Former India Test cricketer C. D. Gopinath, the last surviving member of India’s first-ever Test victory, has passed away in Chennai at the age of 96.
Born on 1 March 1930 in Chennai, Gopinath was regarded as a stylish batter with a wide range of strokes. He enjoyed a distinguished first-class career, playing 83 matches and scoring 4,259 runs at an average of 42.16, including nine centuries and 23 fifties. His highest score was 234.
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association paid tribute following his passing, describing him as a pioneer whose legacy would remain “etched in the game’s rich history”.
Gopinath made his Test debut against England at Brabourne Stadium in 1951, scoring an unbeaten 50 batting at number eight — his highest Test score — and adding 42 in the second innings as the match ended in a draw.
Later in that series, he was part of the Indian side that secured the nation’s first Test victory, defeating England by an innings and eight runs in Chennai — a landmark moment in Indian cricket history. Gopinath contributed 35 runs in that match.
He went on to play eight Test matches between 1951 and 1960, scoring 242 runs at an average of 22, including one half-century. His final appearance came against Australia at Eden Gardens in 1960.
At the time of his death, Gopinath was India’s oldest living Test cricketer and the second oldest in the world, behind Australia’s Neil Harvey.
Following his passing, Chandrakant Patankar, aged 95, becomes India’s oldest surviving Test cricketer.
