A cricketer stopping time. Forcing people to skip work to watch him bat. I’m sure the first name that comes to your mind is of Sachin Tendulkar. And rightly so. He indeed captured the imagination of the nation in ways few batters have. But this story is not about him.
1926, Bombay. On a December winter morning, C.K. Nayudu produced a batting spectacle against the MCC (British). He scored 153 in less than two hours. The innings included 11 sixes and 14 fours.
The carnage couldn’t be contained. Word spread like wildfire across Bombay. The Bombay High Court that sits adjacent to the Bombay Gymkhana where Nayudu was batting was buzzing with excitement. In one of the court rooms, the judge asked what the noise was about. To which, a famous jurist M.C. Chagla replied “My Lord, CK is batting, and I appeal to you to postpone the hearing”.
The Judge agreed and proceeded to the Bombay Gymkhana ground to watch Nayudu bat. Nayudu’ s batsmanship and charisma was such that even the Bombay High Court stopped functioning for a few hours. Just to see him bat.
The innings is also credited for giving boost to India attaining Test Status.
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