Why Hyderabad's record has been disappointing

For a state richly steeped in cricketing tradition, Hyderabad's overall showing in the Ranji Trophy has been nothing short of disappointing. Two triumphs - 49 years apart - and only two other entries into the title round in 65 years is a poor record for a side which has produced some of the country's finest players. In many ways, Hyderabad's performance bears some similarities to Tamil Nadu's - good at the zonal level but heart breaking at the knock out stage. If anything, their mental block against teams like Bombay is even more pronounced than their southern neighbours'. Like Tamil Nadu, they too have been strong on talent and technique but found wanting in courage and temparament.

And yet the early years promised to be most encouraging. Hyderabad were the first team from the south to win the Ranji Trophy in 1937-38 - only the fourth year of the competition. The early stalwarts were Eddie Aibara who continued to be a tower of strength for many years, SM Hadi, the first batsman to hit a century in the national competition (and that too on debut) and SM Hussain who led them to their first triumph.

A second entry into the final followed in 1942-43 but this time Hyderabad were on the losing side against Baroda. Despite the herculean efforts by Aibara in batting and Ghulam Ahmed in bowling, Hyderabad made little headway through the forties, more often than not being worsted at the zonal level by Mysore and Madras.

The fifties promised to be a much more fruitful decade for Hyderabad. Ghulam Ahmed had taken over the captaincy and by the middle of the decade, talented teenagers Jaisimha and Abbas Ali Baig were pushed into the side. An able off spinner was discovered in R Jairam and he came in handy even as Ghulam was nearing the end of his career. But the side itself made little progress during the decade.

At the start of the sixties, however Hyderabad seemed poised for greater things. Under the shrewd leadership of Jaisimha, the nucleus of a fine side had been formed. Gifted youngsters like Waheer Yar Khan, Sultan Saleem and Asif Iqbal Razvi (who played for a few years for Hyderabad during this period before migrating to bigger things in Pakistan) were encouraged. With players like Baig, Mahendra Kumar and Abid Ali around, Hyderabad started faring much better. They won the zonal title in 1962-63 before losing to Bengal in the quarterfinal. And two years later they struck a purple patch. With Jaisimha, Baig and Mahendra Kumar in superb form with the bat and with Jaisimha, Abid Ali and Jairam picking up the wickets, Hyderabad capped a great run by entering the final for the first time in 22 years. However Bombay proved to be too strong, winning by an innings and plenty.

The next year, Hyderabad received an unexpected bonus with the then Indian captain Pataudi opting to represent them rather than Delhi. Around the end of the decade, the Hyderabad side wore a pretty formidable look. An outfit which could boast of established players like Pataudi, Jaisimha, Baig and Abid Ali and promising newcomers in spinners Nausheer Mehta and Mumtaz Hussain, opening batsman K Jayantilal, wicketkeeper P Krishnamurthy and opening bowler D Govindraj seemed like the only one who could halt Bombay's supremacy. But somehow Hyderabad remained a set of brilliant individuals rather than a title winning team.

In 1970-71 however Hyderabad at least seemed to do justice to their talent. They won all the four matches in the South Zone league but again faltered at the knock out stage. However the fact that for the first time as many as six players - Jaisimha, Baig, Abid Ali, Govindraj, Krishnamurthy and Jayantilal - were members of the Indian team which toured West Indies and England in 1971 showed that Hyderabad was regarded as among the leading state sides.

For the cricket follower in Hyderabad, the 70s were a frustrating period. With the players at their disposal, there seemed no reason why Hyderabad should not win the Ranji Trophy. And yet they faltered time and again in most irritating fashion. In 1973-74 for example Hyderabad were well placed to win their semifinal at home against Rajasthan. But their star studded team collapsed unaccountably on the final day. Again two years later they gained the first innings lead against Bombay and there seemed little time for the reigning champions to fight back. Again Hyderabad, at full strength, were bowled out on the final day when all they had to do was play out time.

It seemed that Hyderabad were not destined to win the Ranji Trophy and by the late 70s the mood in state cricket circles was downbeat. By now Pataudi, Abid Ali, Baig and Jaisimha had retired along with the other stalwarts. However by the 80s, hopes had been rekindled again thanks to some fine performances by players like Md Azharuddin, MV Narasimha Rao, Arshad Ayub, MV Sridhar, Abdul Azeem, Shivlal Yadav and Rajesh Yadav. And in 1986-87 thanks to some fine teamwork and good individual performances by these players, Hyderabad gave the patient cricket followers in the state something to celebrate by pulling off a surprise triumph, defeating Delhi in the final.

However in the last decade, Hyderabad has again flattered only to deceive. The batting of Azharuddin, A Nandakishore, MV Sridhar, VVS Laxman and Daniel Manohar, the all round skills and leadership of Arshad Ayub and the bowling of NP Singh, Venkatpathi Raju and Kanwaljit Singh have all seen Hyderabad move into the knock out stage repeatedly. But that has been the extent of their advance. However the team did show that they were not devoid of fighting skills by turning the tables on Uttar Pradesh in the quarterfinal. Also, they are at full strength. Whether all this will translate into a Ranji Trophy winning side remains to be seen.