Wisden overview
Lala Amarnath waged a constant battle against authority and destiny. A free-flowing strokeplayer, he went against the grain when, in his first Test against England, with the score on 21 for 2, he chose to counter-attack rather than stonewall. He reached his 100 in just 117 minutes, but never made a Test century again. Fiercely independent and plain-spoken, he was sent back from England during India's 1936 tour after an outburst against the then-captain, the Maharajkumar of Vizianagram. The war curtailed his best years; his fourth Test, in England in 1946, came 13 years after his first. That tour was memorable for his bowling; with a short run-up, bowling off the wrong foot, he was India's top wicket-taker, with two five-fors in the three Tests. Next, prodigal son became head of family as Amarnath captained India to Australia in 1948, where his aggressive, imaginative captaincy drew praise from Don Bradman. He also made a name for himself as a selector and commentator, but was never quite part of the establishment. As 1936 team-mate Mushtaq Ali put it, "he was an impetuous man: quick to love, and quick to fight." Amit Varma

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