Syed Mohammad Hadi
Encyclopedia
Syed
Mohammad (S.M.) Hadi (August 12, 1899 – July 14, 1971, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
, India) was one of the most gifted pioneering athletes of India. He not only represented India in cricket
and tennis
, but was also proficient in field hockey
, soccer, table tennis
, chess
, and polo
. He was nicknamed "Rainbow Hadi" because of his expertise in these seven sports.
army in Hyderabad State
and died when Hadi was barely two years old. Nawab
Moin-Ud-Dowlah, a leading aristocrat in the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad became his guardian and under his care Hadi flourished.
Hadi learned horse riding and polo
as a youth and played soccer for Nizam College
. Recognizing his ward's exceptional athletic abilities, Moin-Ud-Dowlah helped arrange for his studies in England
.
where he studied at Peterhouse and worked hard to become a Cambridge Blue. He helped the Cambridge team score a series of victories against Oxford University and visiting American teams. He also earned university colors in field hockey, soccer, and table tennis.
Denied the captaincy of the Cambridge team because he was an Indian, he vindicated his claim by representing India at the Davis Cup
in 1924 and 1925. He also represented India at Wimbledon
for five years and in 1926 reached the quarter finals in doubles. He was one of the first Indians to compete as a tennis player at the Olympics
(1924 Summer Olympics
).
matches in India, including an unofficial Test. When the Ranji Trophy
was instituted in 1934, Hadi became the first batsman to score a century
. He was the treasurer of the Indian team on their tour of England in 1936 and also played in several matches. He was also on the team in the unofficial Test match series against the Australians led by Jack Ryder. He continued to play for the Hyderabad XI in the Ranji Tropy till 1941. Many of his siblings were also accomplished sportsmen. His brothers Hussein Mohammad and Ashgar Ali were first class cricketers.
. After retiring from athletics, Hadi continued his involvement in sports as an educator. He had an MA from Cambridge and a Masters from the University of Pennsylvania
. Hadi was the Director of Physical Education in Hyderabad and ultimately became Joint Secretary of Education in the Indian Government. His brother Syed Ali Akbar
was also a prominent educator of Hyderabad. Hadi was an avid supporter of the Scout Movement and received the Wood Badge
. He was the National Commissioner of the Boy Scouts of India.
When the All-India Council of Sports was formed in 1959 he became its first secretary.
Syed
Syed is a masculine given name derived from the title Sayyid, it is not to be confused with the similar looking name Sayid...
Mohammad (S.M.) Hadi (August 12, 1899 – July 14, 1971, Hyderabad, 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...
, India) was one of the most gifted pioneering athletes of India. He not only represented India in cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, but was also proficient in field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, soccer, table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
, chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, and polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
. He was nicknamed "Rainbow Hadi" because of his expertise in these seven sports.
Early years
Hadi's father, Captain Syed Mohammed, was an officer in the PaigahPaigah
Paigah or the Shums ul Umra family was the Premier nobility of the Hyderabad State. They were richer and had larger estates than the average Indian Maharajah, they maintained their own court, their own extraordinary palaces, and their own twelve-thousand-strong private army...
army in Hyderabad State
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...
and died when Hadi was barely two years old. Nawab
Nawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
Moin-Ud-Dowlah, a leading aristocrat in the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad became his guardian and under his care Hadi flourished.
Hadi learned horse riding and polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
as a youth and played soccer for Nizam College
Nizam College
Nizam College was established in 1887 during the reign of Nawab Mir Mahaboob Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI, in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. It is located at Basheerbagh.-History:...
. Recognizing his ward's exceptional athletic abilities, Moin-Ud-Dowlah helped arrange for his studies in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Pioneering Tennis Player
As a tennis player Hadi burst on to the international scene while studying at Cambridge UniversityUniversity of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
where he studied at Peterhouse and worked hard to become a Cambridge Blue. He helped the Cambridge team score a series of victories against Oxford University and visiting American teams. He also earned university colors in field hockey, soccer, and table tennis.
Denied the captaincy of the Cambridge team because he was an Indian, he vindicated his claim by representing India at the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
in 1924 and 1925. He also represented India at Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
for five years and in 1926 reached the quarter finals in doubles. He was one of the first Indians to compete as a tennis player at the Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
(1924 Summer Olympics
1924 Summer Olympics
The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...
).
Pioneering Cricketer
As a cricketer he played several first-class cricketFirst-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
matches in India, including an unofficial Test. When the Ranji Trophy
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...
was instituted in 1934, Hadi became the first batsman to score a century
Century
A century is one hundred consecutive years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages .-Start and end in the Gregorian Calendar:...
. He was the treasurer of the Indian team on their tour of England in 1936 and also played in several matches. He was also on the team in the unofficial Test match series against the Australians led by Jack Ryder. He continued to play for the Hyderabad XI in the Ranji Tropy till 1941. Many of his siblings were also accomplished sportsmen. His brothers Hussein Mohammad and Ashgar Ali were first class cricketers.
Sports and Public Service
Hadi was the founding member of the Hyderabad Football Association and the Hyderabad Cricket AssociationHyderabad Cricket Association
Hyderabad Cricket Association is the governing body of the Cricket activities in the Hyderabad and remaining districts of Andhra Pradesh state of India and the Hyderabad cricket team...
. After retiring from athletics, Hadi continued his involvement in sports as an educator. He had an MA from Cambridge and a Masters from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. Hadi was the Director of Physical Education in Hyderabad and ultimately became Joint Secretary of Education in the Indian Government. His brother Syed Ali Akbar
Syed Ali Akbar
Syed Ali Akbar was the son of Captain Syed Mohammed, commander of the Paigah army in Hyderabad State and brother of Olympic tennis player Syed Mohammed Hadi. He was born in Hyderabad on 16 October 1890 and got his primary & secondary education from Madrasa Aliya...
was also a prominent educator of Hyderabad. Hadi was an avid supporter of the Scout Movement and received the Wood Badge
Wood Badge
Wood Badge is a Scouting leadership program and the related award for adult leaders in the programs of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skills, and by creating a bond and commitment to the Scout movement...
. He was the National Commissioner of the Boy Scouts of India.
When the All-India Council of Sports was formed in 1959 he became its first secretary.