Full Name: Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu Born: October 31, 1895, Nagpur, Maharashtra Died: November 14, 1967, Indore, Madhya Pradesh Major teams: India, Andhra, Central India, Central Provinces and Berar, Hindus, Holkar, Hyderabad, United Province Batting style: Right-hand bat

Achievements:India's first Test captain; first cricketer to be honoured with the Padma Bhushan; Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1933

Colonel Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu, fondly known as CK, captained India in their first Test against England in 1932. Despite being up against a full-strength English side, Nayudu marshaled his resources superbly to help India put up a fighting performance.

During the tour, Nayudu took part in all 26 of the first-class matches, scoring 1,618 runs at an average of 40.45 in the first-class matches and taking 65 wickets. The next year, Wisden honored Naidu as the Cricketer of the Year.

Over six feet tall and of athletic build, Nayudu was known to plunder opposition attacks with his robust hitting. In 1926-27 at Bombay, he gained prominence by hitting 153 (including eleven 6's and thirteen 4's) out of 187 in just over a hundred minutes for Hindus against A. E. R. Gilligan's M.C.C. team. He also holds the record for the most sixes in an English summer by a visiting batsman when he sent the ball soaring over the ropes an amazing 32 times in 1932.

Despite his very short international career (only seven Tests) he became a sort of a cult figure in Indian cricket and a grateful nation honored him with the Padma Bhushan in 1956, the third highest civilian award of India.