Lala Amaranth was a patriarchal figure in Indian cricket. He was considered a living legend of Indian cricket throughout his twilight years. He was the first cricket captain of independent India. He was equally adept as a batsman and as a bowler. He rose to fame by scoring a brilliant 109 for Southern Punjab against MCC in 1933-34 and became an overnight star few weeks later by scoring a century on debut against England at Bombay Gymkhana ground which also happens to be India’s first Test at home. England’s eventual easy win was overshadowed by Lala Amarnath’s performance. He bowled impressively on the England tour in 1946 when he reduced England to 70 for 4 at Lord’s. In the following year, he was named captain of the national side for their first tour of Australia. He also captained against the West Indies in 1948-49. He led India to its first ever Test victory over Pakistan at Delhi in 1952 as India went on to win the series 2-1. He also served as a selector, manager and commentator. His sons Mohinder and Surinder both played Test cricket for India while Rajinder played first class cricket. He was honored by the government of India with Padma Bhushan in 1991.