12-18 |title=C.K. Nayudu award for Kapil Dev |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/ck-nayudu-award-for-kapil-dev/article5474173.ece |access-date=2023-04-25 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

==Early life==

Amarnath was born in an impoverished [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]-speaking [[Brahmin]] family<ref>{{cite web |last=Bhalerao |first=Sarang |title=Lala Amarnath – the life and times of a legend |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/lala-amarnath-the-life-and-times-of-a-legend |access-date=2022-01-12 |website=Sportskeeda |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Stern |first1=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ne8EAQAAQBAJ&dq=Lala+Amarnath+punjabi&pg=PA865 |title=The Essential Wisden: An Anthology of 150 Years of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack |last2=Williams |first2=Marcus |date=2014-01-07 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-1-4081-7896-6 |pages=865 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Astill |first=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6IRVMNzNJpIC&dq=Lala+Amarnath+punjabi&pg=PT49 |title=The Great Tamasha: Cricket, Corruption and the Turbulent Rise of Modern India |date=2013-07-04 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-1-4081-9220-7 |language=en}}</ref> of [[Kapurthala|Kapurthala, Punjab]]. Recognizing his talent in [[Lahore]], a [[Muslims|Muslim]] cricketing household adopted Amarnath.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/668924-the-twenty-two-families-of-pakistan-test-cricket-part-iii |title=The Twenty Two Families of Pakistan Test Cricket – Part III | Sports |work=The News International|location=Pakistan |date=2020-06-07 |accessdate=2022-09-04}}</ref> He played his debut match [[English cricket team in India in 1933–34|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 batsman, Lala Amarnath was also a [[Bowler (cricket)|bowler]], the only one to dismiss [[Donald Bradman]] [[hit wicket]].

==Test career ==

In [[English cricket team in India in 1933-34|1933's England's tour]] of India, Lala Amarnath was leading run-scorer. In the series he created history by scoring first ever Test 100 by an Indian batsman at Bombay.<ref>{{Cite web |title= भारताचे पहिले कसोटी शतकवीर कोण, तुम्हाला माहित आहेत का?|date=11 September 2018 |url=https://www.lokmat.com/cricket/news/do-you-know-who-was-indias-first-test-centurion/}}</ref>

Amarnath was controversially sent back from the [[Indian cricket team in England in 1936|1936 tour of England]] by the captain, the [[Maharajkumar of Vizianagram]], for "indiscipline".<ref>{{cite web|last=Lynch|first=Steven|title=You're fired|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/625483.html|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=14 April 2013}}</ref> 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 [[English cricket team|England]], a post that he secured after lobbying and manipulation. 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. During India's match against Minor Counties at [[Lord's]] Lala Amarnath had been nursing a back injury during the game. Vizzy had Amarnath's pad up but did not 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.<ref name="ci-royalmess">{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/columns/content/story/303898.html|title=A right royal Indian mess|access-date=12 May 2020 |publisher=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref> It is also alleged that in the first test against the [[England cricket team|England]], Vizzy offered [[Mushtaq Ali]] a gold watch to run out [[Vijay Merchant]].<ref name="ci-royalmess" />

==Captain and manager==

Lala Amarnath was the [[Captain (cricket)|captain]] of the Indian team that toured [[Indian cricket team in Australia in 1947–48|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]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Academics {{ndash}} Centres {{ndash}} Games Committee |work=[[Aligarh Muslim University]] |url=http://www.amu.ac.in/nonacademic.jsp?did=10023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403050028/http://www.amu.ac.in/nonacademic.jsp?did=10023 |archive-date= 3 April 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/84927.html |title=Amarnath's death a sad moment in cricket |first=Omar |last=Kureishi |publisher=ESPNcricinfo|date=9 August 2000 |access-date=14 January 2013}}</ref> Under his leadership, India won its first-ever Test against [[Pakistan national cricket team|Pakistan]] in [[Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium|Delhi]] in 1952 and went on to win the series 2–1. Amarnath also managed the team when it toured [[Indian cricket team in Pakistan in 1954–55|Pakistan in 1954-55]].

==Family and legacy==

His sons [[Mohinder Amarnath|Mohinder]] and [[Surinder Amarnath|Surinder]] also played cricket for India and another son [[Rajinder Amarnath|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketer/content/story/141740.html |title=India's most legendary of figures |publisher=ESPNcricinfo|date=August 1994 |access-date=14 January 2013}}</ref>

Mohinder played the role of his father in the 2021 sports drama ''[[83 (film)|83]]'', while Mohinder himself was portrayed by [[Saqib Saleem]]. Both of them had previously shared screen space in the 2016 action comedy ''[[Dishoom]]''.

{{s-start}}
{{succession box |
before=[[Iftikhar Ali Khan|Nawab of Pataudi, snr]] |
title=[[Indian National Test Cricket Captains|Indian National Test Cricket Captain]]| years=1947/48-1948/49 |
after=[[Vijay Hazare]]
}}
{{succession box |
before=[[Vijay Hazare]] |
title=[[Indian National Test Cricket Captains|Indian National Test Cricket Captain]]| years=1952/3 |
after=[[Vijay Hazare]]
}}
{{succession box| before = [[Learie Constantine]] | title = [[Nelson Cricket Club]]<br />Professional | after = [[Bert Nutter]] | years = 1938–1939}}
{{s-end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{cricinfo|id=26223}}
*[https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/aug/09/guardianobituaries.cricket Obituary] on TheGuardian

{{Indian Test Cricket Captains}}
{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1990–99}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amarnath, Lala}}
[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:2000 deaths]]
[[Category:India Test cricketers]]
[[Category:India Test cricket captains]]
[[Category:Cricketers who made a century on Test debut]]
[[Category:People from Kapurthala]]
[[Category:Cricketers from Patiala]]
[[Category:Aligarh Muslim University alumni]]
[[Category:Hindus cricketers]]
[[Category:Southern Punjab cricketers]]
[[Category:Patiala cricketers]]
[[Category:Uttar Pradesh cricketers]]
[[Category:Gujarat cricketers]]
[[Category:Rajasthan cricketers]]
[[Category:Railways cricketers]]
[[Category:Indian cricketers]]
[[Category:North Zone cricketers]]
[[Category:The Rest cricketers]]
[[Category:Indian Starlets cricketers]]
[[Category:Cricketers from Lahore]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in sports]]
[[Category:Indian cricket administrators]]
[[Category:Indian cricket coaches]]
[[Category:Punjabi people]]
[[Category:Amarnath family]]

Lala Amarnath - Revision history

Itsadarshchaturvedi at 03:44, 13 September 2023