ML Jaisimha : The charmer from Hyderabad

The first time I came across the name ML Jaisimha was somewhere in the 1990s while reading Sunil Gavaskar’s Sunny Days. Jaisimha had written the foreword of the book and Gavaskar described him as one of his idols. Now having heard about the greatness of Gavaskar, it was a no-brainer for me that his idol Jaisimha must have been a player to watch. People who have seen Jaisimha play say that the Lal Bahadur stadium in Hyderabad would echo with chants of “Jai-Simha…Oooooh”, whenever the elegant batsman used to be out in the middle.

In fact, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadela who also hails from Hyderabad preferred Jaisimha over the great Sachin Tendulkar. Recently in a rapid-fire round of interview when asked to choose between the two he had said, “Oh that is tough. But look I am a Hyderabadi and a romantic at heart, so ML Jaisimha”.

Stats does not do justice to these talents from Hyderabad

If we just look at his Test record of 2000 plus runs at an average of just above 30 in 39 matches, it may not seem much to write home about. But then there is something about these batsmen from Hyderabad; stats does not do justice to their full talent. A quick glance at the records of Mohammad Azharuddin and VVS Laxman adds merit to my previous statement. These Hyderabadi men brought joy to the cricket field.

One word which personifies all the three of them is ‘style’. Probably it is something in the soil of the ‘City of Pearls’ which is responsible for this elegance among the likes of Jaisimha, Azhar and Laxman. Much before Azhar’s upturned-collar became the talk of the cricketing world, Jaisimha had made it a fashion-statement. Jaisimha was a crowd charmer in every sense. Commenting on Jaisimha, noted writer Partab Ramchand had said, “His slim figure, which he maintained till his last day, the boyish good looks, the inimitable gait, the trademark silk shirt and scarf, the sleeves buttoned at the wrist or the collar turned up - all these attracted immediate attention”.

He was an aggressive player as his Indian team partner Chandu Borde said, “He was among the first of his generation who started playing lofted shots”. It is said that he also used to play reverse sweep back in the days when such shots were classified as acts of crime. But Jai, as he was fondly called, could also play the waiting game if required. As Abbas Ali Baig said, “His audacious batting could light up a stadium but he could also play to the needs of the team and shut down one end”.

One of the shrewdest cricketing brains in the country

Jai was very quick to understand the match situation and play accordingly. Gavaskar described Jaisimha as one of the shrewdest cricketing brains in the country. About Jaisimha, it is famously said that he was probably the best captain never to lead India. Irrespective of that, he never shied away from giving advice to the captain. In the second test match of India’s historic tour to West Indies in 1970-71, he had shared crucial insights with the skipper Ajit Wadekar during drinks although he wasn’t part of the playing eleven.

But he did lead the Hyderabad team for close to 16 years. People close to him say that he was easily approachable and would mingle well with the youngsters. Recalling one of his discussions with Jaisimha, first-class cricketer V Ramnarayan described the proceedings at the end of a hard day’s play at the KSCA stadium when Jai was happy with the performance of the team. Jai had said, “Bowling bhi achha kare aur dyvaan maare” (We bowled well and also dived around).

One of his best performances came up in the third test match at Brisbane during the 1967-68 tour to Australia. He scored 74 and 101, nearly pulling off an improbable victory. Indians fell 39 runs short of the target of 395 runs. Interestingly, he was flown in as a last minute replacement for the Test match. Recounting this incident sports journalist Joseph Antony has written in Jai’s biography My Way, “Jai, son of a real estate construction magnate, hopped from Madras to Singapore to Perth to Sydney to Brisbane, ‘merry-making' all the way. After reaching the hotel, he again had an ‘all-night drink and discussion with Tiger Pataudi’. He had no time to practice at the nets.”

Acknowledging Jaisimha’s contribution in India’s first series win in the Caribbean, skipper Ajit Wadekar had written, “He held on, though shaken by a barrage of bouncers, to enable us draw the final test”. For the records, Jai had stitched together a crucial partnership of 81 runs in the second innings in the final Test at Port of Spain with Gavaskar (who scored 220 runs). This turned out to be his last test match.

Today, he would have turned 79 years old, but he passed away in 1999 after suffering from cancer. Wishing him a very happy birthday and I am sure that he is lighting up the stands in heaven with his stylish play. In the foreword for Sunny Days Jaisimha had written, "This book, I am confident, will be of great value to all cricketers, particularly to youngsters learning the rudiments of this delightful game." I just hope that this article helps in passing Jaisimha's legacy to the current and next generation.