M. L. Jaisimha
Encyclopedia
Motganhalli Laxminarsu Jaisimha ' onMouseout='HidePop("99617")' href="/topics/Secunderabad">Secunderabad
, Andhra Pradesh
– July 6, 1999, Sanikpuri, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh) was an Indian
Test cricket
er.
M.L. Jaisimha a right-handed batsman who was noted for his style on and off the field. He bowled medium pace, often opening the bowling for India, and off breaks and was a brilliant fielder. But it was the way he went about things that caught the eye. Partab Ramchand wrote after Jaisimha's death that "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." Indian Cricket
called him a 'cultivated stylist'.
Jaisimha made his first-class debut at the age of 15 scoring 90 for Hyderabad against Andhra Pradesh. After two indifferent seasons, he cracked hundreds against Madras
and Mysore
, the premier teams in the South Zone. 20 wickets in Ranji
matches in the same season found him a place in the side that toured England in 1959
. The debut at Lord's was disastrous, but his next two Tests won him notice. In the final Test against Australia
in 1959/60 at Calcutta
, he went into bat towards the end of the day and finished on 20* on the second. He started his second innings just before close on third, batted throughout the fourth scoring only 59 runs and was out on the final day for 74.http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/23/23936.html This made him the first batsman to bat on all five days of a Test match. At Kanpur against Pakistan two years later, he batted through a whole day for just 54 runs. This innings which lasted 505 minutes for 99 runs ironically ended when he attempted a quick single to complete the hundred.http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/24/24549.html
Meanwhile, he converted himself into an opener. While there was a bit of competition for the Indian middle order, Pankaj Roy
was coming to the end of his career as an opener. In that position, Jaisimha scored hundreds against England
in 1961/62 and 1963/64 and a 134 against Ceylon. In the latter series against England he made 444 runs. In 1964/65, he batted in the middle order for Hyderabad and hit 713 runs. But failures in the Test matches led to him being dropped.
He was not part of the team that toured Australia
in 1967/68, but injuries to Chandu Borde
and B.S. Chandrasekhar and loss of form of others resulted in Jaisimha being flown in. He went straight into the third Test and scored 74 and 101, nearly pulling off an improbable win. Curiously, each of his three hundreds came in the third Tests of the respective series. He never again crossed 25 in Test cricket.
His last series was the tour of West Indies in 1970/71. Captain Ajit Wadekar
was to write later that he found Jaisimha's counsel invaluable. In his last innings at Port of Spain
he stayed for an hour scoring 23 and help Sunil Gavaskar
save the match.
He led Hyderabad for 16 seasons and 76 matches. The Indian captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi often played under his leadership. Jaisimha was a selector between 1977/78 and 1980/81, and managed the Indian tour to Sri Lanka in 1985/86. MCC
made him a life member in 1978. He was also a TV commentator for some time. His son Vivek Jaisimha was a first class cricketer.
His death was due to lung cancer.
Secunderabad
Secunderabad popularly known as the twin city of Hyderabad is located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh north of Hyderabad. Named after Sikandar Jah, the third Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Secunderabad was founded in 1806 AD as a British cantonment...
, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
– July 6, 1999, Sanikpuri, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh) was an Indian
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
er.
M.L. Jaisimha a right-handed batsman who was noted for his style on and off the field. He bowled medium pace, often opening the bowling for India, and off breaks and was a brilliant fielder. But it was the way he went about things that caught the eye. Partab Ramchand wrote after Jaisimha's death that "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
Upturned collar
An upturned collar is an otherwise flat, protruding collar of either a shirt, jacket, or coat that has been turned upward.-Origins:Before the early 20th century, most shirt collars were turned up in some manner. Men and women alike wore tall, stiff collars , not unlike a taller version of a...
- all these attracted immediate attention." Indian Cricket
Indian Cricket (annual)
Indian Cricket was a cricket yearbook published by The Hindu from 1946–47 to 2004. There was no 2003 issue and so there are 57 editions in all. During most of its run it was the principal annual of its kind in India...
called him a 'cultivated stylist'.
Jaisimha made his first-class debut at the age of 15 scoring 90 for Hyderabad against Andhra Pradesh. After two indifferent seasons, he cracked hundreds against Madras
Tamil Nadu cricket team
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Team ; , competes in the Super League of the Ranji Trophy, the top cricketing competition in India. The team finished as runners-up behind Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons establishing themselves as one of the strongest teams in the country...
and Mysore
Karnataka cricket team
Karnataka cricket team is a cricket team that represents the Indian state of Karnataka in domestic first class cricket. One of the strongest teams in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group, it has produced many of the Indian cricket team's leading players throughout its existence...
, the premier teams in the South Zone. 20 wickets in Ranji
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia...
matches in the same season found him a place in the side that toured England in 1959
Indian cricket team in England in 1959
The Indian cricket team toured England in the 1959 season. The team played five Test matches against England and lost them all: the first time that England had won all the matches in a five-match series...
. The debut at Lord's was disastrous, but his next two Tests won him notice. In the final Test against Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
in 1959/60 at Calcutta
Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata , India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a Test and One Day International ground. It is the largest cricket stadium in India by seating capacity...
, he went into bat towards the end of the day and finished on 20* on the second. He started his second innings just before close on third, batted throughout the fourth scoring only 59 runs and was out on the final day for 74.http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/23/23936.html This made him the first batsman to bat on all five days of a Test match. At Kanpur against Pakistan two years later, he batted through a whole day for just 54 runs. This innings which lasted 505 minutes for 99 runs ironically ended when he attempted a quick single to complete the hundred.http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/24/24549.html
Meanwhile, he converted himself into an opener. While there was a bit of competition for the Indian middle order, Pankaj Roy
Pankaj Roy
Pankaj Roy was an Indian cricketer. A right-handed opening batsman, he is best known for establishing the world record opening partnership of 413 runs, together with Vinoo Mankad, against New Zealand at Chennai. The record stood until 2008. He was honoured with the Padma Shri...
was coming to the end of his career as an opener. In that position, Jaisimha scored hundreds against England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
in 1961/62 and 1963/64 and a 134 against Ceylon. In the latter series against England he made 444 runs. In 1964/65, he batted in the middle order for Hyderabad and hit 713 runs. But failures in the Test matches led to him being dropped.
He was not part of the team that toured Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1967/68, but injuries to Chandu Borde
Chandu Borde
Chandrakant Gulabrao "Chandu" Borde born 21 July 1934 in Poona In Marathi Christian Family, is a ex-cricketer who was a member of the Indian team between 1958 and 1970. Following his retirement, Borde became a cricket administrator, serving as the Chairman of national selectors...
and B.S. Chandrasekhar and loss of form of others resulted in Jaisimha being flown in. He went straight into the third Test and scored 74 and 101, nearly pulling off an improbable win. Curiously, each of his three hundreds came in the third Tests of the respective series. He never again crossed 25 in Test cricket.
His last series was the tour of West Indies in 1970/71. Captain Ajit Wadekar
Ajit Wadekar
Ajit Laxman Wadekar is a former international cricketer. He played domestic first-class cricket for the Mumbai cricket team....
was to write later that he found Jaisimha's counsel invaluable. In his last innings at Port of Spain
Queen's Park Oval
Queen's Park Oval, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, is currently the largest capacity cricket ground in the West Indies and has hosted more Test matches than any other ground in the Caribbean. It also hosted a number of matches in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. It is privately owned by the...
he stayed for an hour scoring 23 and help Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
save the match.
He led Hyderabad for 16 seasons and 76 matches. The Indian captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi often played under his leadership. Jaisimha was a selector between 1977/78 and 1980/81, and managed the Indian tour to Sri Lanka in 1985/86. MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
made him a life member in 1978. He was also a TV commentator for some time. His son Vivek Jaisimha was a first class cricketer.
His death was due to lung cancer.