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M.J. Gopalan

M. J. Gopalan
Personal information
Born (1909-06-06)June 6, 1909
Morapakkam, Madras presidency, British India
Died December 21, 2003(2003-12-21) (aged 94)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Batting Right-hand bat (RHB)
Bowling Right-arm fast medium
International information
National side
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class
Matches 1 78
Runs scored 18 2,916
Batting average 18.00 24.92
100s/50s 0/0 1/17
Top score 11* 101*
Balls bowled 114 11,242
Wickets 1 194
Bowling average 39.00 24.20
5 wickets in innings 9
10 wickets in match 3
Best bowling 1/39 7/57
Catches/stumpings 3/– 49/–
Source: ESPN Cricinfo

Morappakam Josyam Gopalan About this sound pronunciation  (6 June 1909, Morappakam, Tamil Nadu, India – 21 December 2003, Chennai) was a sportsman who represented India in cricket and hockey.

Gopalan hailed from the village of Morappakam in Chingleput district, some 50 kilometeres from Chennai. His family moved to Triplicane in Chennai when he was young. Gopalan was discovered by C. P. Johnstone, one of the founding fathers of Madras cricket. As was his practice with promising players, Johnstone gave him a job in the Burmah Shell. Gopalan soon switched his allegiance to the Triplicane Cricket Club. He owed his fame in local circles mainly to his performances here.

He was a fast medium bowler who moved the ball both ways. When he was selected to make his first class debut in the Madras Presidency tournament, it was not a popular decision. The crowd barracked him when he did not take a wicket till lunch on the first day, but he went on to take five wickets in each innings. He also impressed against Arthur Gilligan's MCC team which was touring India at the time.

Another performance of some significance were the two matches in 1930 for Madras against the Vizianagram XI which included Jack Hobbs. In the first, Gopalan dismissed Hobbs in both innings; in the second he clean bowled the great man with a leg-cutter that pitched on the leg stump and took the off bail. Against Ceylon in 1933, he took a famous hattrick, the first in Chepauk. This came in his eighth over when he took wickets with his first, third, fourth and fifth balls, hitting the middle stump each time.


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Wikipedia

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