The craze for cricket in India is probably unmatched compared to any other sport in a particular country as the players here get demi-god status through the sport. Knowing the stats and facts of their sports stars is a normal act for the Indian fans and they know almost everything about the players whom they worship.

However, there are a lot of untold stories in the history of Indian cricket beginning from 1892 when India stood host for a first-class match for the first time ever.

Here we look at five things related to Indian cricket which are not familiar ones:

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-409681" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Bransby-Cooper-picture.jpg" alt="Bransby Cooper" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409681" class="wp-caption-text">Bransby Cooper. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

India made their Test debut during the 1932 Lord’s Test match against England which was 57 years after the first-ever Test match played  in this format. However, the first Test cricketer born in India wasn’t part of this match as a couple of them already made their Test debut representing other countries. The common answer to the query for the first-ever Indian born to play Test cricket is Ranjitsinhji which actually is incorrect.

The first-ever Test cricketer born in India appeared in Test cricket’s debut match only. It was Bransby Cooper who was Australia’s Test cap No.3 against England in the inaugural Test match hosted by Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game began on March 15 which marked to be the 33rd birthday of Cooper. He recorded scores of 15 and 3 during that game which turned out to be his last Test appearance as well.

Bransby was born in Dacca, now Dhaka, which was part of India when he was born in 1844. After the Independence, the Dhaka city moved to East Pakistan which hosted few home Tests of Pakistan and is now the capital of Bangladesh. Bransby Cooper’s family moved to England during his childhood where he represented various counties such as Middlesex and Victoria. Bransby then moved to the USA and eventually Australia in 1969 where he began to represent Victoria.

4. Domestic teams going across the borders

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-409685" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mohammad-Nissar-Trophy.jpg" alt="Mohammad Nissar Trophy" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409685" class="wp-caption-text">Mohammad Nissar Trophy. (Photo by Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)</figcaption>

The UEFA Champions League&#8217;s concept of top teams from each league clashing off came into Cricket in late 2000s after the beginning of the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, a tournament named The Mohammad Nissar Trophy was in existence featuring Ranji and Quaid-i-Azam champions. The first edition was held at the start of 2006-07 season with the previous season’s winners Uttar Pradesh and Sialkot clashing off.

The next tournament in 2007-08 season was played between Mumbai and Karachi Urban. The game witnessed India’s current Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane making his first-class debut and smashing 143 as an opener. The 2008-09 edition was a blockbuster one as 2007-08 Ranji winners Delhi fielded with Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/these-are-testing-times-virat-kohli-anushka-sharma-urge-everyone-to-stay-home-during-the-21-day-lockdown/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Virat Kohli</a> and other prominent players. Pakistan team SNGPL was led by Mohammad Hafeez and were blessed by the presence of Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal.

Kohli scored 197 in the 2nd innings which stood as his best FC score till maiden Test 200 in 2016. Despite Virat’s efforts SNGPL won the game and became the first Pakistan team to win the Nissar Trophy. The decline in the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan saw no future for this tournament. A tradition of the one-off annual first-class match was maintained by Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu as early as 1952-53 itself.

The domestic team Madras (Now Tamil Nadu) clashed with Ceylon (Former name of Sri Lanka) in the game named MJ Gopalan Trophy, the one who played cricket and hockey. The tournament went missing after Sri Lanka attained Test status but revived at the start of 2000s. The Trophy was played for 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons; both ending in a draw. The MJ Gopalan Trophy returned in 2007-08 which was won by Sri Lanka Cricket XI; the last-ever edition of the tournament.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-409686" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ranji-Trophy-Golden-Jubilee-Series.jpg" alt="Ranji Trophy Golden Jubilee Series" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409686" class="wp-caption-text">Ranji Trophy Golden Jubilee Series. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

In the early decades of ODI cricket, the series and tournaments used to carry interesting names. Some of them used to have series titles named by sponsors while few others by occasions and existing situations. In 1984, Australia toured India to be part of a 5-match ODI series which was named as Ranji Trophy Golden Jubilee Series. The series was titled as part of celebrations of 50th anniversary of the Ranji Trophy. The 1983-84 season turned out to be the 50th edition of Ranji Trophy which was won by Bombay.

Captaincy of the Indian team was handed over to <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/wont-be-easy-for-india-in-next-australia-tour-sunil-gavaskar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sunil Gavaskar</a> from Kapil Dev. Gavaskar, who usually opened the innings, batted in the middle-order during all the five ODIs which had unusual happenings. The first match of the series was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi which marked as the first day-night ODI match on Indian soil. Australia won the match by 48 runs and their lead of 1-0 was retained until 4th ODI as the following two matches of the series ended without a result.

The 2nd ODI hosted by Trivandrum had 44.4 overs of play before being called off. The 3rd ODI held in Jamshedpur began three hours late as the kits of players arrived late. The game was called off due to rain as only 5.1 overs were possible during the 24 overs per side match. The 4th and 5th matches of the series hosted by Ahmedabad and Indore were won by the Australians while chasing a target. Both the matches had delayed start and overs had to be deducted before the play began.

A couple of days after the ODI series, the Australians toured Bombay to face the home team and the defending Ranji champions in a 50-over match at the Wankhede Stadium. The match held List A status and just like the ODI series, this game was reduced to 47 overs-a-side before the play began. The Bombay team, also led by Gavaskar, couldn’t defend their moderate total of 190. A replica of Ranji Trophy was handed over to Australian skipper Kim Hughes for winning the match.

2. Greatest opening pair on the Indian soil

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-409689" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sir-Jack-Hobbs-and-Herbert-Sutcliffe.jpg" alt="Sir Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409689" class="wp-caption-text">Sir Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe . (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)</figcaption>

Sir Jack Hobbs is the most prolific batsman in the history of first-class cricket as he scored 61760 runs across 834 matches at a solid average of 50.70. No other player even scored 60000 runs in this format. Hobbs crossed the 50-run mark in 472 innings during his 29-year career which includes 199 hundreds; by far most for any player. Hobbs featured in 61 matches during his Test career that concluded in 1930.

One of the highlights of his career was pairing with Herbert Sutcliffe who is also a legend of first-class cricket. Sutcliffe smashed 50670 runs with the help of 381 fifty-plus scores including 151 centuries; all the three stand among the top six in FC history. The Hobbs-Sutcliffe pair batted together in 39 innings aggregating 3339 partnership runs at an average of 87.86 with 15 century partnerships and another 11 fifty stands.

As an opening pair alone, the duo put on 3249 runs from 38 partnerships (15 100+ &amp; 10 50+) at an average 87.81. Their impeccable records make them the best-ever opening pair in the history of Test cricket. With Hobbs’ Test career coming to an end in 1930, the Indian fans didn’t get a chance to watch the duo opening the batting together. Even Sutcliffe played only one Test against India which was also at home.

However, the duo toured India only once which was during the 1930-31 season when they played first-class matches across India and Sri Lanka. Hobbs-Sutcliffe pair opened the batting for Maharaj Kumar of Vizianagram&#8217;s XI during this tour. They were part of this tour after Maharaj Kumar of Vizianagram commonly known as Vizzy, employed the duo to represent a team named after him. Their tour came to an end in Hyderabad’s prestigious Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup Tournament which was won by them only.

1. Longest name of a team in first-class cricket

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-409690" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ajit-Wadekar.jpg" alt="Ajit Wadekar" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409690" class="wp-caption-text">Ajit Wadekar. (Photo by S&amp;G/PA Images via Getty Images)</figcaption>

A team from India holds the record for the longest name in the history of first-class cricket – Maharashtra Small Savings Minister&#8217;s and Life Insurance Company&#8217;s Chairman&#8217;s Combined XI. This team from Maharashtra featured in the Defence Fund Match during the 1965-66 season. They faced Indian Board President’s XI team in the match hosted by the Club of Maharashtra ground in Poona. They were led by Vijay Manjrekar and had the likes of BS Chandrasekhar and S Venkataraghavan in their side.

The lengthy named team from Maharashtra played under the captaincy of Bapu Nadkarni and were a superior team on the paper. They were blessed with the presence of <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/9-facts-about-former-indian-captain-ajit-wadekar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ajit Wadekar</a>, ML Jaisimha, EAS Prasanna and other prominent names. It helped them to gain a 47-run first-innings lead even though they were bowled out for only 220 on the first day. The home team declared their 2nd innings at 243/9 on the final morning to set a target of 291.

The Indian BP’s XI fought hard in the chase as the No.3 batsman Abbas Ali Baig smashed 147 but were bowled out for 255 and lost the game by 45 runs. The match stands in FC history as Sadanand Mohol became the first player to claim four wickets in four successive deliveries for the Board President’s XI. The pacer from Maharashtra achieved this feat on the very first day by dismissing Ajit Wadekar, Sudhakar Adhikari, Madhukar Gupte and ML Jaisimha.

The craze for cricket in India is probably unmatched compared to any other sport in a particular country as the players here get demi-god status through the sport. Knowing the stats and facts of their sports stars is a normal act for the Indian fans and they know almost everything about the players whom they worship.
However, there are a lot of untold stories in the history of Indian cricket beginning from 1892 when India stood host for a first-class match for the first time ever.
<h3>Here we look at five things related to Indian cricket which are not familiar ones:</h3>
<h3>5. The first-ever Indian born cricketer</h3>
<figure id="attachment_409681" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409681" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-409681" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Bransby-Cooper-picture.jpg" alt="Bransby Cooper" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409681" class="wp-caption-text">Bransby Cooper. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
India made their Test debut during the 1932 Lord’s Test match against England which was 57 years after the first-ever Test match played&nbsp; in this format. However, the first Test cricketer born in India wasn’t part of this match as a couple of them already made their Test debut representing other countries. The common answer to the query for the first-ever Indian born to play Test cricket is Ranjitsinhji which actually is incorrect.
The first-ever Test cricketer born in India appeared in Test cricket’s debut match only. It was Bransby Cooper who was Australia’s Test cap No.3 against England in the inaugural Test match hosted by Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game began on March 15 which marked to be the 33rd birthday of Cooper. He recorded scores of 15 and 3 during that game which turned out to be his last Test appearance as well.
Bransby was born in Dacca, now Dhaka, which was part of India when he was born in 1844. After the Independence, the Dhaka city moved to East Pakistan which hosted few home Tests of Pakistan and is now the capital of Bangladesh. Bransby Cooper’s family moved to England during his childhood where he represented various counties such as Middlesex and Victoria. Bransby then moved to the USA and eventually Australia in 1969 where he began to represent Victoria.

<h3>4. Domestic teams going across the borders</h3>
<figure id="attachment_409685" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409685" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-409685" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mohammad-Nissar-Trophy.jpg" alt="Mohammad Nissar Trophy" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409685" class="wp-caption-text">Mohammad Nissar Trophy. (Photo by Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The UEFA Champions League’s concept of top teams from each league clashing off came into Cricket in late 2000s after the beginning of the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, a tournament named The Mohammad Nissar Trophy was in existence featuring Ranji and Quaid-i-Azam champions. The first edition was held at the start of 2006-07 season with the previous season’s winners Uttar Pradesh and Sialkot clashing off.
The next tournament in 2007-08 season was played between Mumbai and Karachi Urban. The game witnessed India’s current Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane making his first-class debut and smashing 143 as an opener. The 2008-09 edition was a blockbuster one as 2007-08 Ranji winners Delhi fielded with Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/these-are-testing-times-virat-kohli-anushka-sharma-urge-everyone-to-stay-home-during-the-21-day-lockdown/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Virat Kohli</a> and other prominent players. Pakistan team SNGPL was led by Mohammad Hafeez and were blessed by the presence of Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal.
Kohli scored 197 in the 2nd innings which stood as his best FC score till maiden Test 200 in 2016. Despite Virat’s efforts SNGPL won the game and became the first Pakistan team to win the Nissar Trophy. The decline in the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan saw no future for this tournament. A tradition of the one-off annual first-class match was maintained by Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu as early as 1952-53 itself.
The domestic team Madras (Now Tamil Nadu) clashed with Ceylon (Former name of Sri Lanka) in the game named MJ Gopalan Trophy, the one who played cricket and hockey. The tournament went missing after Sri Lanka attained Test status but revived at the start of 2000s. The Trophy was played for 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons; both ending in a draw. The MJ Gopalan Trophy returned in 2007-08 which was won by Sri Lanka Cricket XI; the last-ever edition of the tournament.

<h3>3. Ranji Trophy Golden Jubilee Series</h3>
<figure id="attachment_409686" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409686" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-409686" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ranji-Trophy-Golden-Jubilee-Series.jpg" alt="Ranji Trophy Golden Jubilee Series" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409686" class="wp-caption-text">Ranji Trophy Golden Jubilee Series. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
In the early decades of ODI cricket, the series and tournaments used to carry interesting names. Some of them used to have series titles named by sponsors while few others by occasions and existing situations. In 1984, Australia toured India to be part of a 5-match ODI series which was named as Ranji Trophy Golden Jubilee Series. The series was titled as part of celebrations of 50th anniversary of the Ranji Trophy. The 1983-84 season turned out to be the 50th edition of Ranji Trophy which was won by Bombay.
Captaincy of the Indian team was handed over to <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/wont-be-easy-for-india-in-next-australia-tour-sunil-gavaskar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sunil Gavaskar</a> from Kapil Dev. Gavaskar, who usually opened the innings, batted in the middle-order during all the five ODIs which had unusual happenings. The first match of the series was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi which marked as the first day-night ODI match on Indian soil. Australia won the match by 48 runs and their lead of 1-0 was retained until 4th ODI as the following two matches of the series ended without a result.
The 2nd ODI hosted by Trivandrum had 44.4 overs of play before being called off. The 3rd ODI held in Jamshedpur began three hours late as the kits of players arrived late. The game was called off due to rain as only 5.1 overs were possible during the 24 overs per side match. The 4th and 5th matches of the series hosted by Ahmedabad and Indore were won by the Australians while chasing a target. Both the matches had delayed start and overs had to be deducted before the play began.
A couple of days after the ODI series, the Australians toured Bombay to face the home team and the defending Ranji champions in a 50-over match at the Wankhede Stadium. The match held List A status and just like the ODI series, this game was reduced to 47 overs-a-side before the play began. The Bombay team, also led by Gavaskar, couldn’t defend their moderate total of 190. A replica of Ranji Trophy was handed over to Australian skipper Kim Hughes for winning the match.

<h3>2. Greatest opening pair on the Indian soil</h3>
<figure id="attachment_409689" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409689" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-409689" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sir-Jack-Hobbs-and-Herbert-Sutcliffe.jpg" alt="Sir Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409689" class="wp-caption-text">Sir Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe . (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Sir Jack Hobbs is the most prolific batsman in the history of first-class cricket as he scored 61760 runs across 834 matches at a solid average of 50.70. No other player even scored 60000 runs in this format. Hobbs crossed the 50-run mark in 472 innings during his 29-year career which includes 199 hundreds; by far most for any player. Hobbs featured in 61 matches during his Test career that concluded in 1930.
One of the highlights of his career was pairing with Herbert Sutcliffe who is also a legend of first-class cricket. Sutcliffe smashed 50670 runs with the help of 381 fifty-plus scores including 151 centuries; all the three stand among the top six in FC history. The Hobbs-Sutcliffe pair batted together in 39 innings aggregating 3339 partnership runs at an average of 87.86 with 15 century partnerships and another 11 fifty stands.
As an opening pair alone, the duo put on 3249 runs from 38 partnerships (15 100+ &amp; 10 50+) at an average 87.81. Their impeccable records make them the best-ever opening pair in the history of Test cricket. With Hobbs’ Test career coming to an end in 1930, the Indian fans didn’t get a chance to watch the duo opening the batting together. Even Sutcliffe played only one Test against India which was also at home.
However, the duo toured India only once which was during the 1930-31 season when they played first-class matches across India and Sri Lanka. Hobbs-Sutcliffe pair opened the batting for Maharaj Kumar of Vizianagram’s XI during this tour. They were part of this tour after Maharaj Kumar of Vizianagram commonly known as Vizzy, employed the duo to represent a team named after him. Their tour came to an end in Hyderabad’s prestigious Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup Tournament which was won by them only.

<h3>1. Longest name of a team in first-class cricket</h3>
<figure id="attachment_409690" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409690" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-409690" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ajit-Wadekar.jpg" alt="Ajit Wadekar" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409690" class="wp-caption-text">Ajit Wadekar. (Photo by S&amp;G/PA Images via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
A team from India holds the record for the longest name in the history of first-class cricket – Maharashtra Small Savings Minister’s and Life Insurance Company’s Chairman’s Combined XI. This team from Maharashtra featured in the Defence Fund Match during the 1965-66 season. They faced Indian Board President’s XI team in the match hosted by the Club of Maharashtra ground in Poona. They were led by Vijay Manjrekar and had the likes of BS Chandrasekhar and S Venkataraghavan in their side.
The lengthy named team from Maharashtra played under the captaincy of Bapu Nadkarni and were a superior team on the paper. They were blessed with the presence of <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/9-facts-about-former-indian-captain-ajit-wadekar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ajit Wadekar</a>, ML Jaisimha, EAS Prasanna and other prominent names. It helped them to gain a 47-run first-innings lead even though they were bowled out for only 220 on the first day. The home team declared their 2nd innings at 243/9 on the final morning to set a target of 291.
The Indian BP’s XI fought hard in the chase as the No.3 batsman Abbas Ali Baig smashed 147 but were bowled out for 255 and lost the game by 45 runs. The match stands in FC history as Sadanand Mohol became the first player to claim four wickets in four successive deliveries for the Board President’s XI. The pacer from Maharashtra achieved this feat on the very first day by dismissing Ajit Wadekar, Sudhakar Adhikari, Madhukar Gupte and ML Jaisimha.

The craze for cricket in India is probably unmatched compared to any other sport in a particular country as the players here get demi-god status through the sport. Knowing the stats and facts of their sports stars is a normal act for the Indian fans and they know almost everything about the players whom they worship.
However, there are a lot of untold stories in the history of Indian cricket beginning from 1892 when India stood host for a first-class match for the first time ever.
<h3>Here we look at five things related to Indian cricket which are not familiar ones:</h3>
<h3>5. The first-ever Indian born cricketer</h3>
<figure id="attachment_409681" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409681" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-409681" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Bransby-Cooper-picture.jpg" alt="Bransby Cooper" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409681" class="wp-caption-text">Bransby Cooper. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
India made their Test debut during the 1932 Lord’s Test match against England which was 57 years after the first-ever Test match played  in this format. However, the first Test cricketer born in India wasn’t part of this match as a couple of them already made their Test debut representing other countries. The common answer to the query for the first-ever Indian born to play Test cricket is Ranjitsinhji which actually is incorrect.
The first-ever Test cricketer born in India appeared in Test cricket’s debut match only. It was Bransby Cooper who was Australia’s Test cap No.3 against England in the inaugural Test match hosted by Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game began on March 15 which marked to be the 33rd birthday of Cooper. He recorded scores of 15 and 3 during that game which turned out to be his last Test appearance as well.
Bransby was born in Dacca, now Dhaka, which was part of India when he was born in 1844. After the Independence, the Dhaka city moved to East Pakistan which hosted few home Tests of Pakistan and is now the capital of Bangladesh. Bransby Cooper’s family moved to England during his childhood where he represented various counties such as Middlesex and Victoria. Bransby then moved to the USA and eventually Australia in 1969 where he began to represent Victoria.

<h3>4. Domestic teams going across the borders</h3>
<figure id="attachment_409685" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409685" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-409685" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mohammad-Nissar-Trophy.jpg" alt="Mohammad Nissar Trophy" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409685" class="wp-caption-text">Mohammad Nissar Trophy. (Photo by Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The UEFA Champions League&#8217;s concept of top teams from each league clashing off came into Cricket in late 2000s after the beginning of the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, a tournament named The Mohammad Nissar Trophy was in existence featuring Ranji and Quaid-i-Azam champions. The first edition was held at the start of 2006-07 season with the previous season’s winners Uttar Pradesh and Sialkot clashing off.
The next tournament in 2007-08 season was played between Mumbai and Karachi Urban. The game witnessed India’s current Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane making his first-class debut and smashing 143 as an opener. The 2008-09 edition was a blockbuster one as 2007-08 Ranji winners Delhi fielded with Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/these-are-testing-times-virat-kohli-anushka-sharma-urge-everyone-to-stay-home-during-the-21-day-lockdown/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Virat Kohli</a> and other prominent players. Pakistan team SNGPL was led by Mohammad Hafeez and were blessed by the presence of Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal.
Kohli scored 197 in the 2nd innings which stood as his best FC score till maiden Test 200 in 2016. Despite Virat’s efforts SNGPL won the game and became the first Pakistan team to win the Nissar Trophy. The decline in the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan saw no future for this tournament. A tradition of the one-off annual first-class match was maintained by Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu as early as 1952-53 itself.
The domestic team Madras (Now Tamil Nadu) clashed with Ceylon (Former name of Sri Lanka) in the game named MJ Gopalan Trophy, the one who played cricket and hockey. The tournament went missing after Sri Lanka attained Test status but revived at the start of 2000s. The Trophy was played for 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons; both ending in a draw. The MJ Gopalan Trophy returned in 2007-08 which was won by Sri Lanka Cricket XI; the last-ever edition of the tournament.

<h3>3. Ranji Trophy Golden Jubilee Series</h3>
<figure id="attachment_409686" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409686" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-409686" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ranji-Trophy-Golden-Jubilee-Series.jpg" alt="Ranji Trophy Golden Jubilee Series" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409686" class="wp-caption-text">Ranji Trophy Golden Jubilee Series. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
In the early decades of ODI cricket, the series and tournaments used to carry interesting names. Some of them used to have series titles named by sponsors while few others by occasions and existing situations. In 1984, Australia toured India to be part of a 5-match ODI series which was named as Ranji Trophy Golden Jubilee Series. The series was titled as part of celebrations of 50th anniversary of the Ranji Trophy. The 1983-84 season turned out to be the 50th edition of Ranji Trophy which was won by Bombay.
Captaincy of the Indian team was handed over to <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/wont-be-easy-for-india-in-next-australia-tour-sunil-gavaskar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sunil Gavaskar</a> from Kapil Dev. Gavaskar, who usually opened the innings, batted in the middle-order during all the five ODIs which had unusual happenings. The first match of the series was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi which marked as the first day-night ODI match on Indian soil. Australia won the match by 48 runs and their lead of 1-0 was retained until 4th ODI as the following two matches of the series ended without a result.
The 2nd ODI hosted by Trivandrum had 44.4 overs of play before being called off. The 3rd ODI held in Jamshedpur began three hours late as the kits of players arrived late. The game was called off due to rain as only 5.1 overs were possible during the 24 overs per side match. The 4th and 5th matches of the series hosted by Ahmedabad and Indore were won by the Australians while chasing a target. Both the matches had delayed start and overs had to be deducted before the play began.
A couple of days after the ODI series, the Australians toured Bombay to face the home team and the defending Ranji champions in a 50-over match at the Wankhede Stadium. The match held List A status and just like the ODI series, this game was reduced to 47 overs-a-side before the play began. The Bombay team, also led by Gavaskar, couldn’t defend their moderate total of 190. A replica of Ranji Trophy was handed over to Australian skipper Kim Hughes for winning the match.

<h3>2. Greatest opening pair on the Indian soil</h3>
<figure id="attachment_409689" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409689" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-409689" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sir-Jack-Hobbs-and-Herbert-Sutcliffe.jpg" alt="Sir Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409689" class="wp-caption-text">Sir Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe . (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Sir Jack Hobbs is the most prolific batsman in the history of first-class cricket as he scored 61760 runs across 834 matches at a solid average of 50.70. No other player even scored 60000 runs in this format. Hobbs crossed the 50-run mark in 472 innings during his 29-year career which includes 199 hundreds; by far most for any player. Hobbs featured in 61 matches during his Test career that concluded in 1930.
One of the highlights of his career was pairing with Herbert Sutcliffe who is also a legend of first-class cricket. Sutcliffe smashed 50670 runs with the help of 381 fifty-plus scores including 151 centuries; all the three stand among the top six in FC history. The Hobbs-Sutcliffe pair batted together in 39 innings aggregating 3339 partnership runs at an average of 87.86 with 15 century partnerships and another 11 fifty stands.
As an opening pair alone, the duo put on 3249 runs from 38 partnerships (15 100+ &amp; 10 50+) at an average 87.81. Their impeccable records make them the best-ever opening pair in the history of Test cricket. With Hobbs’ Test career coming to an end in 1930, the Indian fans didn’t get a chance to watch the duo opening the batting together. Even Sutcliffe played only one Test against India which was also at home.
However, the duo toured India only once which was during the 1930-31 season when they played first-class matches across India and Sri Lanka. Hobbs-Sutcliffe pair opened the batting for Maharaj Kumar of Vizianagram&#8217;s XI during this tour. They were part of this tour after Maharaj Kumar of Vizianagram commonly known as Vizzy, employed the duo to represent a team named after him. Their tour came to an end in Hyderabad’s prestigious Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup Tournament which was won by them only.

<h3>1. Longest name of a team in first-class cricket</h3>
<figure id="attachment_409690" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409690" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-409690" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ajit-Wadekar.jpg" alt="Ajit Wadekar" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409690" class="wp-caption-text">Ajit Wadekar. (Photo by S&amp;G/PA Images via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
A team from India holds the record for the longest name in the history of first-class cricket – Maharashtra Small Savings Minister&#8217;s and Life Insurance Company&#8217;s Chairman&#8217;s Combined XI. This team from Maharashtra featured in the Defence Fund Match during the 1965-66 season. They faced Indian Board President’s XI team in the match hosted by the Club of Maharashtra ground in Poona. They were led by Vijay Manjrekar and had the likes of BS Chandrasekhar and S Venkataraghavan in their side.
The lengthy named team from Maharashtra played under the captaincy of Bapu Nadkarni and were a superior team on the paper. They were blessed with the presence of <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/9-facts-about-former-indian-captain-ajit-wadekar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ajit Wadekar</a>, ML Jaisimha, EAS Prasanna and other prominent names. It helped them to gain a 47-run first-innings lead even though they were bowled out for only 220 on the first day. The home team declared their 2nd innings at 243/9 on the final morning to set a target of 291.
The Indian BP’s XI fought hard in the chase as the No.3 batsman Abbas Ali Baig smashed 147 but were bowled out for 255 and lost the game by 45 runs. The match stands in FC history as Sadanand Mohol became the first player to claim four wickets in four successive deliveries for the Board President’s XI. The pacer from Maharashtra achieved this feat on the very first day by dismissing Ajit Wadekar, Sudhakar Adhikari, Madhukar Gupte and ML Jaisimha.

Here we look at five things related to Indian cricket which are not familiar ones.

5 Things about Indian cricket which people didn't know

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