M Suryanarayan

A grandson of Buchi Babu Naidu, the patriarch of Madras cricket, Suryanarayanan was a stylish right hand middle order batsman who played the off and cover drives in particularly elegant fashion. A stalwart of Madras cricket in the forties and fifties, `Suri' as he was popularly known, played 11 matches for the state in the Ranji Trophy and earned selection for the Indian team for the fifth and final `Test' against the SJOC team at Lucknow in 1953-54. Going in at No 8, he scored 12. That however remained the extent of his international career. In the early 90s, he co-authored (with PN Sundaresan) a book on his grandfather explaining in some detail the enormous and enduring influence he had on the game in the state. (Partab Ramchand)