{{Short description|Annual first-class cricket competition}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}} The '''M. J. Gopalan Trophy''' was an annual first-class cricket competition played between Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Madras (now Tamil Nadu) between 1952–53 and 2007–08.
==History== The idea of the competition came about with the starting of a silver jubilee fund in 1952 to celebrate M.J. Gopalan's 25 years as a cricket and hockey player.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/01/03/stories/2002010301180800.htm | title=Honouring MJ Gopalan | date=2002-01-03 | access-date=2007-09-23 | work=The Hindu | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709024105/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2002/01/03/stories/2002010301180800.htm | archive-date=2011-07-09 | url-status=usurped }}</ref> Through the fund, an annual cricket match was instituted between Madras and Ceylon and named after Gopalan. The trophy was donated by the Madras cricket administrator V. Pattabhiraman and was presented to the victors after the first match by Learie Constantine.<ref>Neil Wijeratne, ''Batting on a Matting Wicket'', Neil Wijeratne, Wattala, 2011, pp. 170-180.</ref>
Ceylon won the first match.<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/20/20528.html Madras v Ceylon 1952-53]</ref> The match became a regular fixture in the calendar until Sri Lanka received Test status and the competition was stopped. It was revived in 2000 with a match between Tamil Nadu and a Colombo District Cricket Association.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl1723/17230890.htm | title=The revival of a tournament | date=2000-11-11 | access-date=2007-09-22 | publisher=Frontline}}</ref> Two years later the fixture was dropped again but in 2007 the Sri Lankan and Tamil Nadu boards agreed to restart the competition.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/india/content/story/311956.html | title=Ashwin leads Tamil Nadu in revived Gopalan Trophy | date=2007-09-21 | access-date=2007-09-22 | publisher=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref> A match was played in September 2007 between Tamil Nadu and a Sri Lankan XI, won by the Sri Lankan team.<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/129/129781.html Sri Lanka Cricket XI v Tamil Nadu 2007-08]</ref> No matches for the trophy have been played since.
==Results== There have been 27 first-class matches for the Gopalan Trophy. The names of the competing sides have varied, especially the Sri Lankan teams.
{| class="wikitable" |- ! Season !! Venue !! Result |- || 1952-53 || Chepauk Stadium, Madras || Ceylon by 95 runs |- || 1953-54 || Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground, Colombo || Ceylon Cricket Association by an innings and 108 runs |- || 1955-56 || Nehru Stadium, Madras || Ceylon by an innings and 14 runs |- || 1956-57 || P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo || Ceylon Cricket Association by 5 wickets |- || 1957-58 || Chepauk Stadium, Madras || Madras by 2 wickets |- || 1958-59 || P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo || Drawn |- || 1959-60 || Nehru Stadium, Madras || Madras by 8 wickets |- || 1960-61 || P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo || Ceylon Cricket Association by 169 runs |- || 1961-62 || Nehru Stadium, Madras || Ceylon by an innings and 66 runs |- || 1963-64 || P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo || Ceylon Board President's XI by 6 wickets |- || 1965-66 || P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo || Drawn |- || 1966-67 || Chepauk Stadium, Madras || Drawn |- || 1967-68 || P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo || Ceylon Board President's Under-27s XI by 105 runs |- || 1968-69 || Chepauk Stadium, Madras || Drawn |- || 1969-70 || P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo || Drawn |- || 1970-71 || Chepauk Stadium, Madras || Drawn |- || 1971-72 || Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo || Tamil Nadu by an innings and 9 runs |- || 1972-73 || Chepauk Stadium, Madras || Tamil Nadu by 3 runs |- || 1973-74 || P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo || Drawn |- || 1974-75 || Mahatma Gandhi Stadium, Salem || Tamil Nadu by an innings and 73 runs |- || 1975-76 || Colombo Cricket Club Ground, Colombo || Sri Lanka Board President's XI by 22 runs |- || 1976-77 || Chepauk Stadium, Madras || Drawn |- || 1980-81 || Mahatma Gandhi Stadium, Salem || Drawn |- || 1982-83 || P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo || Drawn |- || 2000-01 || Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo || Drawn |- || 2001-02 || Chepauk Stadium, Madras || Drawn |- || 2007-08 || Colts Cricket Club Ground, Colombo || Sri Lanka Cricket XI by an innings and 96 runs |- |}
Ceylon/Sri Lanka have won 10 times, Madras/Tamil Nadu 5 times, and 12 matches have been drawn.
==Individual records== The highest score for Ceylon/Sri Lanka is 212 by Ievers Gunasekera in 1958–59,<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/23/23364.html Ceylon Cricket Association v Madras 1958-59]</ref> and the highest for Madras/Tamil Nadu is 179 by Michael Dalvi in 1974–75.<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/34/34937.html Tamil Nadu v Sri Lanka 1974-75]</ref> The best innings figures for Ceylon/Sri Lanka are 8 for 43 by Lalith Kaluperuma in 1975–76,<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/35/35915.html Sri Lanka Board President's XI v Tamil Nadu 1975-76]</ref> and the best for Madras/Tamil Nadu are 8 for 60 by V.V. Kumar in 1957–58.<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/22/22859.html Madras v Ceylon 1957-58]</ref> The best match figures for Ceylon/Sri Lanka are 11 for 43 (6 for 17 and 5 for 26) by John Arenhold in 1956–57,<ref>[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/22/22371.html Ceylon Cricket Association v Madras 1956-57]</ref> and the best for Madras/Tamil Nadu are 12 for 108 (4 for 48 and 8 for 60) by V.V. Kumar in 1957–58.<ref>{{cite web |title=MJ Gopalan Trophy, 1958 |url=http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1950S/1957-58/CEYLON_IN_IND/GPLN/MADRAS_CEYLON_GPLN_14-16MAR1958.html |work=ESPNcricinfo |access-date=28 November 2023}}</ref>
Dalvi of Tamil Nadu, and A. C. M. Lafir and Duleep Mendis of Sri Lanka, have scored two centuries. Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan of Tamil Nadu has taken 10 or more wickets in a match four times.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== *{{cite web|url=http://static.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1950S/1956-57/MADRAS_IN_CEYLON/GPLN/CEYLON_MADRAS_GPLN_13-15APR1957.html|title=Ceylon v Madras. Colombo 13-15 April 1957|work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=2009-11-01}}
==Further reading== * S. S. Perera, ''The Janashakthi Book of Sri Lanka Cricket (1832–1996)'', Janashakthi Insurance, Colombo, 1999, pp. 420–23
{{Eponymous cricket series}}
Category:International cricket competitions in India Category:International cricket competitions in Sri Lanka Category:First-class cricket competitions Category:India–Sri Lanka sports relations