In 1936, Cotar Ramaswami made India Test debut; he was later listed as ‘death unknown’
This article profiles Cotar Ramaswami, a historic Indian cricketer who played for Cambridge and represented India in Test cricket after the age of 40. It highlights his multi-sport background, including tennis, and his mysterious disappearance later in life.
Why it matters
It preserves the legacy of a unique figure in Indian sports history whose life spanned elite cricket and tennis before a tragic, unexplained end.
Only 13 cricketers in the history of Test cricket have made their debuts after turning 40. Two of them were Indians — Rustomji Jamshedji Dorabji Jamshedji and Cotar Ramaswami.Jamshedji remains the oldest Indian to make his Test debut. He was 41 years and 27 days old when he played against England in Mumbai on December 15, 1933. Ramaswami, born on June 16, 1896, in Madras (now Chennai), made his Test debut aged 40 years and 39 days against England at Manchester on July 25, 1936.Born on November 18, 1892, in Bombay (now Mumbai), Jamshedji played only one Test for India, while Ramaswami played two.But Ramaswami's story goes beyond his short Test career. He played First-Class cricket for 27 years, represented Cambridge University in tennis and even appeared at Wimbledon.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in