Chennai, April 9 India's oldest living Test cricketer, C.D. Gopinath, died at the age of 96 in Chennai on Thursday, bringing to an end the last personal connection to the nation's first Test-winning team.
Gopinath, who was the second oldest cricketer in the world after Australian legend Neil Harvey (97), is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren.
Following his death, 95-year-old Chandrakant Patankar of Mumbai has become the country's oldest cricketer. He played one Test, against New Zealand in 1955.
In the passing of Gopinath, India has lost not only its oldest living Test cricketer but also the last personal link to a glorious chapter in the country's rich cricketing history.
Four years ago, Gopinath had spoken with enthusiasm about India's first-ever Test triumph, a victory by an innings and eight runs against England at Chepauk in 1952.
"See! That's the benefit of a long life. You can keep adding and rewriting the story. Everyone will give me the benefit of the doubt, but you know, the batsman always has an advantage, doesn't he?" he had quipped.
Even at 92, Gopinath remained a captivating storyteller, recounting amusing anecdotes about his brief eight-Test stint in India whites.
Of course, the most memorable stories were about those four glorious days in erstwhile Madras, now Chennai.
In the statistician's record, Gopinath's numbers will always be modest – eight Tests, yielding 242 runs with one fifty.
But, typical of him, Gopinath never felt bitter about a short career that began promisingly with a 50 and 42 against England at the Brabourne in 1951.
However, a subsequent trip to England in 1952 had its own negative consequences, keeping him out of the team more often than not.
Nevertheless, Gopinath remained a significant figure in domestic cricket, scoring heavily and captaining Madras often.
He amassed 4259 runs from 83 matches at an average of 42. He also scored nine centuries.
A notable moment in his career came when he scored a brilliant, stroke-filled 175 in the second innings while visiting New Zealand for the South Zone.
The Kiwis had some fine players in their ranks, such as Bert Sutcliffe, John Reid, John Alabaster, and Parke Zinzan Harris, father of former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Harris.
Although South lost the match, Gopinath's innings earned him the admiration of the Antipodeans.
"Reid and Sutcliffe later met me in the dressing room, and we had a good chat about the game. The competition lasted only until the last ball of the day, after which we just wanted to get to know each other a little better and have a good time," he had said.
After his playing days, Gopinath served as chief of the national selectors and the manager of the Indian team that toured England in 1979.
The tour is famous for India's daring chase of 438 under the guidance of Sunil Gavaskar's monumental 221. However, India could only manage 429 for eight as the Oval Test ended in a draw.
The match always held a special place in Gopinath's memory, and he would never tire of praising Gavaskar's technical prowess.
However, Gopinath was not a man content with nostalgia. He keenly followed contemporary cricket and developed a fondness for the IPL and the Chennai Super Kings.
"Everything changes with the team, cricket is no exception," Gopinath would say, and he remained a great admirer of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
"I like CSK mainly because of MSD – not because of his cricketing skills, but because of how he plays. He doesn't run around the field jumping ten feet high.
"He doesn't make obscene gestures. It makes me very uncomfortable when I see that," Gopinath said last year during a CSK event.
The words reflected the essence of Gopinath – a keen and competitive cricketer on the field and a thorough gentleman off it.