Category: Cricket News

Gopalaswamy Iyenger Kasturirangan (born 12 October 1930, Madras, India) is a former cricketer who played first-class cricket in India from 1948 to 1963.

Kasturirangan was an opening bowler who bowled “sharp inswingers … off the wrong foot”.He played cricket for the Mysore University team in the Rohinton Baria Trophy from 1947-48 to 1950-51, taking three wickets in the final in his last season, when Mysore University won.

He made his first-class debut in 1948-49 for Mysore in the Ranji Trophy. In 1951-52 Ranji Trophy matches he took 12 wickets at an average of 10.33. He was selected to tour the West Indies with India in 1952-53 but declined the invitation and was replaced by N. Kannayiram.

He continued to play for Mysore, and captained the team from 1960-61 until his retirement after the 1962-63 season. His best figures were 6 for 42 (8 for 98 in the match) against Hyderabad in 1961-62.

Kasturirangan played 47 matches in his cricket career. He scored 447 runs in 57 innings of which 27 were not outs. His highest score was 41 not out and returned with an aveage of 14.90 runs per innings. His highest score came against Andhra in 1960-61 at Bangalore. He was involved in an unfinished partnership of 158 runs for the seventh wicket in the company of KS Viswanath who scored 131 not out. With the leather he captured 133 wickets of which 47 were bowled. 65 were caught and 21 were leg before wicket. His best bowling innings effort was 7 for 13 in the Rohinton Baria Trophy representing Mysore University against Poona University at Central College Grounds, Bangalore. Poona University was scuttled out for 45 due to the magnificent bowling effort of Kasturirangan. He returned with the bowling figures of 14.0-6-13-7. In Poona’s second innings, he was amongst the wickets again. His figures read 17.0-7-18-3. He had a great match picking up ten wickets conceding 31 runs.

Kasturirangan made his first class debut in a Ranji Trophy match representing Mysore against Maharashtra at Central College Grounds in 1948-49 season. His first first class wicket was that of PG Sham Joshi whom he had caught and bowled for 81. He returned with figures of 18.3-4-29-1. He scored 2 not out with the willow in Mysore’s first innings. In second innings, his bowling figures read 4.0-0-4-0. With the willow he scored 429 runs from 36 matches and 48 innings out of which 18 were not outs. He returned with an average of 14.30 runs per innings. His highest score was 41 not out against Andhra in 1960-61 at Bangalore. With the leather he captured 94 wickets of which 28 were bowled, 52 were caught and 12 were leg before wicket. He had two five wicket hauls in his first class career –

1 Kasturirangan G 5 13 Tamilnadu Madras 1960/61

2 Kasturirangan G 6 42 Hyderabad Hyderabad 1961/62

His best innings bowlng figures in First class cricket was his 6 for 42 against Hyderabad at Hyderabad in 1961-62 season.