>Monkbot at 19:39, 19 January 2021

2021-01-19T19:39:12Z

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2013}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = M. J. Gopalan
| image =
| caption =
| fullname = Morapakkam Josyam Gopalan
| birth_date = {{birth date|1909|6|6}}
| birth_place = [[Chennai]], [[Madras presidency]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|2003|12|21|1909|6|6}}
| death_place = [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India
| batting = Right-handed
| bowling = Right-arm fast medium
| columns = 2
| column1 = [[Test cricket|Tests]]
| matches1 = 1
| runs1 = 18
| bat avg1 = 18.00
| 100s/50s1 = 0/0
| top score1 = 11[[not out|*]]
| deliveries1 = 114
| wickets1 = 1
| bowl avg1 = 39.00
| fivefor1 = –
| tenfor1 = –
| best bowling1 = 1/39
| catches/stumpings1= 3/–
| column2 = [[First-class cricket|First-class]]
| matches2 = 78
| runs2 = 2,916
| bat avg2 = 24.92
| 100s/50s2 = 1/17
| top score2 = 101[[not out|*]]
| deliveries2 = 11,242
| wickets2 = 194
| bowl avg2 = 24.20
| fivefor2 = 9
| tenfor2 = 3
| best bowling2 = 7/57
| catches/stumpings2= 49/–
| country = India
| international = true
| internationalspan = 1934

| testdebutagainst = England
| testdebutdate = 5 January
| testdebutyear = 1934
| onetest = true

| source = http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/28850.html ESPN Cricinfo
| date = 20 May
| year = 2020
}}

'''Morappakam Josyam Gopalan''' {{audio|M._J_.Gopalan.ogg|pronunciation}} (6 June 1909, [[Chennai|Madras]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]] – 21 December 2003, [[Chennai]]) was an Indian sportsman who represented India in [[cricket]]<ref name="Bio">{{Cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/28850.html |title=M.J.Gopalan|access-date=20 May 2020 |work=ESPN Cricinfo}}</ref> and [[field hockey|hockey]].

Gopalan hailed from the village of Morappakam in [[Chingleput]] district, some 50 kilometres from Chennai. His family moved to [[Triplicane]] in Chennai when he was young. Gopalan was discovered by [[C. P. Johnstone]], one of the founding fathers of Madras cricket. As was his practice with promising players, Johnstone gave him a job in the [[Burmah Shell]]. Gopalan soon switched his allegiance to the Triplicane Cricket Club. He owed his fame in local circles mainly to his performances here.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}

He was a fast medium bowler who moved the ball both ways. When he was selected to make his first class debut in the [[Madras Presidency Matches|Madras Presidency tournament]], it was not a popular decision. The crowd barracked him when he did not take a wicket till lunch on the first day, but he went on to take five wickets in each innings. He also impressed against [[Arthur Gilligan]]'s [[Marylebone Cricket Club|MCC]] team which was touring India at the time.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}

Another performance of some significance were the two matches in 1930 for Madras against the [[Vizzy|Vizianagram XI]] which included [[Jack Hobbs]]. In the first, Gopalan dismissed Hobbs in both innings; in the second he clean bowled the great man with a leg-cutter that pitched on the leg stump and took the off bail. Against [[Ceylon cricket team|Ceylon]] in 1933, he took a famous hattrick, the first in [[M. A. Chidambaram Stadium|Chepauk]]. This came in his eighth over when he took wickets with his first, third, fourth and fifth balls, hitting the middle stump each time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/14/14532.html |title=Madras vs. Ceylon|access-date=20 May 2020 |work=Cricket Archive}}</ref>

When [[Ranji Trophy]] was inaugurated in 1934, Madras and Mysore (now [[Tamil Nadu cricket team|Tamil Nadu]] and [[Karnataka cricket team|Karnataka]]) played the first match. To Gopalan went the honour of delivering the first ball of the tournament. His [[English cricket team in India in 1933–34|only Test match]] was against [[English cricket team|England]] at [[Eden Gardens|Calcutta]] in early 1934.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}

Gopalan's hockey career was helped by Robert Summerhayes who was to hockey in Madras what Johnstone was to cricket. In 1935, he toured [[New Zealand]] with the Indian [[field hockey|hockey]] team which enjoyed enormous success. The next year he was selected for the [[Indian cricket team in England in 1936|cricket team to tour England]]. It was known beforehand that Gopalan would have a small role to play in the England tour because of the presence of [[Mohammad Nissar]] and [[Amar Singh (cricketer)|Amar Singh]]. He might have been picked in the hockey team for the [[1936 Summer Olympics|Berlin Olympics]] but chose to skip the Olympic trials. This turned out to be a terrible decision. The hockey team captained by [[Dhyan Chand]], one of the finest teams in the history of the sport, [[Field hockey at the 1936 Summer Olympics|won the gold medal]] with little difficulty. As it turned out, Gopalan did not play a Test in England. The tour was marred by internal politics and the team returned in disgrace.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}

Gopalan's batting improved with time. Johnstone wrote later that it featured a "stance at the wicket with his left toe cocked up in the air. Since it was the stance adopted by England's most famous cricketer, [[W.G. Grace]], he could hardly be faulted on this account. He was then about a No.10 batsman, but by steady application he showed what improvement a bowler who really tries can make in batting and later on played many fine innings".<ref>"Johnstone looks back", Indian Express, March 21, 1965</ref><ref>S Muthiah, ''The Spirit of Chepauk'', East West Books (1998), {{ISBN|81-86852-13-1}}</ref> The most celebrated of these 'many fine innings' was a 64 against the [[West Indies cricket team|West Indians]] in 1949 which featured some thrilling driving.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/18/18769.html |title=South Zone v West Indians|access-date=20 May 2020 |work=Cricket Archive}}</ref>

In 1952, a silver jubilee fund was started to celebrate Gopalan's 25 years in cricket and hockey. An annual cricket match was instituted between Madras and Ceylon (later [[Tamil Nadu cricket team|Tamil Nadu]] and [[Sri Lankan cricket team|Sri Lanka]]) for the [[M. J. Gopalan Trophy]]. This yearly tournament continued with a few interruptions till Sri Lanka got Test status in the early 1980s. It was revived in 2000 as a match between Tamil Nadu and a Colombo District Cricket Association. This also lapsed after two years. He served as a national selector for a few years in the 1950s.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}

Gopalan was the oldest living Test cricketer at the time of his death. According to him, he was born in 1906 but the year of his birth was recorded wrongly in the school records.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ramchand|first=Partab|url=http://content.cricinfo.com/india/content/story/102836.html |title=Is MJ Gopalan the oldest living Test cricketer?|access-date=20 May 2020 |work=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref>

One of the entrances to the [[M. A. Chidambaram Stadium]] is named after Gopalan.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://content.cricinfo.com/india/content/player/28850.html M.J.Gopalan] at [[ESPNCricinfo]]
*[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/631/631.html M.J.Gopalan] at CricketArchive
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120717071629/http://www.sportstaronnet.com/tss2701/stories/20040103003406900.htm Sportstar obituary]

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110709024105/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/01/03/stories/2002010301180800.htm News report announcing the institution of Gopalan Trophy]

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Sports}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef |before=[[Lindsay Weir (cricketer)|Lindsay Weir]]}}
{{s-ttl |title=[[Test Cricket|Oldest Living Test Cricketer]] |years=31 October 2003 – 21 December 2003}}
{{s-aft |after=[[Don Cleverley]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gopalan, Morappakam}}
[[Category:Indian cricketers]]
[[Category:India Test cricketers]]
[[Category:Tamil Nadu cricketers]]
[[Category:Hindus cricketers]]
[[Category:South Zone cricketers]]
[[Category:Tamil sportspeople]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:1909 births]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports]]

M. J. Gopalan - Revision history

>Monkbot at 19:39, 19 January 2021