Venatappa Muddiah
Encyclopedia
Venatappa Musandra Muddiah (June 8, 1929 – October 1, 2009) was an India
n cricket
er who played in 2 Tests
from 1959 to 1960.
Born in Bangalore
, Karnataka
, Muddiah came up through the Mysore University
and Mysore State 'B' team. He studied in the Malleswaram Middle and High School and Central College, Bangalore. He later played club cricket for Malleswaram Gymkhana and Friends Union CC. He joined the Indian Air Force
in 1948, but was soon found 'unfit for flying'. He left the Air Force and represented Mysore
in 1951-52 but was recalled to the IAF as an Air Traffic Controller
in the next year. He went on to become a Wing Commander
before taking voluntary retirement in 1979.
Muddiah started off a batsman, became a medium pacer and finally an off-spinner. He retained his fifteen step runup even while bowling spin. He had a great start to his first class career when he took 8 for 54 for Services
against Southern Punjab in 1949. But for most of his career he had to live in the shadow of Ghulam Ahmed
who was the primary Indian off spinner at the time. Muddiah was not selected to the Indian team till Ghulam retired in 1959.
Muddiah toured England
in 1959
, took thirty wickets in first class matches but did not appear in a Test. He failed to take a wicket on Test debut against Australia
at Delhi
in 1959-60. In his only other appearance, against Pakistan a year later, he took the wickets of Mushtaq Mohammad
, Hanif Mohammad
and Imtiaz Ahmed and had Wallis Mathias
dropped at short-leg by Polly Umrigar
.
Another chance came against the visiting England team in 1961-62. Muddiah took 6 for 71 for the North Zone, all the wickets were top-order batsmen. But after a terrible effort for Services
against MCC on the eve of the fourth Test he was not selected. He retired soon after.
Muddiah took 175 wickets in his first class career that lasted until late 1962. One of his more notable performances was for Mysore
in the 1951-52 Ranji semifinal against Bombay
. After Mysore made 170, Bombay finished the first day on 163 for 1. It rained overnight and Muddiah took six wickets in eight overs to bowl Bombay out for 205 on the second day. Mysore still lost by an innings. He also took 5 for 2 against Jammu and Kashmir
in 1961-62.
Muddiah had his benefit match in 1980. The Government of Karnataka
provided him with 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of land outside Bangalore
where he ran a farm. He has two daughters and a son who is a lieutenant colonel in the Army.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n 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...
er who played in 2 Tests
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...
from 1959 to 1960.
Born in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, Muddiah came up through the Mysore University
University of Mysore
The University of Mysore , is a public university in India. The University founded during the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore, and was conceptualized on the basis of a report on educational progress in the United States and Australia, submitted by Messrs Thomas Denham and...
and Mysore State 'B' team. He studied in the Malleswaram Middle and High School and Central College, Bangalore. He later played club cricket for Malleswaram Gymkhana and Friends Union CC. He joined the Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
in 1948, but was soon found 'unfit for flying'. He left the Air Force and represented 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...
in 1951-52 but was recalled to the IAF as an Air Traffic Controller
Air traffic controller
Air traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
in the next year. He went on to become a Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
before taking voluntary retirement in 1979.
Muddiah started off a batsman, became a medium pacer and finally an off-spinner. He retained his fifteen step runup even while bowling spin. He had a great start to his first class career when he took 8 for 54 for Services
Services cricket team
The Services cricket team is a domestic cricket team in the Elite Group of the Ranji Trophy, the main domestic competition in India.-Current squad:*Sarbjit Singh*Yashpal Singh *Jasvir Singh*Brijesh Kumar*Vishnu Tiwari*Mumtaaz Qadir...
against Southern Punjab in 1949. But for most of his career he had to live in the shadow of Ghulam Ahmed
Ghulam Ahmed
Ghulam Ahmed was an off spin bowler, who captained India in Test cricket. After his retirement, he served for many years as the secretary of BCCI....
who was the primary Indian off spinner at the time. Muddiah was not selected to the Indian team till Ghulam retired in 1959.
Muddiah toured 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...
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...
, took thirty wickets in first class matches but did not appear in a Test. He failed to take a wicket on Test debut 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...
at Delhi
Feroz Shah Kotla
The Feroz Shah Kotla or Kotla was originally a fortress built by Sultan Ferozshah Tughlaq to house his version of Delhi city called Ferozabad. A pristine polished sandstone pillar from the 3rd century B.C...
in 1959-60. In his only other appearance, against Pakistan a year later, he took the wickets of Mushtaq Mohammad
Mushtaq Mohammad
Mushtaq Mohammad is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 57 Tests and 10 ODIs from 1959 to 1979. A right-handed batsman and a leg-spinner, he is one of the most successful Pakistani all-rounders and went on to captain his country in nineteen Test matches...
, Hanif Mohammad
Hanif Mohammad
Hanif Mohammad is a former Pakistan cricketer. He played for the Pakistani cricket team in 55 Test matches between 1952/53 and 1969/70 and averaged 43.98, with twelve hundreds....
and Imtiaz Ahmed and had Wallis Mathias
Wallis Mathias
Wallis Mathias was a Pakistani cricketer who played in 21 Tests from 1955 to 1962. He was the first non-Muslim cricketer to play for Pakistan....
dropped at short-leg by Polly Umrigar
Polly Umrigar
Pahlan Ratanji "Polly" Umrigar was an Indian cricketer. He played first-class cricket for Bombay, and Test cricket in the Indian cricket team, mainly as a middle-order batsman but also bowling occasional medium pace and off spin. He captained the Indian team in eight Test matches from 1955 to...
.
Another chance came against the visiting England team in 1961-62. Muddiah took 6 for 71 for the North Zone, all the wickets were top-order batsmen. But after a terrible effort for Services
Services cricket team
The Services cricket team is a domestic cricket team in the Elite Group of the Ranji Trophy, the main domestic competition in India.-Current squad:*Sarbjit Singh*Yashpal Singh *Jasvir Singh*Brijesh Kumar*Vishnu Tiwari*Mumtaaz Qadir...
against MCC on the eve of the fourth Test he was not selected. He retired soon after.
Muddiah took 175 wickets in his first class career that lasted until late 1962. One of his more notable performances was for 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...
in the 1951-52 Ranji semifinal against Bombay
Mumbai cricket team
The Mumbai cricket team is a cricket team representing the city of Mumbai in Indian domestic cricket. It is the most successful team in the Ranji Trophy, India's top domestic cricket competition, with 39 titles, the most recent being in 2009–10. The team's home ground is the Wankhede Stadium in...
. After Mysore made 170, Bombay finished the first day on 163 for 1. It rained overnight and Muddiah took six wickets in eight overs to bowl Bombay out for 205 on the second day. Mysore still lost by an innings. He also took 5 for 2 against Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir cricket team
The Jammu and Kashmir cricket team is a cricket team based in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is in the Plate Group of the Ranji Trophy. Its home ground is the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar.-References:**navneet roy...
in 1961-62.
Muddiah had his benefit match in 1980. The Government of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
provided him with 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of land outside Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
where he ran a farm. He has two daughters and a son who is a lieutenant colonel in the Army.