On This Day - Jawaharlal Nehru's Death Anniversary: Did You Know Nehru Once Played a Cricket Match?

It was a charity cricket match in 1953.

Jawaharlal Nehru is hailed as the "architect of Modern India", and is recognized as one of the greatest leaders ever lived in the country. He became the first Prime Minister of India upon India's independence in 1947, serving for 16 years. As we all know today, he led India to grow enormously in several sectors such as the military, science and technology, education, and more.

 

Nehru breathed his last on this very date in 1964. So, to mark his death anniversary, we will share an interesting fact about him that you did not know.

When Jawaharlal Nehru Played a Cricket Match in 1953

In 1953, a charity match was played in New Delhi between the members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Nehru was the captain of Lok Sabha and received lots of acclaim for his performance on the field.

(Notably, this was about 11 months after he was chosen as the Prime Minister of India).

The Rajya Sabha team batted first, scoring 222/3.

The match was a draw as Nehru declared the second innings at 169/3.

In a clip available on the internet, the commentary at a point goes, "Although he is holding the willow for the first time in 40 years, Nehru plays like a seasoned player. Partnering Nehru is a senior opposition member, Gopal."

Some Other Interesting Facts About Jawaharlal Nehru

Nehru penned several books such as 'The Discovery of India', 'Letters from a Father to His Daughter', 'Glimpses of World History', 'An Autobiography', etc.

The Congress emerged as a catch-all party under Nehru's leadership.

He was a patron of many sportspersons in India. Also, he encouraged the country's youth to take sports more seriously.