Independent India’s first Test captain, Lala Amarnath was born on this day in 1911. Born as Nainik Amarnath Bhardwaj on September 11, 1911, in the Kapurthala state of Punjab, he was fondly called Lala Amarnath. He was a colourful figure in Indian cricket and a great legend of the game. On this day, the cricket fraternity celebrates the 120th birth anniversary of Lala Amarnath who passed away at the age of 88 on August 5, 2000. As we celebrate the 120th birth anniversary of one of India’s cricket greats and country’s first Test captain, take a look at some interesting facts about him. IPL Anthems' List: From ‘Aayenge Hum Wapis’ to 'Yeh Hai Dhartipar Karma Yug’, Here's a Look at Theme Songs Ahead of Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings (Watch Videos).

Amarnath was born in the Kapurthala state of Punjab and was raised in Lahore by Azmat Rana and Shafqat Rana family. He made his India debut on December 15, 1933, against England in Bombay and scored a century on his debut Test. Apart from his classy batting, Lala Amarnath was also a handy bowler and could keep wickets as well. He represented the India national cricket team in 24 Test matches with his peak years lost to the World War 1. KS Ranjitsinhji 148th Birth Anniversary Special: Quick Facts About India’s First International Cricketer.

  • Lala Amarnath was born as Nainik Amarnath Bhardwaj on September 11, 1911 in the Kapurthala state of Punjab

  • He was the first cricketer to score a Test century on his India debut

  • Lala Amarnath was independent India’s first Test captain and he led the country to their first Test tour in Australia in 1947-48

  • He was also the first Indian batsman to score a Test hundred and he scored it against England in 1933 in the second innings of his debut Test

  • Amarnath guided India to its first-ever Test series win. The series win was against Pakistan in 1952 and India won 2-1

  • Lala Amarnath is the only bowler to dismiss Sir Donald Bradman hit wicket in Test cricket

  • He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1991 for his services to cricket

  • Lala Amarnath's two sons Mohinder Amarnath and Surinder Amarnath played Test cricket for India. His third Son, Rajinder Amarnath, played Ranji Trophy while his grandson Digvijay plays domestic cricket

His only Test century came in his debut Test when he scored 118 runs with the help of 21 boundaries. It was also the first time an Indian batsman had reached three figures in Test cricket. Lala Amarnath went on to score four more half-centuries in his 24-Test career.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 11, 2020 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).