Manjit Thakur/ New Delhi

In today's era, cricket has become a religion in India. Cricket stars are treated as national heroes, with some of the biggest brands using them to sell their products. But this was not the case a few decades back.

It is important to look back and talk about the stars who excelled in the country's decades when cricket was in a nascent stage – those who can be called the founding fathers of the great Indian cricket fraternity.

Indian Team ready to board the train at the end of the tour (courtesy:espncricinfo)

Ghulam Mohammad is one such name that comes to mind. He was born on July 12, 1898, and died on  July 21, 1966. After the partition, he went and settled in Pakistan.

His best bowling figures came in the 1926–27 season against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in Karachi. The MCC was playing against the Muslim and Parsis team. Ghulam Mohammad took 5 wickets for 114 runs in this match and took two wickets for 27 runs in the second match.

Ghulam Mohammad (L), Jahangir Khan (R) in England on India's first tour to England

Later, in 1930-31 he helped the Maharaj Kumar of Vizianagram's XI win the final of the inaugural Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup Tournament. In the title match, he scored 74 runs and took five wickets.

It was only in 1932 that India was bestowed with the status of a test-playing nation.

First Indian test team that toured to England

Ghulam Mohammad was selected to be part of the team that toured England to play its first Test match.

He was a left-arm medium-pace bowler and lower-order right-handed batsman. Despite being part of the touring side, he could not make it to the final playing eleven for the Test match. He, however, fared well in the tour matches taking three wickets in nine matches.