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The 1970s were undoubtedly the golden period of Hyderabad cricket. The state had a star-studded team and an abundance of talent. That is why, when the Indian team went on a tour of the West Indies in 1971, the BCCI selectors decided to include no less than five players from Hyderabad in the touring side. The players were M.L. Jaisimha, Syed Abid Ali (both all-rounders), P. Krishnamurthy (wicketkeeper), K. Jayantilal (batsman), and D. Govindaraj (fast bowler).

There were two other Hyderabad players who were not in that team but deserved to have been selected. They were former Captain M.A.K. Pataudi and Abbas Ali Baig. There could have been a total of seven Hyderabad players in the Indian team. Nowadays, when Hyderabad is struggling to unearth good players, we cannot even imagine what it was like in those days.

In a book about his good friend Pataudi, Abbas Ali Baig has written that playing for Hyderabad was the most enjoyable experience of his life. “Hyderabad was the most fun team to play for,” he has written.

Found Pataudi in Hyderabad camp

He goes on to describe what happened on the day when Pataudi made a transfer from Delhi to Hyderabad.

“Imagine our surprise when one day in the 1965-66 season, we found the captain of India sitting in one corner of the Hyderabad dressing room. Surely he should have been playing for the Delhi team?”

“It soon came to light that Hyderabad captain Jaisimha, a great buddy of Tiger Pataudi and Ghulam Ahmed, had contrived to bring about this switch. Tiger was no stranger to Hyderabad since two of his sisters lived here and he had many friends outside cricket.”

“On long train journeys, traveling third class, Pataudi’s Man Friday – a person named Kishen – would pull out a harmonium and Tiger Pataudi would play fairly skillfully and also break into strange versions of Indian dances. Time would pass most congenially.”

“During home games we would often gather at Jaisimha’s house for sumptuous South Indian cuisine. Pranks were played in plenty with Tiger being the source of many.

The team’s spirit was exemplified in a rather bizarre scenario. The captain of the country was playing under Jaisimha in Hyderabad and then captaining India’s Test team which had Jaisimha playing under him.”

Happy team, full of talent

“It was a happy team full of talented players like Govindaraj, Krishnamurthy, Mumtaz Hussain, and seniors like Jaisimha, Abid Ali, Habeeb Ahmed, Tiger, and I. We did not win the Ranji trophy despite our capabilities. But if there had been a trophy for the team which had the maximum amount of fun, we would have won it.”

But it was not a matter of only fun and frolic. Jaisimha may have loved fun and laughter off the field, but when it was time to practice or play the game, Jai was a stern taskmaster. He did not tolerate a casual approach by anybody be it a senior player or a newcomer. His first love and loyalty was always for cricket.

A shrewd captain

Jaisimha was considered a very shrewd captain of Hyderabad and was given the responsibility of leading the team for 14 consecutive seasons from 1963-64 to 1976-77. He also captained the South Zone in the Duleep Trophy for seven years, winning multiple times. While he never led Hyderabad to win the Ranji Trophy, his leadership was widely respected, and he was recognized as one of India’s finest batsmen and captains during his time. It is no wonder that Sunil Gavaskar, when he was a teenager, idolized Jaisimha more than anyone else in India.

But for reasons beyond anyone’s control, the Hyderabad team and some key players did not have luck on their side. For any venture to succeed, a little bit of luck is also required. While Jayantilal and Govindaraj did go with the team to the West Indies in 1971, they did not get the opportunity to showcase their talent.

Players not given opportunity

Jayantilal was given a chance to play in only one Test match when Gavaskar was injured. He scored five runs in the first test which ended in a draw. Dilip Sardesai (father of Rajdeep Sardesai) hogged the limelight by scoring 212 runs. In the next Test match Sunil Gavaskar regained his fitness and Jayantilal was dropped. Thereafter he was never selected again.

Govindaraj suffered an even worse fate. He was not selected in the playing eleven for even one Test match. It was a surprising decision by India captain Ajit Wadekar. This was a time when India needed the services of a good fast bowler and therefore Govindaraj should have been given a chance to prove himself.

If Govindaraj and Abid Ali had shared the new ball together, the Indian opening attack could have benefitted. However, due to unknown reasons, Hyderabad’s leading pacer was kept in the background and later he quietly faded from the game. The neglect and omission of Govindaraj was a loss to India.