India’s oldest living Test cricketer, CD Gopinath, died at the age of 96 on Thursday, ending the last personal link to the country’s first Test-winning team.
Gopinath, who was the second oldest cricketer in the world after Australian Neil Harvey (97), is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.
Following his passing, 95-year-old Chandrakant Patankar, who played a single Test against New Zealand in 1955, has become India’s oldest living cricketer.
Gopinath was the last connection to India’s first Test win, an innings and eight-run triumph over England at Chepauk in 1952. Four years ago, he recounted the day with a sparkle in his eye. "See! That's the benefit of a long life. You can keep adding and rewriting the story. Everyone will give me the age's benefit, but you know, the benefit of doubt always goes to the batsman, doesn't it?"
Even at 92, he remained a storyteller, sharing tales from his brief eight-Test career. The brightest moments were always about those four days in Madras, now Chennai.
In Tests, Gopinath scored 242 runs with one fifty in eight matches. His career began with a promising 50 and 42 against England at the Brabourne in 1951, but a modest tour to England in 1952 limited his appearances.
He remained a strong presence in domestic cricket, scoring heavily and captaining Madras frequently. He finished with 4,259 runs from 83 first-class matches at an average of 42, including nine centuries.
A notable innings came during a South Zone tour of New Zealand, where he scored 175.
The performance earned him respect from Bert Sutcliffe, John Reid, John Alabaster, and Parke Zinzan Harris, father of former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Harris.
"Reid and Sutcliffe later met me in the dressing room and we had a good chat about the game then. The competition lasted only till the last ball of the day, after that we just wanted to get to know each other a little bit better and share some good time," Gopinath said.
After retiring, Gopinath served as chief of selectors and managed the Indian team on the 1979 England tour, remembered for India’s chase of 438 under Sunil Gavaskar’s 221.
The Oval Test ended in a draw, but it remained special for Gopinath, who often praised Gavaskar’s technique. He followed modern cricket closely, particularly the IPL and Chennai Super Kings.
"Everything changes with the team, cricket is not exception," he said. "I pick CSK mainly because of MSD -- not because of his cricketing brain but because of how he plays. He does not go strutting around the field jumping 10 feet high. He does not make obscene gestures. It makes me very uncomfortable when I see some of that."
