The Indian soil has produced a number of match-winners for many years. From Col. CK Nayudu to Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket has consistently flourished under great leaders. While Indian cricket has achieved new heights, there are a lot of interesting stories related to it.
Here are some of them.
First player born in India
A number of people think that Maharaja Ranjitsingh ji was the first Indian-born cricketer to play Test cricket. Ranjitsingh did play for England but he wasn’t the first cricketer to be born in India.
It was Australia’s Bransby Cooper who was born in Dhaka (Dacca then) in 1844. Cooper played for Australia in the first-ever Test match against England which was also his last. He scored 15 and 3 during the course. Dacca was a part of India before independence which later went to East Pakistan and is now the capital city of Bangladesh.
India vs Pakistan at domestic level
An India-Pakistan encounter is the most ultimate battle on the cricket field. The adrenaline rush it gives to the spectators and the players know no bounds.
But did you know that domestic champions from across the border had played bilateral matches earlier?
The champions of the Ranji Trophy and Quaid-i-Azam trophy locked horns in a tournament called The Mohammad Nissar Trophy. It first took place in 2006-07 when Uttar Pradesh played Sialkot while the second and third edition was played in 2007-08 and 2008-09 respectively.
The second season saw Mumbai and Karachi Urban clashing against each. India’s current Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane made his FC debut in this game and smacked 143. The Ranji trophy in 2007-08 was though lifted by Delhi.
The third edition was played between Delhi and SNGPL. The Delhi side featured players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli. Kohli struck his then best FC score of 197 before scoring a double ton later on.
Note: Mumbai won the 2008–09 Ranji Trophy.
Team with the longest name
The teams are pretty precise when it comes to their names but a team from India holds a very unique record of having a huge name. Maharashtra Small Savings Minister’s and Life Insurance Company’s Chairman’s Combined XI played against Indian Board President’s XI team. The match was held in Poona and was hosted by Club of Maharashtra ground.
