Madras Day: 7 famous cricketers from the "Gateway of South India"
Madras, officially renamed as Chennai in 1996, is one of the oldest cities in India. The city is said to be found on 22 August 1639 when it was purchased (Madraspatnam or Chennapatnam village) by the East India Company from Vijayanagar Empire.
Based on a journalist's idea, since 2004, Madras Day is widely celebrated across different parts of the city through exhibitions, films, etc. The Indian cricket has always been closely associated with this city because of its fond memories from the past.
Named after the former president of BCCI, M.A. Chidambaram stadium is one of the oldest and iconic arenas in India. Located in Chepauk, it is the home ground for Tamil Nadu cricket team and Chennai Super Kings.
The Indian team registered their first ever Test victory in 1952 in a match against England at this ground. Sunil Gavaskar broke the record of most centuries in Test cricket (29 by Don Bradman) in 1983 at this venue. Virender Sehwag's Fastest Triple century (319) came against South Africa in Chennai. Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored his only double hundred (1st by an Indian wicket-keeper) in Test cricket against Australia in Chepauk.
Chennai spectators are widely regarded by many international teams as "sensible crowd" due to their appreciable nature. In 1999, Pakistan team got a standing ovation from the crowd after their hard-fought win against India. As a mark of appreciation, the Pakistani team made a lap of honour for spectator's sporting behaviour.
Some eminent international cricketers have originated from this beautiful city. So let's have a look at the pride of Chennai:
#6: Murali Karthik
The left-arm spinner is a domestic veteran who represented the Indian team in 8 Tests and 37 ODIs. Though his international appearance was irregular, Murali Karthik was a vital part of many domestic teams in first-class cricket.
Murali Karthik is one the few Indian cricketers to have played County Championship. In 203 first-class matches, he scalped 644 wickets with 36 fifers. He also scored 4423 runs which included 21 fifties.
#5: Sadagoppan Ramesh
The classy left-handed batsman was considered as one of the gifted cricketers with immense talent.
Though Ramesh had a rollicking start to his career, he failed to capitalize on his talent and consequently lost his place in the Indian side. In his international tenure, Ramesh played 19 Tests and 24 ODIs for India. He scored two Test centuries.
Ramesh, with his part-time off-break bowling, became the first Indian cricketer to take a wicket off his first ball in ODI cricket.